Okinawan Kogei

HANASHIRO Miyako

Professor of Weaving, Crafts Major, Faculty of Arts and Crafts, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Crafts and Graduate School of Formative Arts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Born in Okinawa in 1970, Hanashiro completed her M.A. in Dyeing and Weaving at Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 1996. Appointed lecturer in 2010, she became Associate Professor in 2015 and Professor in 2021. Her research and practice focus on textile production, particularly weaving techniques related to traditional Ryukyuan dance costumes. She has held solo exhibitions such as Hanashiro Miyako Dyeing and Weaving Exhibition (Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts Library & Art Museum, 2020). A member of the Shinshō Craft Association since 2019, she has received multiple awards, including the Encouragement Prize (2013) and the Member’s Prize at the 2024 Shinshō Craft Exhibition (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum; Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art).

Blue Bird (2019)

Technique: Yokouki Hanaori (Weft-Float Pattern Weave), Rainbow-ikat Material: Silk

This work takes blue, evocative of Okinawa’s beautiful seas, as its theme, and expresses the shifting hues of a bird’s feathers through hanaori, a traditional Okinawan weaving technique. For the floating threads of hanaori, I used nijigasuri (rainbow ikat) dyed in gradations, and by weaving the hanaori patterns in continuous repetition, vertical lines emerge that convey the dynamic strength of nature.

The form of this piece is a Ryūsō uchikake costume, which has also been worn in creative Ryukyuan dance as the costume of a deity. I hope viewers will not only appreciate the textile itself but also reflect on the uniqueness of Ryukyuan culture through its performance on stage.

Below is a video of Blue Bird being worn during the Ryukyuan creative dance “Kamumiso Ake” (Length of video - 7:38)

Karashi (Mustard Bird) (2019)

Technique: Hana Ro-ori (a combination of Hanaori and Ro weaving techniques) Material: Silk

The form of this work is a Ryūsō uchikake costume, which has also been worn in creative Ryukyuan dance to represent a goddess of abundance. I hope that viewers will not only enjoy the textile itself but also reflect on the uniqueness of Ryukyuan culture through its performance on stage.

Below is a video of Mustard Bird being worn during the Ryukyuan creative dance “Kunatsuyu Ningai” (Length of video - 13:34)

KUBOTA Hiroko

Associate Professor of Weaving, Crafts Major, Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Born in Hiroshima, Japan. Dr. Kubota graduated from the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 1994 with a specialization in weaving, and earned her M.A. (2016) and Ph.D. in Arts (2023) from Hiroshima City University. She is currently Associate Professor of Weaving at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts. Her work explores warp ikat and complex weaving techniques, often incorporating traditional forms with contemporary interpretation. She received the Grand Prize at the Mazda & Hiroshima City University Joint Seminar Exhibition in 2019 for Sixteen-assemble Kongō Braided cord Warp Ikat Double-weave Wrapper “Tsutsumi hodoku-Wrap unwrap”, and in 2021 was awarded the Alumni Prize at the 75th Shinshō kogei Exhibition for the ikat kimono “Uruu – Moisturize”. In 2024 her doctoral exhibition “Inexhaustible Cherry Blossoms (Ōka Mujinzō)” was presented in Hiroshima, and her Warp Ikat Double-weave Tea Room “Inexhaustible Cherry Blossoms ” was selected for the 4th Japan Wa Culture Grand Prix. She also participated in the art project “Pascal’s Butterflies” at Kennin-ji Ryosoku-in, Kyoto.

Kasuri Kimono “Uruu (Moisture)” (2021)

Technique: Kasuri (Ikat Weave) Material: Silk

“Uruu” is an old Japanese word, also found in the Okinawan dialect, meaning “moisture.”

Water has long been central to my work. In Okinawa’s subtropical climate, water is felt not only as sea and rain but also as unseen humidity that clings to the skin. Surrounded by abundant nature, one is constantly aware of water in its many forms—verdant growth, rainfall, or shifting atmosphere. Water transforms and circulates endlessly, sustaining all living beings while also existing outside us as moisture in the air. Through this duality, I explore the relationship between the self and its environment.

