Dry Lacquered lidded container in kinma filled-in Lacquer by Motoko SUZUKI

Born in 1981 in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, Suzuki Motoko is a contemporary lacquer artist whose career is built on deep traditional study and striking innovation.

Suzuki began her dedicated journey into urushi (lacquer) by graduating with a major in Lacquer Art from Tohoku University of Art and Design in 2004. She then completed advanced training at the prestigious Kagawa Urushi Lacquerware Institute and, until 2010, refined her skills while studying under the acclaimed master Masado Fujita in Hirosaki.

Now based in Miyagi Prefecture and holding the title of Full Member of the Japan Kōgei Association, Suzuki has carved out her own space in the field. She specializes in the meticulous techniques of dry-lacquer (kanshitsu) and kinma, an intricate method of scratching patterns into the lacquer and filling them with coloured pigments.

Her technical mastery, combined with a contemporary sensibility, has been consistently recognized. First selected for the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition in 2009, Suzuki has since accumulated numerous prestigious honours, including the Iwate Governor Award (2010), the Tokyo Governor Award (2020), and the Japan Kōgei Association New Artist Award (2025).

With her work already included in public collections such as the Ise Foundation, Suzuki Motoko represents the exciting future of Japanese lacquer art—a fusion of rigorous classical methods and modern artistic vision