kirikane, in Japanese art, decorative technique used for Buddhist paintings and wooden statues and for lacquerwork. The technique used for paintings and statues employs gold or silver foil cut into thin strips or minute triangular or square pieces, which are laid on designs painted in with glue. The designs consist of straight or curved lines, a wavy vertical stripe pattern (tate-waku), or small flowers. Kirikane was imported from China during the T’ang dynasty (618–907). The earliest extant examples are the wooden Shi Tennō (“Four Guardian Gods”) of the Kon-dō, Hōryū Temple near Nara, thought to be works of the late Asuka (552–645) or early Hakuhō (645–724) period. It was from the Late Heian period (897–1185) that this technique flourished, however. The paintings of the Jūni-ten (“Twelve Guardian Gods”) in the Kyōōgokoku Temple, Kyōto, are regarded as typical examples.
Kirikane is employed also in decorating lacquer ware. In the somewhat modified technique, small squares of thin silver or gold plate are arranged on lacquer to represent clouds, mist, riverbanks, or moss.