This kimono is woven at a density of fifty warp threads per centimetre. Humidity is suggested through a pale green gradation, dyed in seven stages with fresh Ryukyu indigo leaves on 84-denier silk threads. Rain and sea are evoked in navy logwood dye, expressed with warp-kasuri displacement and my original rope-tied ikat technique.

Sixteen-Assemble Kongō Braided Cord Kasuri Wrapper “Under the Big Dipper” (2018)

Technique: Kasuri (Ikat Weave) and Kumihimo (Braided Cord) Material: Silk

Contemporary Shifuku (Tea Utensil Pouch)

My maternal roots lie on Shimokamagari Island, once a port of call for Ryukyuan envoys traveling to Edo. In the Seto Inland Sea, the Big Dipper was known as the “Four-Three Stars.” For sailors braving dangerous night voyages, the constellation offered guidance, while the vast star-filled sky must also have brought reassurance. Kasuri weaving itself spread through such maritime exchanges.

Traditionally, kasuri textiles took the form of wrappers. The shifuku, used to enclose treasured tea utensils, is here reinterpreted as a vessel to hold prayers for the safety of those who travelled and carried goods across the seas.

This piece is woven with thirty-one warp threads per centimetre. Its motifs embody memories carried across generations: the Big Dipper rendered in warp and weft kasuri, the Milky Way in rope-tied ikat. Natural dyes evoke both landscape and symbolism—indigo, oak bark, and logwood for sea and sky; yamazakura (Japanese mountain cherry) for voyaging ships; and lac for stars and human wishes.

MATSUZAKI Shimpei

Lecturer, Lacquerware, Crafts Major, Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Born in Tokyo in 1981, Matsuzaki graduated from the Department of Crafts (Urushi Art), Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts in 2005, and completed his M.A. in Urushi Art at the same university in 2007. He has exhibited internationally, including the Hubei International Triennial of Lacquer Art (China, 2013), the International Lacquer Art Exhibition (Daegu, South Korea, 2013), the Taiwan–Japan Lacquer Exchange Exhibition (Tokyo, 2013), and Decorative but Calm: Japanese Artists with Modern Craftsmanship (Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery, London, 2017).

In Japan, his major exhibitions include From Crafts to Kōgei (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 2013), URUSHI: Tradition and Innovation (Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Sogo Museum of Art, MOA Museum of Art, 2018), and solo exhibitions at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store (2015, 2019). He received the Japan Kōgei Association Incentive Award at the 57th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (2010), the Excellence and Audience Awards at FACE 2019 (Sompo Museum of Art, Tokyo), and the Okinawa Times Award at the 56th West Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (2022). In 2024, he presented Shimpei Matsuzaki Lacquerware Exhibition: Stone-paved Road and Shīkuwāsā (Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Tokyo) and was awarded the Asahi Shimbun Prize at the 71st Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition.

His works are held in the collections of the National Crafts Museum (Ishikawa), the Wajima Museum of Urushi Art, Tafu Gallery (Fujian, China), and the Ise Foundation. He is a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association and Director of the Japan Association for Urushi Cultural Heritage.

Warm Red Box (2024)

Technique: Raden (Mother-of-Pearl Inlay) and Tsuikin (Raised Decoration) Material: Lacquer

Carved from the light, workable wood of the deigo tree—long used in Okinawa as a lacquerware base—this box balances softness and strength. Its body is finished in warm red lacquer, accented with mother-of-pearl and raised decoration, while the lid of finely grained maple adds contrast. Conceived as a companion for a writing desk, the work invites a sense of quiet warmth.

Shīkuwāsā (Okinawan Citrus) Box (2024)

Technique: Raden (Mother-of-Pearl Inlay) and Chinkin (Gold Inlay Engraving) Material: Lacquer

Inspired by the shīkuwāsā citrus tree growing in the artist’s family garden, this work captures the fruit’s refreshing vitality. Its green hue is expressed through carefully selected sections of Okinawan mother-of-pearl, inlaid against a lacquer ground. The box conveys both the sour freshness of summer harvests and the intimate joy of sharing them.

