A Contrasting Perspective, Forged from the Dream of Becoming an Artist

Could you tell us about your business and how it began?

About 100 years ago, my grandfather, Kameichi Nakagawa, was the 11th of 12 children born to a farming family in Mie Prefecture. At the age of 11, he became an apprentice at 'Taru-gen,' a long-established cooperage in Kyoto. In those days, wooden buckets—like *ohitsu* rice keepers, sushi tubs, and bathtubs—were common household items and essential to daily life. After working at the studio for about 40 years, my grandfather struck out on his own, establishing Nakagawa Mokkougei in Kyoto to begin crafting traditional *kioke*.

My father, Kiyotsugu, the second-generation head, continued the family business while also creating woodcrafts that featured patterns formed by intentionally aligning the wood grain. For this technique, which creates ornamentation reminiscent of *yosegi-zaiku* marquetry, he was designated a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) in 2001.

From that point on, people always referred to me as the son of a Living National Treasure. In a spirit of rebellion, I wanted to escape my father's shadow and the prestige of the 'Kyoto' name. I felt a strong desire to see what I could achieve on my own. So, in 2003, I established my own studio at the foot of the Hira Mountains in Shiga Prefecture, a place I had often visited for hiking during my university years.

What led you to take over the family business?

From a young age, my father and grandfather expected me to take over the family business. But during my teenage years, I resented our unconventional home life, where the entire family worked together in one place. I enjoyed making things, but I had no intention of joining the business right after high school. I managed to persuade my parents, who wanted me to start my apprenticeship as soon as possible, to let me enroll in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kyoto Seika University, where I majored in sculpture.