MONDEN Yuichi
(b. 1942)
Monden Yuichi's father, Monden Kogyoku, discouraged him from pursuing a
career as a bamboo artist because of the economic hardships of the life.
Heeding his advice, Monden Yuichi chose to become an engineer but not
before spending countless hours observing his father at work. Although not
formally trained, this study gave him the tools he needed to produce one
basket a year, which he submitted to local exhibitions.
The bamboo arts were never far from his thoughts. In 1998, when he retired
from engineering, he attended the Beppu Occupational School and studied
under Tanabe Nobuyuki, a top student of Japanese Living Treasure Shono
Shounsai. Then he returned to the Hiroshima area where he was born and
dedicated himself to bamboo sculpture.
In 2004, he won the Newcomers Prize at Japan's Gendai Kogei Exhibition and
the next year he had his first successful admission in the prestigious
Nitten show. His work is part of the collection at the Museum of Art and
Design in New York City and was represented in "The Next Generation"
exhibit at the University of Arkansas.
A marathon runner with an exuberant personality, Monden brings a fresh,
vibrant energy to his still-developing work.
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