Blue Lacquer “Chinbōrā” Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Box (2025)

Technique: Raden (Mother-of-Pearl Inlay) and Maki-e (Sprinkled Gold Decoration) Material: Lacquer

“Chinbōrā,” the Okinawan word for small seashells, provides both motif and memory. The decoration uses mother-of-pearl only 0.1 mm thin, carved with a needle to reveal delicate expressions. Natural colours shimmer in blue and pink, while white tones are created by applying lacquer and sprinkling silver powder on the reverse. Inside, the box is dusted with gold powder, offering the user a sense of luxury and wonder—like collecting shells along a shore.

Light of Tomorrow (2025)

Technique: Raden (Mother-of-Pearl Inlay) Material: Lacquer

Mother-of-pearl gradations evoke the sea before sunrise, when night yields to dawn, carrying a vision of hope and renewal.

NAGO Tomokazu

Professor, Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts; Member of the Shinshō Craft Association.

Born in Okinawa in 1968. Prof. Nago completed his graduate studies in textile arts at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 1995. His practice centres on katazome (stencil dyeing) and paste-resist techniques on silk. He has exhibited widely, including Painters Depicting Okinawa (Sakima Art Museum, 2019), Okinawan Crafts: Living National Treasures and Contemporary Artists (Wajima Museum of Lacquer Art, 2019), The Allure of Line: Katazome (Seiryū-kan, Kyoto, 2021), and The Future Shape of Textiles in Takarazuka (Takarazuka Arts Center, Hyogo, 2021). He has also presented in charity exhibitions for the reconstruction of Shuri Castle (Gallery Gallery, Kyoto, 2022) and in solo shows such as Nago Tomokazu: Katazome (Gallery Nekogameya, Osaka, 2022). He received the Tomimoto Prize at the 76th Shinsho Craft Exhibition (2022) and the Inagaki Prize at the 77th Shinshō Craft Exhibition (2023). In 2024, he participated in the centenary exhibition Isa Toshihiko and Okinawa at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts Library & Art Museum.

Summer Day (2024)

Technique: Katazome (stencil dyeing) Material: Silk

My central theme is the landscape of memory, and I aim to express natural forms using a single stencil. In the kimono Summer Day, I depicted the Okinawan sea through lines that ripple and gradually increase in density, flowing from the shoulder line to the hem. The design develops as a continuous pattern that combines three types of stencils to represent distant, middle, and foreground views. Creating kimono always involves a tension between function and beauty, which is both a challenge and a source of inspiration. I believe that within these constraints lies the potential for deeper expressions of craft, which is why I continue to pursue kimono making.

Purple Rain (2024)

Technique: Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) Material: Washi paper

One of my recurring motifs is the fence, which for me represents a personal landscape of boundaries. The inorganic circles that fill the space leave different impressions: in blue they evoke humidity, water, or the sea; in green, the freshness of grass or traces of nature. In the panel work Purple Rain, I used gradated lines in the background to suggest flowing rainwater, overlaid with circles seen beyond a fence. The vivid, deep purple recalls the townscape of Norwich and the skies during its drizzling season. The pigment I used for this purple was purchased locally during my visit to Norwich in October last year 2024.

SHIMABUKURO Katsushi

Associate Professor, Ceramics, Crafts Major, Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Born in Okinawa in 1975, Shimabukuro completed his M.A. in Formative Arts, Daily Life Design at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 2001, and has been teaching ceramics there since 2019. He has exhibited widely in Japan and abroad, including Ceramic Art London (Royal College of Art, London, 2014), Gallery Eclectic à Paris (La Galerie Nast, Paris, 2017), and Okinawan Crafts: Living National Treasures and Contemporary Artists (Wajima Museum of Lacquer Art, Ishikawa, 2019). He has held multiple solo exhibitions at Gallery Eclectic, London (2014, 2018), as well as in Okinawa, Tokyo, and Fukuoka, and will present new solo exhibitions at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts / Sugarcane Room Gallery + Café (2024) and Circus (2024–25, Okinawa). His works have also been shown in thematic exhibitions such as the IRO NI OU (“Scent of Colour”) series in Tokyo and elsewhere.

