Designated a Living National Treasure for his unique metal-hammering technique, Tamagawa is a renowned artist in his field in Japan. He was born in 1942 in Niigata Prefecture and is a descendent of Kakubei Tamagawa, who founded the Gyokusendo company in 1816. Gyokusendo continues to create functional and decorative copperware using the tsuiki, or hand-hammered method. From 1963 to 1965, Tamagawa studied hammering techniques as an apprentice under Sekiya Shiro, also a Living National Treasure. After his apprenticeship in Tokyo, Tamagawa returned home and re-joined the Gyokusendo company. He continued to master his craft and was selected to exhibit his work at prestigious exhibitions across Japan and Europe, receiving numerous prizes and awards. In 1996, he decided to devote all of his time to his art and resigned from the Gyokusendo company.
- Selected Exhibitions:
- 2015–2018 Asia Week | New York
- 2016 Creating Handicrafts, Living National Treasures Exhibition | Wako, Tokyo
- 2015 SOFA Chicago | Illinois
- 2013- 2014 The Present of Living National Treasures, Tokyo National Museum | Japan
- Selected Public Collections:
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York
Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum | Niigata, Japan