Sugiura Noriyoshi (b. 1964)

Sugiura Noriyoshi, a native of Sendai, Honshu in north-east Japan, decided at the age of thirty-three to train as a bamboo artist. He studied at the Oita Prefecture Bamboo Training Institute and the Beppu Industrial Art Crafts Institute, before starting his apprenticeship with Watanabe Chikusei II (b. 1932), followed by a period of study with Okazaki Chikubōsai II (b. 1933). In 2004, he exhibited his work at the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition. A flower basket created by Sugiura was presented to the Emperor of Japan during the 2008 Oita National Sports Festival. His works are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture, Hanford; the Anjyo Citizens Gallery; and Beppu City Bamboo Craft Centre, Beppu.