Takuo Matsuzawa
@matsuzawa.bsky.social
Urushi Art Producer 🇯🇵
Urushi Art
Kintsugi
Urushi Fountain Pen 🖊
Feel free to contact us via chat😀
Matsuzawa Urushi Workshop in Morioka IWATE
https://matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp/
All my English posts are translated by ChatGPT
Urushi Art
Kintsugi
Urushi Fountain Pen 🖊
Feel free to contact us via chat😀
Matsuzawa Urushi Workshop in Morioka IWATE
https://matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp/
All my English posts are translated by ChatGPT
Pinned
These products support abalone farmers in Ofunato City affected by Japan's largest-scale forest fire, with a portion of sales being donated. They are cute and delicate accessories that capture tiny abalone shells in glass. #abalone
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
Today, December 14th, marks the anniversary of the Chushingura raid—the day the 47 Ronin avenged their lord.
My studio is currently producing a special series of fountain pens dedicated to this legendary event.
My studio is currently producing a special series of fountain pens dedicated to this legendary event.
December 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Today, December 14th, marks the anniversary of the Chushingura raid—the day the 47 Ronin avenged their lord.
My studio is currently producing a special series of fountain pens dedicated to this legendary event.
My studio is currently producing a special series of fountain pens dedicated to this legendary event.
Many Japanese urushi artists view urushi merely as a type of paint. The vast majority have never even witnessed the harvesting process.
For me, however, having the trees close at hand, my primary perspective is that urushi is a precious sap.
For me, however, having the trees close at hand, my primary perspective is that urushi is a precious sap.
December 13, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Many Japanese urushi artists view urushi merely as a type of paint. The vast majority have never even witnessed the harvesting process.
For me, however, having the trees close at hand, my primary perspective is that urushi is a precious sap.
For me, however, having the trees close at hand, my primary perspective is that urushi is a precious sap.
Reposted by Takuo Matsuzawa
A ski resort in Japan said Friday it had received reports of bear sightings, while separately the nation picked the kanji character for a bear as its symbol for 2025.
Ski resort acknowledges reports of bear sightings, as predator tops kanji pick
Scientists say this year's surge in maulings is being driven by a fast-growing bear population, a bad acorn harvest and a falling human population.
ebx.sh
December 12, 2025 at 1:53 PM
A ski resort in Japan said Friday it had received reports of bear sightings, while separately the nation picked the kanji character for a bear as its symbol for 2025.
Cracking down on artists performing in China will only win Tokyo more friends, @GearoidReidy writes www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
I’m really fed up with the way China has been conducting itself lately. I used to think of it as a country with the dignity and composure of a mature great power.
I’m really fed up with the way China has been conducting itself lately. I used to think of it as a country with the dignity and composure of a mature great power.
China’s Push Against Japan’s Soft Power Will Backfire
China has tried many tactics to isolate Japan over the past month, from letters to the United Nations to courting France and Russia. Now, it has taken to silencing some of Tokyo’s beloved cultural ico...
www.bloomberg.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Cracking down on artists performing in China will only win Tokyo more friends, @GearoidReidy writes www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
I’m really fed up with the way China has been conducting itself lately. I used to think of it as a country with the dignity and composure of a mature great power.
I’m really fed up with the way China has been conducting itself lately. I used to think of it as a country with the dignity and composure of a mature great power.
When urushi trees that have finished being tapped are cut down and stacked up, the logs are called "kakigara".
When I see a whole pile of kakigara logs, I can’t help wanting to say, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
When I see a whole pile of kakigara logs, I can’t help wanting to say, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
December 11, 2025 at 1:26 PM
When urushi trees that have finished being tapped are cut down and stacked up, the logs are called "kakigara".
