Jihei Murase Japanese, 1957

     Imagining lacquer's endless possibilities from his Tokyo atelier, Jihei Murase  (b. 1957) is a third-generation lacquer artist equipped with the skills acquired from a lifetime of training and a deep understanding of traditional techniques. Murase's innovative curving methods and mastery of the vermillion-coated Negoro style have made the artist a favorite of collections, including the Victoria & Albert in London, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Modern Art, among others. Murase's affiliation with the tea ceremony is deeply connected with his knowledge of traditional techniques. Yet, the artist constantly transforms wood, inventing new and unique forms.

     Jihei Murase (1957) is the third-generation woodcraft and lacquer master with the Jihei name. He performs every stage of production himself; selecting the wood, turning the bases on the wheel, and applying the natural urushi lacquer. Murase continues the family’s close relationship, dating as early as the Edo Period (1603-1868), with the tea tradition through research into ceremonial utensils, and a unique Negoro-style that is ideally suited to the twenty-first century. Murase’s practice emphasizes the preservation of Japan’s fleeting virgin forests. His works make use of wood types with a fine grain, such as Chestnut, Zelkova, Cypress, Cherry, and Yakusugi Cedar.

Selected Collections: 
Art Fair, COLLECT London
Ippodo Gallery New York
Ippodo Gallery Tokyo
The National Museum of Modern Art Crafts (Tokyo, Japan)
Swiss Art Basel

Embassy of Japan in the United Kingdom
Lecture at JAPAN House
Waco, Ginza, Tokyo

National Crafts Gallery, Ishikawa, Japan
Victoria & Albert Museum (London, United Kingdom)
Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, PA)
Yale University Art Gallery, Asian Art Collection (New Haven, CT)
The National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo, Japan)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY)