Kenji Suda

Discipline: Sashimono | Furniture – intricate wooden boxes
Status: Born 1954 – Current
Key Fact: ‘Living National Treasure’ status

Kenji Suda 須田賢司 was born in Tokyo in 1954 as the eldest son of Sosui Suda who was also a woodwork artist.

In 2014, he was given ‘Living National Treasure’ status by the Japanese government for his woodwork technique. Currently a lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts, his works are represented in museums and collections around the world.

Kenji Suda is a master of ‘sashimono’, a traditional technique used to create boxes and furniture.

Video

Biography

1954 – Born in Tokyo

1973 – Graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Kogei (craft) High School. Begins apprentice under his Father Suda Sosui

1975 – His work was accepted for the ‘22nd Exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts’

1995 – Exhibited at Victoria and Albert Museum, London: Japanese Studio Craft, Tradition and Avant Garde’ exhibition

2003 – Exhibited work in ‘Contemporary Furniture and Woodworks in Japan’ (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)

2006 – Excellence Award (Asahi Shimbun Prize) at the ‘53rd Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition’

2008 – Outstanding Award at the ‘55th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition’

2010 – Awarded Purple Ribbon for Artistic Achievement from the Japanese Government in 2010

2014 – Designated a ‘Living National Treasure‘ for his woodwork technique

Current – lectures at Tokyo University of the Arts. His works are represented in the collection of Kumamoto Prefectural Traditional Crafts Centre, Asahikawa Museum of Art, Hokkaido, and La Casa de Japon, Argentina Museo de Arte Moderno and more

More Information

Website: http://www.mokkougei.com/
Contact: https://www.mokkougei.com/contact/
Studio: 1654-1 Kunimine, Kanra-machi, Kanra-fun, Gunma-ken, Japan 370-2205