Honma Hideaki (b. 1959)

Honma Hideaki comes from a family of bamboo artisans. His grandfather started the family bamboo craft business, Honma Kogei, in 1923 on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture. An accident while serving in the Japanese air force left Honma Hideaki with vision in only one eye. Subsequently, he was adopted by his uncle, Honma Kazuaki (1930 - 2017), the well-known bamboo master and began training with him. In 1991 Honma Hideaki participated in the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition and in 1992, his work was first accepted into the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten). He went on to become a judge for the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition and to serve on the council. He has also been awarded the Tokusen Prize twice at the Nitten (in 2014 and 2018). His work features a range of plaiting techniques, often combined with lengths of unsplit, dramatically curving, bent bamboo on the outer edges. Also notable is his use of men’yadake bamboo, a mottled, pliable variety, which is only grown on Sado Island. He draws inspiration from his island home and has created a series of sculptures inspired by the sea and waves. His works are in the collections of a number of institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago and the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.