Born in 1957 in Nibutani, Biratori, Saru District, Hokkaido. From a young age, she assisted her late mother, Kawanano Setue, in attus weaving (※1), embroidery, and kimono making, including tasks such as joining threads. She always loved creating things, enjoying a variety of handicrafts such as lace knitting and paper flowers, but now devotes herself entirely to traditional crafts. Since 2017, she has been selling ikema, an Ainu protective amulet, at the Nibutani Craft Gallery (Biratori Ainu Culture Information Center). Later, she began offering embroidered accessories and attus woven bags as well. She is determined to recreate all the crafts once made by Ainu women in the past.

Her main works include attus kimonos, toma (※2), and other traditional Ainu household items, but she also creates modern accessories such as straps and keychains, like ikema, for everyday use. To highlight the natural texture of attus woven pieces, she recently began using embroidery threads in subtle colors. When creating her works, she envisions the lifestyle and craftsmanship of the Ainu in the past, making a point to use materials as close to nature as possible, and never discarding even hard or difficult-to-weave fibers.

She reflects that the traditions they inherit today were hard-earned by their predecessors. For example, she now uses Ohyo bark for attus weaving, but thinks with respect about the countless trials and hardships endured to discover and refine such materials. With gratitude always in mind, she intends to continue creating various works while honoring tradition.

Member of the Nibutani Folk Craft Association.

※1 Attus: Cloth or garments woven on a loom using threads made from the inner bark of trees such as Ohyo (Japanese elm).
※2 Toma: A floral-patterned mat made from cattail leaves.