MITSUTA Haruo (jizai-okimono artist)
Written by TOMIKAWA Kyōko
Jizai-okimono Fukue-maimaikaburi (自在置物フクエマイマイカブリ) (2024)
This detailed replica of a Damaster blaptoides from Fukue Island has been meticulously crafted and ’brought to life’ using copper and copper alloy. Length: 7–8 cm. The articulation of the leg joints and the intricate detail of the slender antennae are astonishing. Not only do its legs move, but its mandibles open and close too.
Elaborately crafting full-scale insects with metal.
Using various metals such as copper, brass, silver, gold, and shakudō (赤銅: a copper alloy with a splash of gold), these tiny, life-sized (1:1 scale) insects are meticulously fashioned and brought into existence.
This alone is astounding, but what is truly remarkable is that every tiny detail moves freely (jizai) just like the real thing.
These are jizai-okimono (自在置物: articulated figurines) by MITSUTA Haruo (満田 晴穂). They are the consequence of an insane mind.
It is the act of attempting to recreate, with identically sized metal pieces, real insects that nature has painstakingly created over an immeasurably long period of time through infinite trial and error. The creation of jizai-okimono is a pursuit in grasping the wonders of “nature”.
Nature, the great and most delicate creator, the immense and unparalleled master of an endlessly evolving world, whose entirety can never be fully comprehended, is what MITSUTA Haruo stands face to face with.
Jizai Gengorō (自在源五郎) (2024)
Materials: Shakudō, 18-karat Gold, Brass. Measuring 4.5 cm in length and 2 cm in height, it is filled with meticulously crafted detailed parts. While the deep black characteristic of the diving beetle is expressed with oxidised shakudō (applied using a traditional Japanese patination process called niiro (煮色)), the distinctive yellow lines on the abdomen and back are inlaid with gold.
The Path to Jizai-Okimono
Jizai Shako (自在蝦蛄) (2024)
An intricately recreated mantis shrimp, well-known in Japan as a sushi topping, its abdomen is on the right side. Materials: Copper, Brass, and other copper alloys. Not only the back and abdomen but also the raptorial claws, walking legs, and pleopods (swimming legs) are all movable.
The pursuit of creating “nature” through jizai-okimono is said to have begun with the kacchū (甲冑: Japanese armour) craftsmen of the Edo period (1603-1868).
As the era of warfare subsided with the arrival of the Edo period, the techniques and expertise handed down by the armour craftsmen became, for the time being, unnecessary. However, their intricate and precise skills, honed through generations, sought new avenues of expression. Creating elaborate decorative items to be offered to the upper classes became one of the best opportunities for their craftsmanship to flourish.
It can be seen as an art form that blossomed precisely because of the peaceful times.
Jizai-okimono experienced a new growth spurt at the end of the Edo era through the Meiji era (1868-1912). The increasing trend of international exhibitions in Europe led to the realisation by the West that Japan was a land of intricate craftsmanship. Although Japan did not participate in the first World Expo in London in 1851, it made its debut at the second exhibition held in Paris in 1867 (Keiō 3). The popularity of World Expos, which were sometimes held multiple times in a single year, increased attention on the extraordinary techniques of Japanese artisans. This led to the astonishment of the world and a surge in exports of their works abroad.
MITSUTA Haruo’s first up-close encounter with jizai-okimono was during his time at Tokyo University of the Arts. However, there were some preludes to this, beginning with his fondness for insects.
While MITSUTA was attracted to insects from a young age, his friends also included shrimp, crabs, and hermit crabs.
“Even back then, I loved insects, crustaceans, shrimp, crabs, and hermit crabs. I used to go to the beach every day, pick up shells, and poke them with wires to see if a hermit crab was inside.”
He always carried an encyclopaedia with illustrations, studying and sketching the insects and crustaceans he caught. He enjoyed art classes and liked mechanical toys as well.
The fact that his family frequently relocated likely fuelled young MITSUTA’s curiosity about insects. While living in Singapore, the first birthday present he ever requested was an insect specimen collection featuring local insects that could not be found in Japan. Thus, even during his childhood, MITSUTA began cultivating a global perspective on insects. This particular specimen collection, which marked the origin of MITSUTA’s love of insects, still hangs on the wall of his atelier.
“During my time at preparatory school to sit the entrance exam for Tokyo University of the Arts, I decided my future path after seeing a graduation works exhibition. It wasn’t painting or sculpture — it had to be metalwork.”
Why metalwork?
