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.