Ko Kado

Ko Kado is among the few contemporary masters of karakami, an ancestral art of printing on washi paper traditionally used in Japanese interiors.

After studying product design at a Japanese art university, he pursued graphic design in the United States and worked as a designer in New York. Upon returning to Japan, he trained for five years within a thirteen-generation karakami workshop in Kyoto, becoming the only artisan admitted outside the family lineage. In 2009, he established his studio, Kamisoe, and has since developed a practice engaged in the transmission of a rare and demanding tradition.

In his artistic approach, Ko Kado engages traditional techniques through a contemporary lens. With washi and natural pigments, he reveals texture, the trace of the gesture and the presence of light. Between heritage and a contemporary sensibility, his work gives space to quiet and essential sens of beauty.

His practice has brought him into collaboration with designers, architects and leading figures in contemporary creation in Japan, including Hiroshi Sugimoto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. He has also taken part in research and restoration projects, notably related to the Saga-bon books of the 17th century.

Further information and selected exhibitions available upon request.