Kinrande: Gold Fired Over Red Overglaze Enamel

Kinrande is the technique of firing gold onto a piece that has already been decorated with akae or other overglaze enamels.

The name comes from textiles. The most sumptuous silk brocade, shot through with gold thread, was called kinran, and the ware was named after that same glitter. It began at Jingdezhen in Ming-dynasty China, and in Japan it developed through ko-Imari and then through Kutani ware and the Eiraku line of Kyo ware.

Red and gold is the most formal pairing in Japan. Kinrande is still made today as ware for celebrations.

Three trips through the kiln

A kinrande piece is fired three times.

• 1. Main firing　Around 1,300°C. The body is vitrified and the clear glaze turns to glass
• 2. Overglaze enamels　Around 800°C. Red, green, yellow and other overglaze enamels are fixed
• 3. Gold　Around 750–800°C. The gold alone is fired at a lower temperature still

Why separate the gold? Because gold fixes at a lower temperature than the other enamels, and even slightly too much heat burns it away. At the temperature that brings out the red, the gold would be lost. So the steps are split. Three trips through the kiln also means three chances to crack.

Fresh from the kiln, the gold is not yet bright

Gold that has just come out of the kiln looks a dull brown.

Only after it is burnished with an agate rod or fine sand does the shine appear. This step is called kinmigaki, and depending on how hard it is worked the surface can end up mirror-bright or quietly matte.

You can tell hand-painting from transfer by the edges of the gold. If the line swells and thins where the brush enters and leaves, it was painted by hand. If the width never varies, it is a transfer.

Akae, iroe and kinrande compared

Kinrande is a form of akae, and its most elaborate finish. Within Kutani itself, ko-Kutani fills the surface with green and yellow in the aote manner, while kinrande works in red and gold. Two opposite readings of the same appetite for splendour.

Living with kinrande

Because the gold sits on top of the glaze rather than under it, there are rules.

• No microwave　Gold is metal. It sparks, and the piece is damaged
• Avoid the dishwasher　Heat, pressure and strong alkaline detergent fade the gold
• Do not drag metal cutlery across it　This is where gold wears away fastest
• No abrasives or bleach　Wash by hand with a soft sponge and a neutral detergent

Keep to those four and the gold lasts remarkably well. Gold still survives on Edo-period ko-Imari precisely because it was treated this way. For more, see how to care for Japanese ceramics.

Related terms and reading

Related terms

• Akae: The Red Overglaze Enamel of Kutani and Arita
• Uwa-etsuke: How Overglaze Enamel Painting Works
• Gosai: The Five Colours of Kutani Overglaze Painting
• Ko-Kutani: The Lost 17th-Century Kutani Porcelain
• Sometsuke: Blue and White Porcelain, Explained
• Japanese Pottery Glossary | Terms, Techniques & Kilns

Read further

• Kutani Ware: Japan's Boldest Ceramic Painting
• Arita Ware: Japan's First Porcelain, 400 Years On
• Kyo Ware and Kiyomizu Ware: Kyoto's Refined Ceramics
• Japanese Pottery Patterns: What the Motifs Actually Mean