Sake set (for Okinawan aged Awamori) (2024)

Technique: Slab building (tatara technique). A method of shaping clay using flat slabs, created by slicing or pressing clay into even sheets, often formed over plaster or wooden moulds. Wheel throwing. Material: Clay

Okinawan aged Awamori (koshu) has a history of about 600 years. It is believed to have been introduced from Siam (present-day Thailand) to the Ryukyu Islands between the late 14th and early 15th centuries, making it the oldest distilled liquor in Japan. During the Ryukyu Kingdom era, it was highly prized among the royal family and aristocracy, and was also used as a gift, as well as in trade and diplomacy. Later, when the Ryukyus became Okinawa Prefecture, Awamori brewing was opened to the public, and it became deeply rooted in Okinawan culture.

I myself enjoy aged Awamori (which is matured at the brewery for over three years) and drink it on special occasions. Because of its high alcohol content and its status as a luxury spirit, it is savoured in small cups. While there are traditional vessel forms (known as karakara) for serving Awamori, I created an original sake set. The plates are inspired by the blue surface of the Okinawan sea, intended for serving tofuyō—a delicacy that has existed since the Ryukyu Kingdom era. The sake vessels incorporate techniques and colours that evoke the Okinawan sky, wind, and sudden tropical showers. Through this set, I hope viewers can feel some part of Okinawa’s landscape and the appeal of its crafts.

TŌMA Shigeru

Professor, Lacquerware, Crafts Major, Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Born in Okinawa in 1970, Prof. Tōma graduated from the Department of Design, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 1994. He worked in the lacquerware industry for ten years from 1997, and from 2007 to 2018 was engaged in restoration and reproduction projects for Shuri Castle, including lacquer coating of the Seiden (Main Hall), Hokuden (North Hall), and Hōshinmon Gate, as well as decorative restoration of numerous lacquer objects. He was awarded the Newcomer’s Prize at the 31st Japan Traditional Lacquerware Exhibition (2014) and the QAB Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting Prize at the 52nd West Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition (2017). Appointed Associate Professor at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 2016, he was promoted to Professor in the Lacquerware Division in 2022.

Lacquer Relief Wall Hanging “This is Me” (2018)

Techniques: Lacquering, Lacquer Relief (Tsuikin), Chinkin (incised gold) Materials: Lacquer, plywood, pigments, gold powder

This work combines tsuikin (raised lacquer relief) and chinkin (gold inlay carving), both traditional decorative techniques of Ryukyuan lacquerware. Normally, chinkin is carved directly into a lacquered surface, but here it is applied onto sheet-formed tsuikin, making use of its distinctive texture, different from the glossy lacquer surface, to create a new world of expression.

I envisioned myself (onore—human being) as a bird-like creature, expressing the desire to fly freely anywhere. Everyone, in some way, wishes to be released from restraints and to gain freedom. Following my instincts, I applied tsuikin and carved chinkin to embody that aspiration

Lacquer Relief Wall Hanging “World” (Yu) (2023)

Techniques: Lacquering, Lacquer Relief (Tsuikin), Chinkin, Gold Leaf Materials: Lacquer, plywood, pigments, gold powder

This piece applies chinkin onto sheet-formed tsuikin, making use of its unique texture distinct from glossy lacquer surfaces. I deliberately accelerated the drying process to create cracks on the surface, experimenting with methods not usually applied to tsuikin, in search of new possibilities.

In life, moments often reveal that happiness and misfortune are two sides of the same coin. This work expresses the coexistence of light and darkness within the same space.

Lacquer Relief Wall Hanging “Emotion” (Umui) (2025)

Techniques: Lacquering, Lacquer Relief (Tsuikin), Chingin (platinum inlay) Materials: Lacquer, plywood, pigments, platinum powder

This work employs traditional Ryukyuan decorative lacquer techniques to pursue a fine-art mode of expression. Human emotions are constantly shifting—shaped by weather, seasons, circumstances, roles, and relationships. Sometimes our hearts are moved by deep emotions such as wishes, desires, longings, or ambitions; other times we simply want to experience the calmness of ordinary life. I sought to capture such elusive, formless “emotion” within a confined space.

Lacquer Relief Wall Hanging “Soul” (Mabui) (2025)

Techniques: Lacquering, Lacquer Relief (Tsuikin), Chinkin (incised gold) Materials: Lacquer, plywood, pigments, gold powder

In Okinawa there is a saying: nuchi du takara—“Life is the most precious treasure; life must never be treated carelessly.” In today’s turbulent world, this message feels more urgent than ever.

