Overview: Zipangu, the Land of Gold. Around the 13th century, that was the name by which many Westerners knew Japan. In the 16th century, the development of gold mining in Japan made possible the construction of golden temples, golden teahouses and even solid gold Buddha statues. Gold is expensive, but also soft and easy to process, and it is still used today in a wide range of fields. Today we welcome Hakuga artist Takuro Noguchi into the studio to help us explore the world of designing with gold!