Okada Yuji (Shiho, 1948–2022) was born in Kyoto and graduated with honors from the Kyoto Hiyoshi-ga-oka High School Lacquer Course, receiving top prize for his graduation project. In 1969 he apprenticed under Ito Hiroshi and began exhibiting in the Kyoten and Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai exhibitions, receiving awards that marked the start of his solo career.
By 1972 he was an independent artist, and his work was accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition and the Nihon Gendai Kogeiten (Modern Crafts Exhibition) in 1973. He continued to exhibit widely—Nitten, Nihon Gendai Kogeiten, Kyoten, Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai, Urushi no Bi-ten—as well as in solo and group shows, earning numerous awards and later serving as a judge.
In 1985 he became a professor at the Dohda Art School. From 1996, renowned for lacquer restoration, he actively promoted restoration while continuing his own work, restoring over 3,500 lacquer artworks before 2022. In 1999, his Dry-Lacquer works debuted at the New York Art Festival, marking the start of international exhibitions in Germany, England, and the United States.
He retired from teaching in 2003 and established a lacquer research center in Ninenzaka, Kyoto. In 2006 he opened Lacquer Studio Shiun to pass on his skills and joined the International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation. After 2008, he focused on teaching, promoting lacquer art globally through symposiums and events, and continuing his research and restoration work.
Okada’s works are held in major collections worldwide, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Denver Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, New Orleans Museum of Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum, and Shanghai Art Museum.
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Okada Yuji EXBITION Digital Catalog
