Master Kitamura

▼Kitamura was born in the year of the dragon as his given name Tatsu-o suggests and now he is just over 50 years old. He worked in the design industry in Tokyo and in his twenties he returned to Wajima to learn lacquering and started making lacquer pieces for souvenirs. But then his inquisitive mind began to work and he began his research in earnest. He went to London to study extensive collection of Inro (a wooden case for holding small objects) and Makie and eventually reached his present style of work.. He uses his artistic name, Un-ryu-an as the brand and runs his workshop as an art director with a group of young craftsmen. Indeed he learned that he alone would not be able to manage to master the craftsmanship of the artisans of the 19^th Century. His atelier has a total of nine people including himself and his wife, Hiroko. Temporary workmen who volunteer assist his work as well.