Tokkuri H: 13 cm W: 9.5 cm
Guinomi H: 4.9 cm W: 5.9 cm

Ono Hakuko is an important figure in the world of Japanese ceramics and one of the only women in the field to gain wide acclaim and recognition for her work. Taught mainly by her father from a young age, Hakuko later found inspiration in the works of Living National Treasure Kato Hajime (1900-1968) whose style she was heavily influenced by. When first trying to replicate his works of porcelain and gold, Hakuko met with many failures but eventually mastered this extremely delicate technique and later innovated on it by creating her own distinct style of gold-leaf underglaze. Over the course of her career she won a number of awards and prizes including the Japan Ceramics Prize in 1981 and the title of Saga Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Asset in 1992.

See: Frederick Baekeland, ed., Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections, pgs. 24, 89, 168-169

小野琥山さんの長女。父が運営する琥山製陶所で、陶芸を学びます。 その後、加藤土師萌先生の釉裏金彩を見て衝撃を受け、その研究に取り組みます。 はじめは焼き上げると金箔がめくれるなど失敗が続きました。徐々に安定した技術を身につけ、日本工芸会西部支部展で初入選します。 以降、国内の公募展で受賞を重ね、海外の美術館にも作品を納めています。 釉裏金彩は、素地に厚い金箔を貼り、低火度の釉薬を掛けて、焼上げます。 素焼きから数えて六回焼くことで、金箔が落ち着いた味わいになります。それはとても繊細な工程で、幽玄に光る日本独自の技法です。 平成四年佐賀県指定重要無形文化財「陶芸釉裏金彩」の技術保持者に指定。