About

—Tsugaru-nuri

I feel truly fortunate to have come this far, despite stepping into the world of Tsugaru-nuri with no prior knowledge of lacquer or traditional Japanese crafts. Since beginning this work, I have experienced many remarkable and even fateful encounters. Looking back, working with Tsugaru-nuri was not a coincidence for me — it was something destined.
I hope to break away from the old-fashioned image often associated with Tsugaru-nuri by exploring its many possibilities and interpreting the craft in my own way. Through Tsugaru-nuri and my work, I look forward to meeting many more people, and I intend to continue this craft for as long as fate allows.It is my sincere hope that the true beauty of Tsugaru-nuri — a traditional Japanese art form — will become more widely known around the world.
— Hiroko Makino, Urushi Artist

— Origin of "BOKUMONDOH"

In the early 1600s, Nobumasa Tsugaru, the fourth feudal lord of the Tsugaru domain, brought my ancestor Banuemon Makino from Edo (present-day Tokyo). Banuemon was a disciple of the renowned military strategist Sokō Yamaga.
A descendant of Banuemon, Sajiro Makino, later founded Bokumondoh, a school of Yamaga-style martial philosophy in the Tsugaru region.

Wishing to honor the spirit of bushidō—the way of the samurai—passed down from Yamaga and my ancestors,
I named my lacquer studio BOKUMONDOH, hoping to carry their passion and principles forward through my urushi work.

— Biography

Born in Setagaya, Tokyo.
After graduating from Bunka Fashion College, I spent several years in the U.K. and Italy.
In 1997, I moved to Hirosaki to study Tsugaru-nuri lacquerware under Kiyomasa Fujita, a former craftsman at the Aomori Prefectural Industrial Research Institute.
In 2002, I returned to Tokyo and founded my lacquer studio, BOKUMONDOH.
I am currently based in Setagaya, where I continue my work as a lacquer artist.