Namikawa Sōsuke

Japanese craftsman

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

Namikawa Sōsuke was a Japanese craftsman renowned for his work in cloisonné, a decorative technique involving soldering metal strips to a metal surface to create designs. These designs are then filled with vitreous enamel paste, fired, ground smooth, and polished. While cloisonné has a long history in China and Japan, Namikawa Sōsuke, working in Tokyo during the late 19th century (Meiji period), was particularly successful in developing a "lineless" cloisonné technique. This method achieved the beauty and brilliance of traditional cloisonné but without visible metal outlines, allowing for smooth color gradations.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

enamelwork
Japan
…working for the factory of Namikawa Sōsuke of Tokyo in the late 19th century were most successful in this technique. Another Namikawa of Kyōto worked in true cloisonné. The factory of Jubei Ando of Nagoya has produced more variations. These developments have carried the art of enamel very far from…
Read More
…working for the factory of Namikawa Sōsuke of Tokyo in the late 19th century were most successful in this technique. Another Namikawa of Kyōto worked in true cloisonné. The factory of Jubei Ando of Nagoya has produced more variations. These developments have carried the art of enamel very far from…
Read More