He could have pursued a path to express insects and living creatures in the styles of Albrecht Dürer, MARUYAMA Ōkyo (円山 応挙), MASHIYAMA Sessai (増山 雪斎), MATSUMORI Taneyasu (松森 胤保) or ITŌ Jakuchū (伊藤 若冲).
Nevertheless, when he decided, “It had to be metalwork,” he was already captivated by the palm sized art works, their embedded techniques and the unique charm of the craftsmanship employed.
Then, something miraculous happened: he met TOMIKI Muneyuki (冨木 宗行), who would become his mentor. This encounter opened the world of jizai-okimono to MITSUTA.
“In my third year in the Craft Department (Metalwork) at Tokyo University of the Arts, I had to decide on a concrete method of expression. During a university research trip to study antique art, I met my mentor, TOMIKI Muneyuki. On the day I met him, I canceled my other plans and spent the whole day learning about jizai-okimono and Meiji-era techniques from him. I was shocked to learn that if my mentor passed away, the techniques would disappear forever. Right there and then, I asked him, “Please take me as your apprentice!””
Of course, MITSUTA already knew of the existence of “jizai-okimono as displayed in museums”.
But meeting TOMIKI Muneyuki was life-changing. “I was shocked to learn that there were still people creating such works. They weren’t just things on the other side, behind glass cases — they existed on this side. The techniques from the Edo and Meiji periods were being passed down to me through my mentor. I was deeply moved.”
MITSUTA began visiting his mentor during his long university breaks.
“The first piece I made was a silver cricket. My mentor wasn’t the type to verbally teach much. What he gave me initially was failed jizai-okimono pieces and patterns. He just handed them over and said, “Figure this out.””
Pattern drawings of the TOMIKI clan were still preserved in the archives. They were used to produce orders from TAKASE Kōzan (高瀬 好山), a key figure in the revival of jizai-okimono during the Meiji era.
1: Silver Jizai Bell Crickets (銀製自在鈴虫) (2004) Material: Silver. This silver cricket was the first piece MITSUTA created after becoming an apprentice to TOMIKI Muneyuki. Crafted based on a pattern provided by his mentor, it took about a month to complete.
2: RIGHT: Copper jizai-okimono Dorcus hopei binodulosus (銅製自在置物 オオクワガタ) (2006) A spring mechanism is embedded in the stag beetle’s distinctively large mandibles, allowing them to open and close. The wings also open. CENTRE: “Jizai kanabun (自在金蚊)” (2008) Materials: Copper, Brass, Silver, Gold, Shakudō. Various metals are used to express the diverse coloration of the drone beetle. LEFT: Jizai Catonia pilifera <The Temptation> (自在花潜〈誘〉) (2008) Materials: Brass, Silver, Silver leaf. Depicts a flower beetle in a poised, flight-ready position with its wings spread. Silver leaf is used for the spots on its back.
3: Jizai Coenobita (自在陸宿借) (2007) Materials: Copper, Silver, Brass, Gold plating, Silver plating. Created while exploring the possibilities of jizai-okimono during graduate school Tokyo University of the Arts. Not only are all the joints movable, but the piece also replicates the hermit crab hiding in its shell.
4: A specimen collection MITSUTA received as a birthday gift during his elementary school years in Singapore, which he “begged for”.
Creating Jizai-Okimono in the “Reiwa” Era
Jizai Ō-jyorōgumo (自在大女郎蜘蛛) (2024)
Materials: Copper, Shakudō, 18-karat gold, Brass, Silver. Found in the south of Okinawa, the Giant Golden Orb-Weaver (Nephila pilipes) is one of the largest spiders in Japan. In Okinawa, it can often be encountered in forested areas. The back is crafted in silver, while the yellow patterns on the abdomen and leg joints are expressed through gold inlay. The long legs, abdomen, and mandibles are all movable.
While having absorbed the traditions of jizai-okimono that date back to the Edo period and honouring them, MITSUTA Haruo focuses on creating a reality unique to the present Reiwa era (2019-) for his jizai-okimono works.
“The level of realism we perceive today in the Reiwa era is vastly different from that of the Edo and Meiji periods. Unlike in the past, the spread of photography and the internet has brought realism much closer to us. I believe that in terms of realism, craftsmanship today can surpass the techniques of the Meiji era.”
He is determined to create jizai-okimono, which has only been made possible in the Reiwa era.
This is likely why he is so committed to crafting life-sized, 1:1 scale insects. The jizai-okimono of the Meiji period, often considered the peak of the art form, were typically 1.5 to 2 times the size of the actual creatures.
