Nobuyasu Suginaka, master urushi lacquer artisan with over four decades of practice, at work in his Nagahama workshop where he creates kintsugi and traditional Japanese urushi lacquer art.

Master Urushi Lacquer Artisan with Over 40 Years of Practice

Nobuyasu Suginaka

KAKEHASHI — kintsugi artwork donated to CIDAP

Portrait of Nobuyasu Suginaka, a certified urushi master known for his refined kintsugi restoration techniques using natural lacquer and 24K gold.

Nobuyasu Suginaka

Base: Nagahama, Shiga, Japan

Shiga-based urushi lacquer artisan with over four decades devoted to Buddhist altar restoration and decorative lacquerware — a founding artist of The Kintsugi Labo JAPAN since 2021.

Discover the Artist

About
Career

Born in 1964 in Shiga Prefecture near Kyoto, Nobuyasu Suginaka has devoted over 40 years to the art of lacquering and restoring Buddhist altars in the temple town of Nagahama. He specializes in haku-oshi (gold-leaf application) and roiro (mirror-finish polishing) — techniques widely regarded as the pinnacle of urushi expression — bringing decades of precision to every piece he touches.

In his kintsugi practice, Suginaka incorporates decorative techniques such as nashiji, the “pear-skin” finish in which fine gold powder is sprinkled and burnished beneath translucent lacquer. Beyond kintsugi, he creates lacquerware that explores the transformative qualities of urushi: his Samon-nuri series captures the rippling surfaces of nearby Lake Biwa, while his Bamboo series achieves a radiant, translucent sheen through dozens of layered coats and meticulous polishing.

A founding artist of The Kintsugi Labo JAPAN, Suginaka has worked since its inception to introduce the philosophy and beauty of authentic kintsugi to collectors around the world. In 2023, his kintsugi artwork “KAKEHASHI” was donated to the Centro Interamericano de Artes Populares (CIDAP) in Cuenca, Ecuador, where it stands as a symbol of friendship between Ecuador and Japan.

Activities with The Kintsugi Labo JAPAN

  • 2024 Public conference and demonstration, The Past Reassembled: The Art of Urushi Lacquer and Kintsugi as a Bridge Between Eras, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  • 2022 Two-day maki-e workshop and pop-up sale, Kintsugi Month at Pantechnicon, London, UK
  • 2022 Online lecture and demonstration, #Ardis2022, CIDAP, Cuenca, Ecuador

Press

Public Collection

  • 2023 KAKEHASHI — kintsugi artwork donated to CIDAP (Centro Interamericano de Artes Populares), Cuenca, Ecuador

Works by Nobuyasu Suginaka

Angled front view of Nobuyasu Suginaka's KODAMA Red Roiro: an aged-wood vessel whose flat front face is finished in mirror-polished crimson urushi lacquer, marked with a gold logo.
Back view of KODAMA Red Roiro by Nobuyasu Suginaka, showing the rough, weathered bark texture of the century-old wood that forms the body of the vessel.

KODAMA -Red Roiro (Red Mirror Polished lacquer)-

$250.00 USD

Angled front view of Nobuyasu Suginaka's KODAMA Black Roiro (2024): a roughly square aged-wood vessel whose front face is finished in mirror-polished jet-black urushi lacquer bearing a gold SOWEIDO logo.
Back view of KODAMA Black Roiro by Nobuyasu Suginaka, showing the rough vertical grain and weathered bark texture of the century-old wood and its carved foot.

KODAMA -Black Roiro (Black Mirror Polished lacquer)-

$250.00 USD

Angled front view of Nobuyasu Suginaka's KODAMA Fuki-urushi : a keyaki (zelkova) wood vessel whose front face is finished in wiped lacquer that brings out the natural grain, engraved with a silver KODAMA logo.
Back view of KODAMA Fuki-urushi by Nobuyasu Suginaka, showing the dramatic striped grain and rough bark edges of the century-old keyaki wood.

KODAMA -Fuki-urushi (wiped lacquer)-

$220.00 USD

View all products

Inquire About the Artist

Contact Us