Born in 1953 in Mitaka City, Tokyo. At the age of 19, she married the woodcarver Shigehiro Takano and moved from Tokyo to Nibutani. In 1980, she founded Takano Mingei. Fascinated by the exquisite handcrafts of Ainu women, she initially learned from Reiko Kaizawa after moving, but since then, she has independently deepened her studies through observing museum materials and unraveling repair works requested of her.

She produces traditional clothing such as attus, cikarkarpe, kapar-amip, ruunpe, and chidiri, as well as tekunpe (hand guards), hos (leg wraps), emus-at (knife suspender cords), tar (carrying ropes), saranip (net-like shoulder bags), and citarpe (rush leaf mats). Among them, emus-at—considered the most difficult women's handcraft—starts with peeling tree bark and making threads before weaving. She is deeply devoted to Ainu traditional crafts and patterns, emphasizing techniques and production methods. In 2004, she authored a research book on the patterns of emus-at, continuing her exploration of Ainu traditional culture.

In 2021, she designed the wrapping for the Sapporo sightseeing bus “Setapukusa.” Alongside her own creations, she also teaches successors as a vocational training instructor to preserve Ainu culture. She is a member of the Nibutani Mingei Association.

Takano Miingei (Takano Folk Crafts)
78-13 Nibutani, Biratori-cho, Saru-gun, Hokkaido 055-0101, Japan
TEL (Domestic): 01457-2-3397
TEL (International): +81-1457-2-3397
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/takanomingei/