Nakagawa Shuji

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Born in Kyoto in 1968, Nakagawa graduated from Kyoto Seika University in 1992 with a degree in sculpture. He worked under his father Seiji, a holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property designation, and founded Nakagawa Woodworking Hira in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, in 2003. Nakagawa creates handmade wood products using the traditional bucket-making technique, which dates back to the 14th century. Various-sized wooden buckets were deeply rooted in Japanese culture, from bathtubs for newborns to barrel coffins. However, after the period of high economic growth from the mid-1950s to the 1970s, they were largely replaced by inexpensive, plastic, or mass-produced products. Against this backdrop, Nakagawa preserves the traditional woodworking technique and explores new possibilities for wooden buckets by collaborating with designers and artists in Japan and abroad. His first project, the Wooden Barrel Tearoom, capitalizes on the similarity between the arched structure of wooden buckets and architecture. This portable tearoom is crafted using the traditional hoop technique, enabling quick assembly and disassembly in any setting.
His major exhibitions include a solo exhibition, Wandering in the Tea Forest (Art Space Fukujuen, Kyoto, 2024), and a group exhibition, Japon-Japonismes, 1867-2018 (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2018-2019). Major awards include the Loewe Craft Prize finalist (2017), and the Ronnie Prize at the Japan Traditional Craft Revitalization Contest (2023). His works are in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

EXHIBITION

HIGASHIYAMA AREA