Kirikane artist. Eri Tomoko was born in Kyoto City in 1972. After graduating from Kyoto Junior College of Art, she studied under Eri Sayoko, holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure), and entered the path of kirikane by adorning the Buddhist statues carved by her father. In 2001, she moved her base to Fukuoka, and alongside her work on Buddhist statues in Kyoto, she has expanded the possibilities of kirikane to decorative boxes, tea utensils, and ranma (transom) ornamentation. Her patterns, made by cutting gold and platinum leaf into ultra-fine lines and shapes and layering them, combine meticulous precision with a cosmic expansiveness. Her awards include the Japan Kōgei Association New Artist Prize and Encouragement Prize at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, and the Fukuoka Prefecture Culture Award. She is a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association.