Hirata Dounin

Japanese: 平田道仁 - ひらた・どうにん

Year of death: 1646
Year of birth: Tensho 19 (1591)
A cloisonné craftsman from the early Edo period. Born in Mino Province (Gifu Prefecture). His name was Hikoshirō. He was originally a metalworker in Kyoto, and is said to have learned cloisonné techniques from Korea during the Keichō era (1596-1615) at the behest of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He later became a cloisonné craftsman employed by the Tokugawa family. He is considered the founder of the so-called Hirata cloisonné, and this tradition continued for 11 generations. The technique was wire cloisonné, the same as Chinese cloisonné, and many surviving pieces feature vivid colors and Japanese designs such as clouds, butterflies, birds, Mt. Fuji, cherry blossoms, and autumn grasses inlaid into sword fittings such as tsuba and kogata. The sliding doors and cedar door handles of the Jorakuden Hall of Nagoya Castle, as well as various nail covers, are also said to be his works. It is said that the second generation of the Hirata family, Juichi, went to Shizuoka, and the fifth generation, Jumon, went to Edo.

(Yoshiaki Yabe)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：正保3(1646)
生年：天正19(1591)
江戸初期の七宝職人。美濃国(岐阜県)生まれ。名は彦四郎。もと京都の金工師で,慶長年間(1596～1615)に徳川家康の命により朝鮮から七宝の技を学んだという。のち徳川家お抱えの七宝師となる。いわゆる平田七宝の祖とされ,以後11代にわたって続いた。技法は中国の七宝と同じ有線七宝で,鮮明な色調で雲気・蝶・鳥・富士山・桜・秋草など日本的な図様を鐔・小柄などの刀装具に嵌入した遺品が多い。名古屋城上洛殿の襖や杉戸の引手,各種の釘隠などもその作といわれる。平田家の2代就一は静岡,5代就門のとき江戸に出たといわれる。

(矢部良明)

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