Kinma YAMASHITA Yoshito

　
YAMASHITA Yoshito was born in Takamatsu in 1951. He went on to attend Kagawa Prefectural Takamatsu Kougei Highschool and the Kagawa Urushi Lacquerware Institute, studying kinma and a wide range of other lacquerware techniques. After graduating, he became the student of ISOI Masami (holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property of Kinma), and worked to hone his own kinma skills. After moving to Tokyo in 1976, he became a student of TAGUCHI Yoshikuni (holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property of Makie) and learned the skills of makie.

Yamashita’s kinma is characterized by the “Men-bori” technique, which involves the careful repetition of expansive carving and color filling, overlapping dozens of colors from dark through to light to create a delicate gradation. This distinctive combination of kinma and makie greatly expanded the horizons of lacquerware, enabling him to create his own unique world of lacquer, comprising pieces that poetically portray the subtle movements of the natural world. In 2013, he was designated a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (also known as a Living National Treasure) for his kinma techniques.

He has provided instruction in his skills at the Kagawa Urushi Lacquerware Institute and the Ishikawa Prefectural Wajima Institute of Urushi Arts, while also serving as a judge for the Exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts, displaying a strong commitment to nurturing and mentoring the next generation.

This exhibition marks his first retrospective. It features “Covered Food Box, ‘Sound of Water,’ Makie, Kinma” (1994), winner of the Asahi Shimbun Award at the 41st Exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts, and “Box, ‘Kurenai (Crimson)‘, Kinma” (2005), winner of the Japanese Art Craft Association Cultural Keeper Award (excellence award) at the 52th Exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts, along with many other representative pieces created by his superlative skills.