What is this?
A LoRA that captures the physical texture of real Japanese gold leaf (金箔 / kinpaku) — not the color, not the "gold style," but the actual material surface.
v2 update: Now trained on expanded dataset including 3 specialized gold leaf application techniques used in traditional Japanese painting:
TechniqueJapaneseWhat it looks like Kiribaku (切箔)切箔Small squares of gold leaf scattered across the surface — visible edges, overlapping layers Sunago (砂子)砂子Gold dust sprinkled as fine particles — grainy, atmospheric, soft shimmer Noge (野毛)野毛Thin strips of gold leaf — linear, directional, like golden rain
These aren't filters or effects. They're physical application methods developed over centuries by Japanese artists. Each creates a completely different surface texture from the same material.
What's New in v2
v1v2 Dataset50 reference imagesExpanded with Met Museum collection references TechniquesGeneral gold leaf surfaceKiribaku, sunago, noge + general Grain detailGoodSignificantly improved — individual leaf edges visible Application varietySingle surface typeMultiple traditional techniques Light interactionBasic scatterEnhanced — different behavior per technique
v1 captured "gold leaf as a surface." v2 captures "how gold leaf was applied" — and the texture changes completely depending on the technique.
The Problem This Solves
90% of AI-generated gold backgrounds are flat. They lack:
The visible grid lines where square leaf sheets meet (kiribaku)
The atmospheric depth of scattered gold dust (sunago)
The directional energy of gold leaf strips (noge)
The oxidation patterns that shift with age
The "haku-ashi" (箔足) — the raw edge where leaf was torn by hand
v1 taught the model that gold leaf has texture. v2 teaches it which kind of texture.
How It Was Trained
Reference images sourced from museum collections (The Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Access) and original photography.
3-Distance Method:
DistanceWhat it captures Extreme close-upIndividual gold particles, leaf edge sharpness, oxidation micro-pattern Mid-rangeApplication technique visible (kiribaku grid vs sunago scatter vs noge lines) Full viewGold leaf as background material in traditional painting context
Trained with Kohya_ss on SDXL.
Sample Prompts
Kiribaku (scattered squares) — bird on gold screen:
sparrow perching on bamboo branch, gold leaf background, kiribaku scattered gold squares, traditional japanese screen painting style, <lora:SHIFUKU_GOLDLEAF_v2:0.8>Negative: smooth, flat gold, digital gradient, plastic
Settings: Steps 35 / CFG 7 / Sampler DPM++ 2M Karras
Sunago (gold dust) — atmospheric cherry blossoms:
cherry blossom branches, gold dust background, sunago technique, soft shimmer, traditional nihonga painting, atmospheric depth, <lora:SHIFUKU_GOLDLEAF_v2:0.7>Negative: flat, uniform, modern, digital
Settings: Steps 40 / CFG 7.5 / Sampler Euler a
Bold gold leaf — painterly bird:
bird on branch, gold leaf background with visible texture, thick impasto brushwork, traditional japanese art meets western oil painting, <lora:SHIFUKU_GOLDLEAF_v2:0.85>Negative: smooth, plastic, flat color
Settings: Steps 38 / CFG 7 / Sampler DPM++ 2M Karras
Who Made This
TextureLoRALab — I studied Japanese painting (nihonga) in art school, earned a Master's degree in Museum Studies (with Merit) from a UK university, and now I combine traditional material knowledge with AI training techniques.
The difference between kiribaku, sunago, and noge isn't something you learn from Google. It's something you learn from looking at actual screens and scrolls under museum lighting. That material knowledge shaped this dataset.
Recommended Setup
Base model: DreamShaper XL alpha2 (works best)
Weight: 0.6–0.8 for subtle texture, 0.9–1.0 for full effect
v2 tip: Mention specific techniques in prompt (kiribaku, sunago, noge) for targeted results
Works with: Portraits, birds-and-flowers, landscapes, still life, abstract
Trigger Words
gold leaf texture, kinpaku, kiribaku, sunago, noge
Commercial Use
✅ Free for commercial use. No credit required.
More Textures in the SHIFUKU Series
TextureWhat it capturesStatus Gold Leaf v1 (金箔)Basic gold leaf surface texturelegacy — use v2 Gold Leaf v2 (金箔)Kiribaku, sunago, noge techniquesthis model Kintsugi (金継ぎ)Sharp gold repair lines on matte ceramicavailable Hamon Steel (刃文)Temper line, blade polish, lacquer scabbardavailable (beta)
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"Style LoRAs teach AI how things look. Matière LoRAs teach AI how things feel."