This work uses traditional Ryukyuan decorative lacquer techniques while aiming for a fine-art expression. I hope that, for those who see it, it conveys even a small sense of warmth in their hearts.

URA Kyoko

Associate Professor, Crafts Major (Dyeing), Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Born in Okinawa in 1975, Ura completed her graduate studies in crafts at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 2001. Her practice explores contemporary expressions of katazome (stencil dyeing) rooted in Okinawan traditions. She has held solo exhibitions such as Kyoko Ura Dyeing Exhibition (Gallery H2O, Kyoto, and Gallery Athos, Okinawa, 2019), and participated in projects including commissions for Halekulani Okinawa (2019). Her recent group exhibitions include The Allure of Line: Katazome (Seiryū-kan, Kyoto, 2021), The Future Shape of Textiles in Takarazuka (Takarazuka Arts Center, Hyogo, 2021), After “Reversion”: Where Has Our Everyday Life Returned To? (Sakima Art Museum, Okinawa, 2022), Collection Exhibition II: Sea Lane—Connecting to the Islands (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2022), and Sen Seiryu Biennale 2023 (Seiryū-kan, Kyoto, 2023). In 2024, she presented in Artists Who Contemplated Okinawa (Sakima Art Museum, Okinawa), alongside solo exhibitions at Gallery Maronie, Kyoto, and the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts Library & Art Museum.

YAMADA Satoshi

Professor, Ceramics, Crafts Major, Faculty of Arts and Crafts, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Born in Okinawa in 1967, Yamada graduated from the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts in 1991 and completed his graduate studies at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1993. He held his first solo exhibition at the Tsuboya Pottery Museum in 1999 and began working in Okinawa in 2008 when he was appointed lecturer in ceramics at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts. His practice engages with both Okinawan traditions and contemporary ceramic expression. Major exhibitions include Yamada Satoshi Ceramic Exhibition: Journey with No Return (Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts Art Museum, 2014 & 2015), the Asia Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition (Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, 2017; China Academy of Art, 2019), and the Okinawa–Taiwan University Exchange Exhibition (Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts, 2017). Recent presentations include Contemporary Okinawan Ceramics (Naha Cultural Arts Theatre “Nahart” & Tsuboya Pottery Museum, 2024) and two-person exhibitions with Chibana Hitoshi (Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts Art Museum, 2022 & 2023).

Terminal Vessel – No.10 (2024)

Technique: Hand-building Material: Clay

This work takes as its starting point the zushi—ossuary containers found in Okinawa’s funerary culture—and reinterprets them into a contemporary form. Zushi were used to house bones after the practice of exposure and ritual washing of the deceased (senkotsu), and developed into diverse shapes in Okinawa, including palace-like and jar-like forms that symbolize the region’s distinctive mortuary traditions.

In this piece, Yamada extracts the essence of the zushi, combining the quiet solemnity of a vessel for prayer with the raw tactility of clay. The pointed lid evokes the form of the hōju (sacred jewel), a motif commonly seen on Okinawan ossuary jars, here reinterpreted as a symbolic silhouette.

Terminal Vessel – No.10 inherits the lineage of containers for the dead, while refusing a fixed function. Instead, it becomes a device for reflecting on “endings” and “memory.” Not a reproduction of relics, but a contemporary re-questioning and visualization of their meaning.

Bowl “Panari – IV” (2024)

Bowl “Panari – VI” (2024)

Technique: Hand-building Material: Clay

“Panari” is the local name for Aragusuku Island in the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa. The unglazed earthenware once used there and in surrounding regions is known as Panari ware. Made from iron-rich coarse clay and fired at low temperatures, it is characterized by reddish-brown to dark-gray bodies and simple forms that supported both daily life and trade.

Yamada’s Panari Series began from a desire to reinterpret the texture of Panari earthenware in high-fired ceramic form. Panari – IV and Panari – VI reproduce the presence and gravitas of the original ware through firing marks that retain the feeling of coarse clay on the exterior, while the interiors are coated with coloured glazes to create a striking contrast.

Through this series, Yamada draws upon tradition yet shapes bowls with a contemporary sensibility, offering them as tea vessels intended to assert a strong presence within the tea room.