Hakuza produces the gold leaf that makes up nearly 100% of Japan's domestic supply, using enzuke — a hand-hammering technique recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Gold is beaten between sheets of hand-made gampi paper until it reaches just 0.0001 mm thick, taking on a soft, light-scattering texture that machine-made leaf can't replicate.
"I listen to what the gold leaf itself is telling me, and let that guide how it should be expressed." — Mina Takaoka, Hakuza
Hakuza was built as a gold leaf manufacturer from the start, and still oversees everything in-house — from hammering the leaf to designing the objects it becomes part of. Only around 15 artisans in Kanazawa can still hammer enzuke leaf by hand, a rare skill that founder Mina Takaoka has spent her career bringing out of ceremony and into everyday life.
