About

Japanese art outside Japan. Under the three-part slogan “Securing Our Heritage | Nurturing Our Traditions | Building Our Futures,” KOGEI USA will mount exhibitions, facilitate gifts of art to leading international museums, and sponsor artist workshops and other outreach programs, with the support of the Government of Japan.

KOGEI USA takes its name from the Japanese word kōgei (工芸), originally coined over a century ago simply to translate the word “craft.” KOGEI is endowed today, however, with a much higher significance, denoting Japanese hand-made artifacts that, while innovative and original, continue to be made using traditional philosophies, materials, and techniques. For a work to be described as KOGEI, it must reflect not just contemporary creativity but also an uncompromising dedication to perfection, refinement, and the preservation of techniques handed down from generation to generation over many centuries.

In the US and Europe, this new KOGEI ideal has already stimulated fresh appreciation for Japanese culture, encouraging consumers to incorporate hand-made Japanese artifacts in their day-to-day living. One of our goals at KOGEI USA is to communicate this wave of Western enthusiasm back to Japan and promote awareness, especially among younger artists, of exciting new opportunities to promote their work in overseas markets.

Another core mission of KOGEI USA is to showcase “Living National Treasures” (known formally as “Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties”), senior artists whose lifetime of achievement has been officially recognized by the Government of Japan. Seen alongside the work of younger talents, masterpieces by “Living National Treasures” will help visitors to KOGEI USA’s international exhibitions and events deepen their understanding of Japan’s cultural heritage and its future opportunities. In addition, KOGEI USA will cultivate further global connections by promoting exchange with non-Japanese artists who share our passion for preserving and handing down the best of the world’s traditional hand-made arts.

In 2021, the “Japanese Metalwork Exhibition” was held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition was planned by Nana Onishi, founder of KOGEI USA, and sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It received critical acclaim and served as a significant opportunity to bring Japanese crafts to international attention. To commemorate the museum’s 150th anniversary, all exhibited works were generously donated to the museum as part of its permanent collection. This landmark exhibition has since become a model for KOGEI USA’s “Exhibition + Donation at North American Museums” initiative.

OUR TEAM

Nana Onishi Founder & Director nana@kogeiusa.org Yui Kugimiya Assistant Director yui@kogeiusa.org