Kinji Yoshida | Urushi Cup

Wood artist Kinji Yoshida brings the precision of a master furniture maker to objects shaped by atmosphere, light, and landscape. After years producing custom furniture and later working as a woodworking instructor and satoyama coordinator, he began focusing fully on his artistic practice in 2023.

His signature fog finish was inspired by the Tanba Kiri that regularly covered Kameoka, Kyoto, where he worked independently for a decade. Kinji hand-carves each wooden surface before applying and polishing repeated layers of urushi lacquer, creating nuanced blacks, soft whites, and blue-grey tones that shift with their surroundings.

Now working from Minoh City, Osaka, he creates tactile vessels and trays that balance technical mastery with the quiet unpredictability of handwork, allowing wood, lacquer, and light to remain in constant conversation.