Fumiko Gotô
Jeweller
Published: 23.10.2020
outlook.comBrooch: Tsugite ni Mayu heri, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn, pressed amber, silver 0.925
5.8 x 2.2 x 1.9 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Sen yoko, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
5.6 x 3 x 1.9 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Sen yoko kuro, 2020
Buffalo horn, silver 0.925
6 x 2.7 x 1.6 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Mayu tate, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
5.7 x 3.2 x 1.7 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Kumite ni Sen tate, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn, silver 0.925
3.9 x 3.4 x 1.7 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Soramame, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
5.4 x 3 x 1.9 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Soramame, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
5.4 x 3 x 1.9 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Kumite ni Mayu, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn, silver 0.925
6 x 2.4 x 1.5 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Mayu yoko, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn, pressed amber, silver 0.925
4.3 x 3.5 x 1.6 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Kaku, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
4.4 x 3.5 x 1.7 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Kumite ni Ten Ten, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn, silver 0.925
4.3 x 3.3 x 1.5 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Sen naname, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
4.9 x 3 x 1.7 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Yabane, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
4.1 x 3.5 x 1.9 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Ari, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
5.6 x 2.9 x 1.7 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Kumite ni Ten, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn, silver 0.925
4.6 x 3.4 x 1.7 cm
Part of: Private Collection
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Kumite ni Ten, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn, silver 0.925
4.6 x 3.4 x 1.7 cm
Part of: Private Collection
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Mayu yoko dai, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
3.9 x 3.6 x 1.8 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Tsugite-variations with the inlays of „Mayu“, made of pressed amber.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Tsugite ni Sen naname, 2020
Mammoth ivory, buffalo horn pressed amber, silver 0.925
4.9 x 3 x 1.7 cm
From series: Kumite ni Tsugite
Tsugite ni Sen naname in Tomobako-box, each with the title and the signature of the artist.
Unique piece
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Nasubi 04L, 2019
Hand-carved mammoth ivory, Japanese coral, silver.925.
2.8 x 2.6 x 4.5 cm
Part of: Museum mudac, Lausanne, Switzerland
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Soramame 07, 2019
Hand - carved mammoth ivory, mother of pearl, silver.925.
2.9 x 2.1 x 5.4 cm
Part of: Museum mudac, Lausanne, Switzerland
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Nasubi 04R, 2019
Hand-carved buffalo horn, serpentine, chalcedony, silver.925.
2.8 x 2.3 x 5 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Kushi 011, 2018
Hand-carved buffalo horn, Mediterranean coral, silver.925.
2.7 x 1.5 x 7.9 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Soramame 07, 2019
Hand-carved mammoth ivory, carnelian, silver.925.
2.7 x 1.9 x 4.7 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Mayu OV013 and Mayu OV012B, 2019
Hand-carved buffalo horn, Japanese coral, serpentine, silver.925.
Hand-carved mammoth ivory, Japanese coral, onyx, silver.925.
2 x 2.3 x 6.9 cm; 1.8 x 2.3 x 6 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Nasubi 04L, 2019
Hand-carved buffalo horn, Tahitian Keshi pearl, silver.925.
2.8 x 1.8 x 4.7 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Mayu RO022, 2018
Hand-carved Elforyn®, buffalo horn, Japanese coral, silver.925.
4.7 x 2.3 x 6.2 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Mayu OV013A, 2019
Hand-carved buffalo horn, onyx, silver.925.
1.9 x 2.3 x 6.6 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Hyôtan 024, 2018
Hand carved Elforyn®, Mediterranean coral, silver.925.
2.5 x 1.7 x 4.8 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Soramame 07, 2019
Hand-carved buffalo horn, South Sea pearl, carnelian, silver.925.
2.8 x 2.5 x 4.8 cm
Part of: Museum mudac, Lausanne, Switzerland
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Hyôtan 021, 2019
Hand-carved Elforyn®, onyx, Japanese coral, silver.925.
