Kodama Shisen Nishijin brocade／Kyoto prefecture (Kinki area)
Biography
Born in Osaka in 1952.
Married in 1974, moved to Nishijin, Kyoto in 1980, joined a tsuzure-ori weaving company, became independent in 1982.
Certified as a traditional Nishijin textile craftsman in 1996.
February 1998: Visited Lyon and Paris, France as a representative of Nishijin weavers.
March 2000: First solo exhibition in Kyoto Nishijin, 2004: Appointed as a director of Nishijin Textile Industry Association
Held a kimono show and group exhibition in Paris, Arras, and the Embassy of Japan in Paris in November 2010.
Visited Cambodia in November 2012 and met with the Minister of Women's Affairs
Lecture in Hawaii in May, 2015
2018 Appointed Chairman of the Kyoto TSUZUKIKAI Association Numerous lectures and appearances on TV, magazines, etc.
Awards
1988 "Sun set" Kyoto Newspaper Award, Technical Award
1944 "Sukashimado Tsukiage" (Watermarked Window: Moon Shadow), Technical Award, Director-General's Award, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Japan
1955 "Motion Sea of Japan", Life Science Bureau Director-General's Award, Technical Prize, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)
2004 Award for Distinguished Services to Traditional Industries, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kinki, Japan
2006 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award, for "Watermarked Window: Water Moon
2009 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award, for "rosatsuzure Sou
2010 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Award for Distinguished Service to Traditional Industry
2016 Kyoto Prefecture Excellent Engineer of Traditional Industry Award, "Kyoto Master Craftsman" Recognition
Other awards received include the Japan Crafts Association Kinki Exhibition, and the Traditional Industry Exhibition.
Profile
What inspired you to get into this work?
When I was looking for a part-time job as a handworker, I saw a sign at a nearby tsuzure-ori weaving factory looking for weavers.
What do you want to appeal the most in your work?
One-of-a-kind, original work that cannot be found anywhere else.
Creating works that bring smiles to customers' faces
What do you keep in mind when creating your work?
To always create pieces that I myself want, and do not want to give up.
What do you want to achieve from now on? Or how do you want to live?
To create a work that expresses the beauty of the earth in tsuzure-ori.
Other free description
He has been challenging himself to create "three-dimensional and artistic works of art" since 1988.