Going Independent and Taking on the Traditional Crafts Exhibition

Miyamoto learned the essence of woodcraft from Kenkichi Kuroda, a commitment that spanned ten years.

"Was the ten-year training period long or short? Looking back, it flew by in an instant. I was gifted the cherry wood workbench I’d been using since I started and left my master's workshop."

He married his wife around the same time he went independent, and they began their life together as a team.

"When I was an apprentice, a company president often placed orders with my master. He knew I was the one making his pieces, so when I went independent, he sent work directly to me instead of going through my master. I had absolutely no income then, so I was overjoyed.

In the beginning, I’d work part-time at a local carpenter's shop, calculating how many days I needed to work just so the two of us could make ends meet."

But striking out on his own was no easy path paved with jobs. As an unknown artisan, Miyamoto began to passionately submit his pieces to the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition.

"The Traditional Crafts Exhibition has a main show and regional branch shows, and I started entering them at 31, right after going independent. I got into the main exhibition on my first try that year and have submitted work every year since. At the branch shows, especially, if you really pushed yourself to create a good piece, they’d recognize it, and I won awards. That came with prize money, which made life a little easier."

True to his word, Miyamoto steadily built his reputation. He went on to win a series of prestigious awards at Japan's most authoritative public craft exhibition, including the Japan Kôgei Association Encouragement Award in 1995 and the Japan Kôgei Association Holder's Award in 2012. His name became widely known throughout the world of woodcraft.

Of course, getting to this point took extraordinary effort. He poured himself into his craft, sacrificing sleep to create while juggling part-time jobs.

He jokes that "winning an award had better odds than the lottery," but he never brags about the grueling days of effort behind those brilliant accolades. This humility speaks volumes about Miyamoto's character.

What Defines My Own Work?

Miyamoto says he has never missed a single Traditional Crafts Exhibition. That means he has been creating new pieces annually for over 40 years. Coming up with fresh ideas each year and bringing them to life must take immense effort. Did he ever hit a creative wall?

"I went independent at 31 and began pouring my own ideas and designs into my work. I truly thought I was expressing my own unique sensibilities, going beyond what I’d learned at my master's workshop. But it turns out, I was the only one who felt that way."

"Anyone with a trained eye could tell immediately, ‘Ah, he’s one of Kuroda’s apprentices.’ I was just completely steeped in the ‘scent’ of Kuroda’s style. It makes sense, of course. I’d been his apprentice for 10 years. I was like a frog in a well, completely unaware of the world outside."

"It took more than 10 years for me to shed that ‘Kuroda scent.’ I think I was only able to create pieces that were truly my own after I turned 40."

This is, perhaps, the nature of training under a single master artisan. An old Japanese saying goes, "to learn (manabu) is to imitate (manebu)." First and foremost, it was all about "becoming" his master.

Miyamoto adds, "You can't just go independent at 31 and suddenly do something completely different from everything you've learned. Even if you could, it wouldn't be the real deal."

Incorporating His Lake Biwa and Water Skiing Experiences into His Work

In our last feature, Miyamoto shared his commitment to "things that can only be done by human hands" in his craft. Anyone who has ever laid eyes on his work has surely been captivated by its beautiful, curved forms.

A signature technique of Miyamoto's is the wave-like pattern he carves into the wood's surface. A prime example is his piece "栃拭漆波紋盤" (Tochi Fukiurushi Hamonban), which won a commemorative award at the 50th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition. Where did the inspiration for this technique come from?

"After going independent, I was constantly searching for a form of expression that was uniquely mine. The origin of that inspiration was Lake Biwa, right here in Shiga Prefecture. I built my studio in the Kosai area after I set out on my own, so I would gaze at the Lake Biwa scenery almost every day.

One day, I had the chance to go water skiing on Lake Biwa. As the boat pulled me along, I was mesmerized by the wake it left behind. I wondered, 'Is there a way I can incorporate this into my work?' That thought became the genesis of my current style. It wasn't until I was over 40, and it took a lot of trial and error to get there."

Having trained under Kenkichi Kuroda, the son of Living National Treasure Tatsuaki Kuroda, Miyamoto must have constantly felt the weight of that lineage. It seems fitting, then, that the natural beauty of Lake Biwa was what sparked his breakthrough, highlighting the deep connection to his woodcraft.

Miyamoto brilliantly overcame this unseen pressure, continuing to create as an independent artisan. In recognition of his many years of achievement, he was designated a Holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property of "Mokkougei" (Woodcraft)—a so-called Living National Treasure—in 2023, at the age of 70. The designation was in high praise of his outstanding "kurimono" (carved-out work) technique of hollowing out wood to create forms, and for his unique artistry that captures scenes of nature, epitomized by the ripples of Lake Biwa. Thus, Teiji Miyamoto was truly born, becoming one of Japan's foremost woodcraft artists in both name and practice.