However, it does not seem that MITSUTA is driven by the need to outdo the Meiji period. Rather, it feels as though the collective spirits of the artisans and creators who were involved in jizai-okimono throughout history are urging him, saying, “What we dreamed of achieving is now possible in the Reiwa era. Do it! Achieve it!” Artisans and creators never work alone. Their creations are always shaped within the collective spirit of countless craftsmen and artists from the past. In this sense, there is no true solitude or isolation in this craft.
For MITSUTA, the existence of insect enthusiasts, individuals who scrutinise his works with both unimaginably profound joy and an exceptionally critical eye—serve as both encouragement and inspiration.
“Many of my clients are insect enthusiasts, and their eyes are sharp. If even one thorn on a leg is pointing the wrong way, they’ll notice it. To avoid that, I need to have a deep understanding of the insects. Accurate replication and reproducibility are essential. On top of that, the pieces have to move. For example, a Japanese rhinoceros beetle’s wings don’t simply open horizontally; they twist upward diagonally. To replicate that movement, I have to figure out the exact angle at which to insert the pivots. This requires scientific knowledge as well.”
At his work site, MITSUTA continually confronts the physical challenges of metalwork. His battle lies in overcoming these difficulties.
“Because the parts move, I have to make them durable. For instance, gradually increasing their thickness. This means while real forewings might only be 0.2 mm thick, in the artwork, they have to be 0.6 mm to maintain the necessary strength. But that compromises the consistency with the real insect. I have to find a fine balance on the verge of where the form remains intact.”
For a jizai-okimono to truly move “jizai (自在: freely)”, countless delicate parts must be assembled. However, the interplay of delicate craftsmanship, the strength and durability of the materials, and the sheer number of components constantly present challenges to the artisan.
Jizai Oo-suzumebachi <Jyoō raden Chōdai> (自在大雀蜂〈女王螺鈿帳台〉) (2024)
Materials: Main body: Gold, Shakudō, Copper, Brass, Bronze. Base (chōdai): Lacquer, Gold powder, Silver powder, Raden (螺鈿: mother-of-pearl inlay)
The lacquered base chōdai* is a collaboration with WAKAMIYA Takashi (若宮 隆志) of Hikoju Makie (彦十蒔絵). When crafting a Japanese giant hornet queen, MITSUTA consulted WAKAMIYA, saying he wanted a throne for her. Thus this collaborative piece was realised.
*Chōdai (帳台): a platform raised from the floor in the shinden style (寝殿造り) on which nobility sleep
The Turning Point: Exhibition “POKÉMON X KOGEI – Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Crafts”
Jizai Gyarados (2022)
A piece on display at the Exhibition “POKÉMON X KOGEI – Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Crafts.” The exhibition will tour in 2025 as follows: April 26 – June 15 at Matsuzakaya Art Museum, June 28 – August 31 at Hachinohe Art Museum, September 12 – December 7 at Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture. In addition to this piece, two other works are also on display.
Articulated Gyarados, 2022 （h25 80X20 copper, silver, brass, engraving, hammering, inlay, patination）
Private collection Photo by Taku Saiki
©2024 Pokémon. ©1995-2024 Nintendo/Creatures Inc. /GAME FREAK inc. @Haruo Mitsuta
TM, ®, and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.
MITSUTA Haruo, who has taken on the pursuit of creating “nature” through jizai-okimono and believes that “the fundamental idea is to replicate living creatures”, has never created works based on things that don’t exist in nature.
“If you want me to make a dragon, bring me one from the depths of China (laughs),” he would say, avoiding fictional motifs in his creations.
However, in 2024, his stance changed with art pieces he created for the traveling exhibition “POKÉMON X KOGEI – Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Crafts (ポケモン×工芸展―美とわざの大発見―)”
“People at The Pokémon Company don’t refer to them as characters. That’s because they consider Pokémon as actual living creatures. I was moved by their conviction and decided to take on the project.”
For the production, MITSUTA immersed himself in analysing Pokémon through their animations and games.
“If I didn’t make Pokémon real within myself, the work would come across as fake. I wanted to capture the feeling that they naturally existed within me.”
This experience profoundly changed his perception of Edo and Meiji artisans.
“Back then, when people created motifs of dragons, phoenixes, or other mythical creatures and demons, did they do so with the mindset of making them real? To bring such icons into existence — isn’t that closely related to carving representations of gods and Buddhas?”
A thing does not have to physically exist to be real. The other world, the world of Buddha — is that not also “real”?
“My approach to creating has changed significantly. Of all the things I gained from participating in the “POKÉMON X KOGEI” exhibition, this was the most transformative.”
Even so, despite this shift in his understanding of what is “real”, MITSUTA remains steadfastly opposed to creating imaginary insects.
