1950 Born in Gifu city, Gifu Prefecture
1970 Graduated from High school, started learning wood inlay from my father
1975 Started learning wood inlay technique in Toyama prefecture
1978 Certified as an official “Hakone Wood Inlay Craftsman”
1979 Won the prize by the governor of Kanagawa prefecture, at Hakone Craftsman contest
1981 Started teaching bird carving in Tokyo
Made 15 bird carvings for the museum in Hiratsuka city; since, has continued making ornithological carvings for museums throughout Japan
1985 Studied bird carving at the Ward Foundation for three weeks in Maryland, USA
1986 Received a letter of appreciation from Japanese Society for Preservation of Birds
1987 Won honorable mention at the World Championship Competition by the Ward Foundation
1990 Displayed the carvings at the Rockefeller Ukiyo-e Collection Exhibition by the Mainichi Newspaper
1991 Moved to Pennsylvania, U.S.A. & won many ribbons and honors at various competitions in the US
 Won the Best of Show and 1st place in California Open Contest
  Won the “Third in World” at the competition presented by the Ward Foundation
1992 Move back to Japan
  Displayed the carvings at the “Miller’s Collection” exhibition by TBS
  Won the second and third place in the World Competition by the Ward Foundation
1995 Served as a judge (the first Japanese judge) at the World Competition
  Won first and second place in the contest
1998 Held the first bird carving contest in Abiko, Chiba; which was the start of the Japan Bird Festival.
  Won first place at the World Competition by the Ward Foundation
1999 Served as a judge at the World Competition
2001 Started teaching carving the Little Tern at a junior high school in Abiko, Chiba
2002 Served as a judge at the World Competition
  Received a letter of appreciation from the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology
2006 Received a letter of appreciation from the Prince Akishinonomiya, the honorary president of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology
  “Molecular Biology” awarded to a group including Dr. Hasegawa and myself, by the Toho University
  Authorized as the Modern Master Craftsman by the Japanese Government
  Received a letter of appreciation from the mayor of Abiko city
2007 Given the Abiko Culture and Sports Award of Honor by the mayor
  “Rakudo Wood Inlay” was authorized as the traditional craft by the governor of Chiba prefecture
  Received the commendation for the wildlife preservation from the Minister of Environment
2010 Held “Japan-Taiwan Friendship Carving Exhibition” in Taipei, Taiwan
2011 Received a letter of appreciation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for work with the endangered Short-tailed Albatross
2014 Displayed the Finches’ carvings at the National Museum of Science
  Displayed Albatross decoy, hand puppets for hand raising chicks and more at the International Ornithological Congress in Tokyo
2016 Made an oral presentation at the Pacific Seabird Group meeting in Hawaii
2018 The President’s Award of J.S.P.B. was given by Your Highness Hitachinomiya

 

Other than these accolades, I have been working as a volunteer, making contributions to the community such as “Touch Carvings” for the blind, preservation activities by making decoys of Short-tailed Albatross and other species, designing hand puppets for hand-raising chicks, conducting wood carving classes for children, and more.  My main work is as a wood inlay artist, however my passion is to help people connect with wild birds through wood carvings and taking action to save their habitat.

 

Modern Master Craftsman (authorized by the Japanese Government)

Wildfowl carver and Wood inlay artist

President of Japan Bird Carving Association