When I see a whole pile of kakigara logs, I can’t help wanting to say, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
When I see a whole pile of kakigara logs, I can’t help wanting to say, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
When I pitched a limited-edition shunga-themed fountain pen to a Japanese manufacturer, the person in charge was keen, but the company ultimately rejected it. I have decided to pursue the project independently, but since I do not have the funds, I am considering crowdfunding🤔
December 11, 2025 at 1:52 AM
When I pitched a limited-edition shunga-themed fountain pen to a Japanese manufacturer, the person in charge was keen, but the company ultimately rejected it. I have decided to pursue the project independently, but since I do not have the funds, I am considering crowdfunding🤔
このたびの地震で食器が割れてしまったという方から相談が来ています。大事な器、思い出のある器がありましたら金継ぎで修理できますのでお気軽にご相談ください。
私の家の食器類は無事でしたが、積んでいた本が崩れて大事な本に折り目がついてしまった…
matsuzawakobo.com/contact/
私の家の食器類は無事でしたが、積んでいた本が崩れて大事な本に折り目がついてしまった…
matsuzawakobo.com/contact/
December 9, 2025 at 2:34 AM
このたびの地震で食器が割れてしまったという方から相談が来ています。大事な器、思い出のある器がありましたら金継ぎで修理できますのでお気軽にご相談ください。
私の家の食器類は無事でしたが、積んでいた本が崩れて大事な本に折り目がついてしまった…
matsuzawakobo.com/contact/
私の家の食器類は無事でしたが、積んでいた本が崩れて大事な本に折り目がついてしまった…
matsuzawakobo.com/contact/
Thank you everyone for your concern about the earthquake. I’m safe, and fortunately the damage in my area was not too serious, but the strong quake and aftershocks were frightening. The tsunami warning has now been lifted, and our morning has returned to normal.
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
Tsunami warnings lifted after M7.5 quake rocks northeastern Japan
The Japan Meteorological Agency registered a seismic intensity of upper-6 on the Japanese scale in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.
www.japantimes.co.jp
December 9, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Thank you everyone for your concern about the earthquake. I’m safe, and fortunately the damage in my area was not too serious, but the strong quake and aftershocks were frightening. The tsunami warning has now been lifted, and our morning has returned to normal.
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
M7.6 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Aomori Pref., Measuring Upper 6 Intensity, Tsunami to Be Expected in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate Prefectures on Monday Night japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/gene...
M7.6 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Aomori Pref., Measuring Upper 6 Intensity, Tsunami to Be Expected in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate Prefectures on Monday Night
<p>M7.6 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Aomori Pref., Measuring Upper 6 Intensity, Tsunami to Be Expected in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate Prefectures on Monday Night</p>
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp
December 8, 2025 at 2:43 PM
M7.6 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Aomori Pref., Measuring Upper 6 Intensity, Tsunami to Be Expected in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate Prefectures on Monday Night japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/gene...
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Hokkaido, Iwate and Aomori coasts!
December 8, 2025 at 2:27 PM
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Hokkaido, Iwate and Aomori coasts!
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Iwate and Aomori coasts!
December 8, 2025 at 2:25 PM
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Iwate and Aomori coasts!
A big earthquake is happening right now!
December 8, 2025 at 2:18 PM
A big earthquake is happening right now!
At the Tokyo exhibition, the antique Royal Copenhagen small plates repaired with kintsugi were very popular.
December 8, 2025 at 6:09 AM
At the Tokyo exhibition, the antique Royal Copenhagen small plates repaired with kintsugi were very popular.
This is a bottle holder woven from igusa, the same material used for tatami mats. It was crafted by a fellow artisan exhibiting here. It’s simple and truly lovely.
This is the essence of "Mingei".
This is the essence of "Mingei".
December 7, 2025 at 1:48 AM
This is a bottle holder woven from igusa, the same material used for tatami mats. It was crafted by a fellow artisan exhibiting here. It’s simple and truly lovely.
This is the essence of "Mingei".
This is the essence of "Mingei".
I came to Tokyo for the first time in three years. There’s currently an exhibition of traditional crafts at Tokyo Midtown Yaesu near Tokyo Station, where one of my workshop’s maki-e steering wheels is on display. It’s an outdoor exhibit, so it’s freezing out here!
#matsuzawa #urushi
#matsuzawa #urushi
December 6, 2025 at 1:52 AM
I came to Tokyo for the first time in three years. There’s currently an exhibition of traditional crafts at Tokyo Midtown Yaesu near Tokyo Station, where one of my workshop’s maki-e steering wheels is on display. It’s an outdoor exhibit, so it’s freezing out here!
#matsuzawa #urushi
#matsuzawa #urushi
Reposted by Takuo Matsuzawa
Chūshingura is a very well-known incident from the Edo period in Japan, and in later generations it has been adapted into many plays and films. I am also interested in this story, and I have created fountain pens using it as a motif, which are being sold by Sailor.
December 3, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Chūshingura is a very well-known incident from the Edo period in Japan, and in later generations it has been adapted into many plays and films. I am also interested in this story, and I have created fountain pens using it as a motif, which are being sold by Sailor.