2.3 x 2.3 x 5.7 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Ichyô 011, 2019
Hand-carved buffalo horn, serpentine, Mediterranean coral, silver.925.
3.9 x 1.6 x 3.9 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Hyôtan 011B, 2018
Hand-carved mammoth ivory, Japanese coral, silver.925.
1.9 x 1.6 x 6.5 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Untitled, 2018 - 2019
Hand-carved buffalo horn, onyx, silver.925.
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Hyôtan 022B, 2018
Hand-carved buffalo horn, mother of pearl, silver.925 in Tomobako-box.
2.2 x 2.4 x 5.9 cm
From series: Wagashi
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
After over 30 years of practicing architecture, working with different scales and typology of buildings, I am now taking on a new scale and genre by creating jewellery.
Statement
The richness of seasonal diversity has endowed Japanese culture with a variety of motifs, which have been extracted from nature and abstracted into distinctive forms and worked further into exceptional artefacts by Japanese artists. Inspired by these artefacts, I transform these constitutions into jewellery, employing substances that evoke the chromatic heritage of traditional Japan.As in architecture, I set the scale of my 'ornament' to the human physiology, in this case of creating jewellery namely the size that fits in the mouth. I am inspired by traditional Japanese sweets - 'Wagashi', and especially I have been compelled by the size hitokuchi, which means 'mouthful' - a morsel can be ingested whole, all at once, without first taking a nibble.
Consequently I have adopted this size to my jewellery, which is very appropriate to the scale of human body especially worn as brooches: this size is small enough not to disturb the whole visual appearance of a person with his/her style, clothing, complexions etc., but large enough to make the wearers’ personal statements.
Series “Kumite ni Tsugite”, 2020
From the ancient time in Japan, 'Miyadaiku' - carpenters, specially trained to constructshrines and temples practiced wood joining methods called Kumite or Tsugite, without the use of any metal parts to connect timbers. The joining elements are directly cut and shaped in the wood itself and inserted like complex puzzles, yet occasionally joints are made using an additional independent wood-element to secure them more steadily.
This extra element - one may call it a 'foreign body' or 'the third element' inspired me to create this series of brooches. For the 'the third element' I have chosen traditional Japanese motifs that I often apply to my composition, such as cocoon, calabash, or fava bean.
For the materials, I have chosen again to carve and polish substances reminiscent of traditional Japanese artefacts as I used for the 'Wagashi' series, such as black buffalo horn and mammoth ivory. Especially for this series I have chosen amber comprehensively as the third element - this warm yellow colour evokes the appearancetortoise shells, which were extensively used for hair ornaments called Kanzashi in the past.
With nearly 40 years of experience as an architect, it is very natural that I should be interested in this traditional architectural method of joinery.
Mutually, the concept of 'the third element', which implies the interrelationship of the complexity and the diversity of our surroundings captivated me to create this series.
Series “Wagashi”, 2019 and continuing
Indispensable to the tea ceremony, 'wagashi' - traditional Japanese sweets inspired me to transform these into jewellery, employing substances reminiscent of traditional materials, such as carving and polishing black buffalo horn which recalls black-lacquerware; mammoth ivory, preciously preserved over 10,000 years in Siberian permafrost as a substitute for protected ivory which was used widely for Netsuke-carvings; and gems that evoke the chromatic heritage of traditional Japanese jewellery.
I have applied a variety of traditional Japanese motifs, e.g., 'hyôtan' (calabash), 'mayu' (cocoon), 'hamaguri' (clam), and 'soramame' (fava bean) as ground silhouette for my jewellery, these forms have been widely adopted and repeatedly implemented in different fields to create an array of artefacts in Japan. I have abstracted these formsfurther until the original figures nearly distorted, in which I am inspired by the Italian mannerist painters who exercised their distinctive stylings delightfully.
As in architecture I set the scale of my jewellery to the human physiology. In this series of 'Wagashi', I have been particularly compelled by the 'wagashi'-size called 'hitokuchi' that means 'mouthful' - a morsel small enough be ingested whole, all at once, without first taking a nibble.
CV 
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