Three urushi lacquer panels showcasing various decorative techniques in the Hikone workshop of Seisaku Nakajima, a nationally certified urushi master.

Nationally Certified Urushi Master of Sacred Restoration

Seisaku Nakajima

Portrait of Seisaku Nakajima, master of traditional urushi lacquer and kintsugi restoration, based in Hikone, Japan.

Seisaku Nakajima

Base: Hikone, Shiga, Japan

Hikone-based urushi craftsman, nationally certified Master of Traditional Crafts (2005), with restoration work for Saimyō-ji Temple — a designated National Treasure of Japan.

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About
Career

Born in Shiga Prefecture in 1956, Seisaku Nakajima has dedicated his life to creating and restoring ceramics and lacquerware in the historic town of Hikone. He began his journey in 1978 under the tutelage of Shinsui Ichino, a Tachikui ware master. In 1981, he formally entered the world of lacquer by studying under his father, a specialist in Hikone-style Buddhist altar lacquering.

Drawing from traditional Japanese techniques, Nakajima creates pieces that blend with contemporary life while honoring the past. He has also made significant contributions to cultural heritage preservation through restoration work, using his expertise in urushi lacquer to restore sacred and historical artifacts.

Through his kintsugi practice, Nakajima views each restored piece as a transformation that reveals beauty through fracture, rather than a return to its former state. The act of mending becomes a quiet dialogue between damage and grace, history and renewal. Through gold-filled seams and polished lacquer, his work fosters a greater appreciation of imperfection and the passage of time.

Selected Exhibitions

  • 2010 TOKYO Designers Week 2010, Tokyo — Contributed a prototype finished with colored urushi lacquer
  • 2009 Ceramist Five-Person Exhibition, Art Gallery Tamba, Hyogo

Heritage Preservation Work

  • 2022 Restoration of the standing statue of Yakushi Nyorai (hidden Buddhist icon enshrined within the zushi), Saimyō-ji Temple, Shiga
  • 2021 Restoration of the lacquered miniature shrine (zushi) housing the principal Buddhist icon, Saimyō-ji Temple (National Treasure), Shiga
  • 2010–2011 Restoration of the pedestal for a Buddhist statue at the Three-Story Pagoda (National Treasure), Saimyō-ji Temple, Shiga

Certification

  • 2005 Nationally Certified as a Master of Traditional Crafts by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, specializing in Hikone-style Buddhist altar lacquering

Works by Seisaku Nakajima

Sold out: 24K gold kintsugi Ko-Imari sometsuke cup with gold seams across blue-and-white porcelain, restored with natural urushi lacquer.
Interior of kintsugi Ko-Imari cup revealing gold-finished restoration lines across the white porcelain floor, slow craft in each seam.

24K Gold Kintsugi Ko-Imari Cup | Seams Through a Blue Garden

CHF 617.00

Sold out: Kintsugi Arita porcelain sake cup with 24K gold seams and sometsuke blue splatter glaze, footed pedestal form.
Close-up of a gold kintsugi line along the exterior of an Arita sake cup, where urushi lacquer meets sometsuke blue, crafted resilience made visible.

24K Gold Kintsugi Arita Sake Cup | Cobalt Scatter

CHF 536.00

Sold out: kintsugi Kyoto ware cup with 24K gold and pure silver restoration on hori-mishima carved earthenware, food-safe.
Interior of a kintsugi Kyoto cup showing pure silver restoration lines against cream glaze, history made visible in each restored seam.

24K Gold Kintsugi Kyoto Tea cup | Seams Across the Lattice

CHF 560.00

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