Kaizawa Mamoru()

Woodcarver (1986-)

Born in 1965 in Nibutani, Biratori Town, Hokkaido.
He grew up watching the woodcarving work of his father, the late Kaizawa Moriyuki, a woodcarver, but lost him at the age of 12.
After graduating from high school and working in Sapporo, he returned to Nibutani at age 21 and began full-scale woodcarving. While learning from the local masters in Nibutani, he also deepened his skills by studying traditional works housed in institutions such as the Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum.

Today, he primarily crafts ita, traditional wooden trays carved with Ainu patterns, and makiri, traditional small knives carved with Ainu patterns, in response to customer orders, but also creates ritual implements and three-dimensional carvings such as horses and owls.
He is committed to preserving the shapes of traditional Ainu patterns without distortion and passing them on so that the skills will not be lost. His works are based on traditional forms, and he strives to improve their quality as one of the artisans behind the Nibutani Ita, designated a Traditional Craft of Japan in 2013.

While respecting tradition, he also creates original patterns rooted in Ainu culture to express his individuality.
In 2021, he worked on the wrapping design for the “Seta-pukusa” sightseeing bus in Sapporo, expanding his involvement into Ainu design.

He serves as the President of the Nibutani Folk Craft Association, an organization of local artisans, and also as the head of the Biratori Urespa General Incorporated Association, which runs the Biratori Ainu Craft Transmission Center “Urespa.”
He is actively engaged in training the next generation and promoting Ainu culture in Nibutani.

He participated in the “Nibutani Ainu Craft” product development collaboration projects in 2020 and 2021.

Owner of “Kaizawa Mingei,” President of the Nibutani Folk Craft Association, and one of the certified makers of the traditional craft Nibutani Ita.

Career Highlights
Certified “Excellent Craftsperson” by the Public Interest Incorporated Association Hokkaido Ainu Association.

Hokkaido Ainu Traditional Craft Exhibition
(organized by the Public Interest Incorporated Association Hokkaido Ainu Association)
1989: Excellence Award (Hokkaido Superintendent of Education Award)
1990, 1991, 2010: Excellence Award
1999: Excellence Award (Chairman of the Hokkaido Assembly Award)
1994, 1997, 2005: Encouragement Award
(Note: The current Public Interest Incorporated Association Hokkaido Ainu Association was known as the Hokkaido Utari Association until 2008, then the Hokkaido Ainu Association from 2009, and has held its current legal status since 2014.)

Ainu Craftworks Contest
(organized by the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Ainu Culture Foundation)
1999: Encouragement Award
2009: Encouragement Award in the Traditional Woodcraft Category — for ita
2011: Encouragement Award in the Traditional Woodcraft Category — for makiri (traditional knife)
(Note: The current Ainu Culture Foundation was formerly the Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture. It became a public interest foundation in 2013 and was restructured under its current name in 2018.)

2010: Selected as Hokkaido’s sole recipient in the “Master of the Forest” category (Forest Culture and Heritage Division) in the National Afforestation Promotion Organization Contest.

Since 2012: Representative Director of the Nibutani Folk Craft Association.

2020: Commended by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry as a “Contributor to the Traditional Craft Industry.”

Kaizawa Mingei (Kaizawa Folk Crafts)
75-2 Nibutani, Biratori-cho, Saru-gun, Hokkaido 055-0101, Japan
TEL (Domestic): 01457-2-2584
TEL (International): +81-1457-2-2584

オンラインショップを見る