A Profound Sense of Awe for Nature
“I’m not interested in creating something of my own invention. What comes from nature is already perfect; every shape has a reason, and every form reflects a process of evolution. There’s no way my individual imagination could alter that.”
The position of an insect’s eyes, the shape of its mouth, the length of its legs, and the structure of its joints all exist as perfectly rational forms that make up the existence of a single insect.
It is something that should be called miraculous, yet miracles are always the perfect crystallisation of reason and necessity.
If “nature” is the accumulation of such countless miracles, then respect for “nature” must be absolute. MITSUTA firmly believes this.
1: Jizai Uzura Kokkaku (自在鶉骨格) (2015)
Materials: Copper, Brass, Bronze. MITSUTA comments, “Choosing an endoskeleton as a motif for jizai-okimono makes sense.” Having previously crafted creatures with exoskeletons, he took on the challenge of creating an endoskeleton with this piece of quail.
2: Aodaishō nai-kokkaku (青大将内骨格) (2017)
Materials: Copper, Copper alloys. The astonishing number of parts and the Japanese Rat Snake’s supple movements are truly breathtaking.
As a Creator of Contemporary Art
As a way of questioning the modern world, MITSUTA Haruo produces one contemporary art piece approximately every two years. This series of art creations began after a direct question was posed to him at a gallery.
“Actually, jizai-okimono doesn’t fall under the category of ‘traditional crafts’. That’s because it has no practical use. At first, I had no venue to present my work. Eventually, a senior artist active in the contemporary art world suggested, “Why not work in the realm of contemporary art rather than crafts?” And introduced me to a contemporary art gallery where I made my debut. It was there that the gallery owner asked me for the first time, “Are you creating death? Or are you creating life?””
After deep reflection, MITSUTA decided to first express “death” itself as a way of contemplating “life”. This led to the creation of the work “Ruirui (累々: accumulating)”, which featured a mountain of dead bees.
“People mourn the deaths of pets like dogs, cats, or goldfish, but when it comes to insects, they’re often just disposed off thoughtlessly. So, what is the weight of life? Death has no hierarchy, and neither do living beings, right?”
This could be seen as a philosophical or even religious question, but above all, it is perhaps best described as a primal question pondered by young children.
1: Ruirui (累々) (2009)
Based on the “Jizai Japanese giant hornet” and exhibited at the contemporary art gallery Röntgenwerke, this work is an expression of the conclusion that MITSUTA arrived at after reflecting on life and death. It features 30 hornets, with a total of 2,490 parts.
2: Shiki <Hasshiki> (識＜八識＞) (2023)
Materials: Copper, Brass, Bronze, Katsura wood. Size is variable. During the creation of this contemporary art piece, MITSUTA’s child picked up the wings of a cockroach specimen used as a motif and remarked, “They’re beautiful.” MITSUTA reflected, “The belief that cockroaches are dirty stems from prejudice. I was struck by the realisation that my young child saw them differently, untainted by such bias.” This work was exhibited at the Yonago City Museum of Art.
Wanting to Create Creatures That Do Not Get the Spotlight
1: A sketch of the mole cricket in progress. Precise replication drawings are essential for the creation.
2: The head and thorax of the mole cricket. Copper sheets are hammered and stretched, with surface details carved using chisels. Movable parts and joints are connected and crimped.
3: The head and thorax of the mole cricket. Once all the parts are assembled, traditional metalwork colouring techniques will be applied.
Because he believes that all living creatures are precious, MITSUTA Haruo wants to create insects other than the popular favourites like Japanese rhinoceros beetles and butterflies, which have drawn attention across generations.
This is why MITSUTA generally does not take custom orders.
“If I accepted orders, I’d end up making only the eternally popular creatures (laughs). I want to create creatures that don’t get the spotlight.”
In line with this philosophy, he is currently working on creating a mole cricket.
It reminds me of the lyrics of a famous song:
“Even earthworms, even mole crickets, even water striders…”
These are lines from “Teno-hira o Taiyō ni” (手のひらを太陽に: Palms to the Sun), written by YANASE Takashi and composed by IZUMI Taku.
We are all living things
That’s why we sing
We are all living things
That’s why we cry
Put your hands up to the sun so that
You can see your red blood through the skin
Earthworms, mole crickets, water striders
They’re all alive—we are all friends.
It’s not just earthworms, mole crickets, and water striders. In the second verse of the song, dragonflies, frogs, and honeybees also make an appearance.
As a child, MITSUTA undoubtedly ran through fields and mountains singing this song.
