Samurai Japan traditional crafts from Japan

Keiji Mihara

He is involved in SADOU at Takayama in Nara prefecture, central part of Honshu, Japan since his father Toshiya Mihara had started to work as SADOU reverent and as a traditional craftsman. He grew up and learned by watching his father’s back how he worked. Since 6 years old, he learned the truth of tea tools while helping his father working until midnight. He hated to support his father’s work when he was child but he decided to inherit his father’s business as a traditional handy craftsman to leave his works to future generation.

When he started his work at beginning, he always went to Takebayashi, a mountain of bamboo, and brought down the bamboos from the mountain to ascertain the quality of the bamboo for checking the material of tea tools. To ascertain the material of bamboo is the important fact for his work to find the best bamboo with solidness in necessary, smoothness and how it looks.

He is always thinking when he is making the tea tools that convenient for users, functions, and practicality are most important facts. The upshot of those importance makes the result of true simple tools with shaping the surplus.

Sometimes the tea tools are valued among connoisseurs of antiques and costs like ten thousands US dollars to millions US dollars but the real true tea tools, which will be handed down to the future, are made in very simple and never waste its shape. A sort of real simple tools attracts the people and very impressed deeply even at a glance touching your heartstrings.

Mr. Mihara recognizes that the value of tools will be decided by the users who knows its value and usage, and only thing he can do is making the elaborate tea tools giving his best efforts and knowledge with his experiences. As a bamboo tea tools reverend, he is still devoting himself to his work with protecting skills, resources of predecessors and thoughts for leaving Japanese tradition to next generation.

Career

Keiji Mihara was born in 1st January, 1957.
He reside at Ikoma city Nara prefecture.

1994 : selected for Governor prize in Nara prefecture Art exhibition.
1991 to 1995 : Held exhibitions of his own works at Takashimaya gallery.
1993 to 1996 : Held exhibitions of his own works at MOA gallery.
1995 : selected Award in All Japan Tradition Art Craft Exhibition.

Sencha : Ogawa style Artisan

Images of his works

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Introduction of his crafts

Click here Nanafushi-Chashaku
(seven joints tea ladle)
Click here Sasanoha-Chashaku
(bamboo leaf tea ladle)
Click here Mushikui-Chashaku
(Vermiculated tea ladle)
 
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