I heard that many people in Italy are criticizing a “carbonara sauce” sold in Belgium, saying it is not real carbonara at all. To me, something very similar is happening with kintsugi: the word is spreading worldwide, but its meaning is slowly drifting away.
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/20/t...
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/20/t...
‘Fake’ carbonara sauce causes outrage in Italy | CNN
Italy is pushing to ban “Italian-sounding” foods abroad amid a scandal over the appearance of a Belgian-made carbonara sauce found on the shelves of a store in the European Parliament.
edition.cnn.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:43 PM
I heard that many people in Italy are criticizing a “carbonara sauce” sold in Belgium, saying it is not real carbonara at all. To me, something very similar is happening with kintsugi: the word is spreading worldwide, but its meaning is slowly drifting away.
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/20/t...
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/20/t...
Reposted by Takuo Matsuzawa
These products support abalone farmers in Ofunato City affected by Japan's largest-scale forest fire, with a portion of sales being donated. They are cute and delicate accessories that capture tiny abalone shells in glass. #abalone
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
December 1, 2025 at 6:03 AM
These products support abalone farmers in Ofunato City affected by Japan's largest-scale forest fire, with a portion of sales being donated. They are cute and delicate accessories that capture tiny abalone shells in glass. #abalone
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
Chūshingura is a very well-known incident from the Edo period in Japan, and in later generations it has been adapted into many plays and films. I am also interested in this story, and I have created fountain pens using it as a motif, which are being sold by Sailor.
December 3, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Chūshingura is a very well-known incident from the Edo period in Japan, and in later generations it has been adapted into many plays and films. I am also interested in this story, and I have created fountain pens using it as a motif, which are being sold by Sailor.
Eileen Gray’s urushi-lacquered screens were created under the technical guidance of Seizo Sugawara, a Japanese urushi master active in Paris. Although Sugawara was long believed to hail from Iwate, recent findings have revealed that he was actually from Yamagata.
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
1925年を訪ねて（6）アイリーン・グレイ「スクリーン」 - 日本経済新聞
1920年代のパリでは女性の社会進出が進み、そのライフスタイルにあった新たなデザインが求められる。アール・デコ博覧会の主役は「新時代の女性」だった。そのデザインを担う表現者はまだまだ男性が占めていたが、ファッションではジャンヌ・ランバン、ココ・シャネル、美術ではマリー・ローランサンやソニア・ドロネーらも登場する。アイルランド出身のアイリーン・グレイはパリに移住して画塾に通うなか、日本から来ていた
www.nikkei.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Eileen Gray’s urushi-lacquered screens were created under the technical guidance of Seizo Sugawara, a Japanese urushi master active in Paris. Although Sugawara was long believed to hail from Iwate, recent findings have revealed that he was actually from Yamagata.
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
These products support abalone farmers in Ofunato City affected by Japan's largest-scale forest fire, with a portion of sales being donated. They are cute and delicate accessories that capture tiny abalone shells in glass. #abalone
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
December 1, 2025 at 6:03 AM
These products support abalone farmers in Ofunato City affected by Japan's largest-scale forest fire, with a portion of sales being donated. They are cute and delicate accessories that capture tiny abalone shells in glass. #abalone
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
matsuzawaurushi.stores.jp
My neighbors told me they were worried about bears🐻 showing up, so I picked all the persimmons I hadn’t gotten to yet. I’ll turn some of them into dried persimmons.
A friend helped me out, so everything went really smoothly.
A friend helped me out, so everything went really smoothly.
November 29, 2025 at 3:47 AM
My neighbors told me they were worried about bears🐻 showing up, so I picked all the persimmons I hadn’t gotten to yet. I’ll turn some of them into dried persimmons.
A friend helped me out, so everything went really smoothly.
A friend helped me out, so everything went really smoothly.
It still feels fresh and cutting-edge, even now. The recording quality is excellent as well.
#YMO
open.spotify.com/episode/6LEa...
#YMO
open.spotify.com/episode/6LEa...
#2 YMO: ArtistCHRONICLE「先鋭化編 」
open.spotify.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:13 PM
It still feels fresh and cutting-edge, even now. The recording quality is excellent as well.
#YMO
open.spotify.com/episode/6LEa...
#YMO
open.spotify.com/episode/6LEa...
Reposted by Takuo Matsuzawa
November 25, 2025 at 5:53 AM