Those memories surely flow into his current work as Japan’s sole jizai-okimono artisan.
“I believe all living creatures are precious. Even cockroaches, even mole crickets — their forms today are the result of countless years of evolution. I see my work as expressing the shapes of these lives for the modern era, using the jizai-okimono techniques passed down since the Edo period.”
How to Pass it on to the Next Generation
That said, MITSUTA Haruo has no intention of forcing future successors to create insects.
MITSUTA has no apprentices as yet. But he talks with the generosity of someone who might become a kind mentor in the future.
“Just because someone comes to study under me doesn’t mean they have to create insects. If they want to make a dragon, they can make a dragon. They could even create Japanese spiny lobsters like my mentor. Jizai-okimono, which originated from the Myōchin (明珍) craft clan in the Meiji era, was made by artisans from various fields using their specialised techniques and various materials at the time. Some worked with wood, while others worked with tortoise-shell. To put it extremely, even a Gundam plastic model could be considered jizai-okimono. Personally, I don’t think jizai-okimono has to be made of metal.”
“However,” MITSUTA adds, “For myself, I will continue to carry forward the tradition of jizai-okimono as inherited from the Meiji era. That’s something that must not waver.”
MITSUTA is deeply aware of the fact that he has simply been entrusted with the techniques and cultural heritage of his craft by his mentor.
“That’s why I see it as my responsibility to pass on my knowledge to the next generation.”
Having reached his mid-40s and the peak of his career as an artist, MITSUTA is honest about prioritising his own creations over finding an apprentice to whom he can pass on his “skills and traditions”.
“Just like athletes, I think artists have their peak. If this is my peak, I feel an urgency to create my very best works right now.”
1: The atelier designed for precision work resembles a cockpit.
2: Crafting the abdomen of the mole cricket. A copper sheet is affixed onto a pine resin base, and chisels are used to carve lines and details.
3 & 4: Mole cricket parts are cut out from a copper sheet using a coping saw, then cut further into small pieces.
After the mole cricket is completed, his next challenge will be the giant fish known as the arowana.
“I want to capture the craftsmanship and beauty in the smoothness and moist texture of its scales, its sinuous curves, the shape of its mouth, and the movement of its fins,” he says.
The vision of an arowana glimmering in the water and gracefully twisting its massive body is already vivid in MITSUTA’s mind.
In China, the arowana is known as the “dragon fish”.
Having once said, “If you want me to make a dragon, bring me one from the depths of China,” MITSUTA, after his experience with the “POKÉMON X KOGEI” exhibition, is now ready to take on the form of a “dragon” that truly exists.
MITSUTA’s long fingers. The repetitive hammering has caused him to develop tenosynovitis. Yet, it is these very hands that create the “jizai-okimono of the Reiwa era”.
Profile of MITSUTA Haruo:
1980 Born in Tottori Prefecture, raised in Chiba Prefecture
2002 Enrolled at Tokyo University of the Arts, majored in the Craft Department of the Fine Arts Faculty
2008 Completed an MA at the Metalwork Studio, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts
Began working as a metal artist in Yokohama
Solo Exhibitions
2017 “JIZAI,” Radi-um von Röntgenwerke AG, Tokyo
2022 “Jizai Okimono MITSUTA Haruo Saimitsu-shinka no tabi (自在置物 満田晴穂 細密進化の旅)” at Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art, Hiroshima
2023 MITSUTA Haruo “JIZAI” at Yonago City Museum of Art, Tottori
2024 “JIZAI MITSUTA Haruo” at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Tokyo
and many others
Group Exhibitions
2013 “Roppongi Crossing 2013 OUT OF DOUBT” at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
2016 “IMAYŌ: JAPAN’S NEW TRADITIONISTS” at University of Hawai‘i and Honolulu Museum of Art, Hawaii
2017 “Amazing Craftsmanship! From Meiji Kogei to Contemporary Art (驚異の超絶技巧!-明治工芸から現代アートへ-)” at Mitsui Memorial Museum, Tokyo
“Realism Art in Japan (ニッポンの写実 そっくりの魔力),” Hokkaidō, Aichi and Nara
“Imayō (今様)” at The Shōtō Museum of Art, Tokyo
and many others
Awarded
2006 Harada Scholarship Award of Toyo University of the Arts
2007 The Grand Prize of “The 2nd Geidai Art Plaza” by Tokyo University of the Arts
2017 “The 8th Sozō-suru Dentō-shō (創造する伝統賞)” by Japan Arts Foundation
etc.
LINK:
Photographed by KUNII Minako (国井 美奈子)
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