Moshouan 茂照庵 Kyoto
hosted by Shuko Tanizawa 谷沢 周子
This residency invites artists and cultural practitioners who are interested in exploring the materiality and ancestral craftsmanship of tamba lacquer as well as the Sukiya-zukuri architecture. It is an opportunity to immerse, to experiment, and to learn through making.
The program runs for three months, during which residents will live and work at Maoshouan, alongside the host artist Shuko Tanizawa. The residency culminates in a final exhibition in Kyoto, presenting the works developed throughout the residency period.
Residency year 2026
Lacquer workshops
Visit the tamba urushi forest
Experience the harvest
Short trips to discover lacquer’s tradition
Plant the new urushi trees
Visit the museums and art spaces
Period
Fukuchiyama city, Kyoto, 620-0000, Japan
Residency location
Aug, Sep, Oct 2026
Content of the Residency
Travel distance with car:
1.5 hours to the city center of Kyoto
1.5 hours to the city center of Osaka
Architecture
About Moshouan 茂照庵
The house 茂照庵 (Moshouan), also known as 桐村家住宅 (Kirimura-ke Jūtaku), is a registered cultural heritage of Japan with a history of over one hundred years. It exemplifies the Sukiya-zukuri 数寄屋造り architectural style, a refined form of traditional Japanese design that harmoniously blends elegance, craftsmanship, and natural materials.
The house itself has been actively involved in regional cultural events. Artist Shuko Tanizawa will move in and further energize the area’s cultural and artistic life, with a focus on reviving and sustaining the lacquer tradition, and hosting residency projects would be a way to bring an international perspective to this region and initiate new dialogues.
winter ⓒmoshouan
ⓒmoshouan
lacquer show room ⓒmoshouan
tradistional hot pot setting ⓒmoshouan
Region
About Tamba Urushi
For over 1,300 years, the forests surrounding Yakuno in the Tamba region of Kyoto Prefecture have yielded one of Japan’s most esteemed lacquers: Tamba Urushi. Harvested from lacquer trees that are carefully cultivated for more than a decade before their first tapping, this material has long been celebrated for its remarkable clarity, luminous finish, and subtle aroma. Historically, Tamba Urushi was even used as a form of tax payment — a testament to its enduring cultural and economic significance.
The residency would collaborate with the local community such as tanbaurushi NPO and provide the at site experience for the artist and researcher to experience the harvesting as well as planting new Urushi trees to deeply involved and connect with this traditional craftsmanship and contribute to its sustainability.
Planting the Urushi tree ⓒNPO法人丹波漆
Planting the Urushi tree ⓒNPO法人丹波漆
Planting the Urushi tree ⓒNPO法人丹波漆
Lacquer scratching ⓒNPO法人丹波漆
Lacquer scratching ⓒNPO法人丹波漆
Lacquer scratching ⓒNPO法人丹波漆
Hosting artist
About Shuko Tanizawa
谷沢 周子
Shuko Tanizawa 谷沢 周子 is a Japanese artist, she obtained both her BA and MA from the Craft Department (Lacquer Major) at Kanazawa College of Art. She is also currently a guest student at Städelschule in Frankfurt. Her artistic practice focuses on bridging the historical legacy of lacquer with contemporary contexts, exploring its material and conceptual potential in new ways.
She was based in Kanazawa, a historic city renowned for Japanese craftsmanship and the lacquer tradition as an artisanal discipline. She has been deeply engaged with the cultural and material heritage of the medium. After completing her studies at Kanazawa College of Art, she would move to Kyoto, a region intimately connected to the origins of lacquer not merely as a craft, but as a natural material rooted in the area’s unique geography. Through this transition, Shuko seeks to cultivate a deeper connection with lacquer as a living material, while embracing trans-cultural perspectives and innovative possibilities.
Dependence of motherhood 母性による依存 2021Size / サイズ: W90×D270×H240（cm）Material / 素材: Lacquer, Cloth, Styrofoam, IronⓒShuko TanizawaProgram & Plan
Program & Plan
During this residency, practice and research are closely intertwined. We regard material practice as an essential component of the research process. The program is therefore conceived as a curated journey combining workshops, short trips within Japan, and field research—exploring not only the materiality of lacquer, but also its relationship to the spatial and cultural dimensions of the residential house and its surrounding region.
Aug, Sep, Oct
Moshouan, Kyoto, Japan
Weekly Lacquer technique workshop
Following the harvest season, the Lacquer Technique Workshop provided by the host artist invites participants to learn the fundamentals of working with lacquer — from understanding its natural properties to experiencing its transformation through touch, patience, and layering.
Aug, Sep, Oct
Moshouan, Kyoto, Japan
Research and material experiments
The residents would be participating in this journey and bringing back the reflections and the experiences from trips and workshops into their own professional practices while they returned to the Moshouan.
Mid Aug
Kanazawa, Japan
Delve into the Tradition of Lacquer I
Kanazawa, historically a castle town under the prosperous Maeda clan during the Edo period, has long been a cultural hub renowned for its traditional crafts—including lacquerware (urushi), gold leaf, and ceramics. The city flourished as a center where artisans and samurai culture coexisted, fostering refined aesthetics deeply rooted in daily life. As the home of Japanese traditional craftsmanship, Kanazawa preserves centuries-old techniques while continuing to inspire new interpretations of material and form.
This journey from Kanazawa marks an important step toward exploring the traditional legacy of lacquer, tracing its evolution from artisanal heritage to contemporary artistic expression.
Beginning Sep
Iwate prefecture, Japan
Delve into the Tradition of Laquer II
Iwate Prefecture, located in Japan’s Tōhoku region, is renowned for its rich natural landscapes and deep-rooted craft traditions. Among them, lacquerware—especially the historic Jōbōji-nuri from Ninohe—is one of Japan’s most revered. The region is home to some of the country’s last remaining natural lacquer forests, where urushi sap is sustainably harvested by hand. This practice, passed down for centuries, reflects a profound respect for nature and materials.
Through this trip, the residents would explore the Iwate’s lacquer culture embodies the harmony between human skill and the life of the trees, making it a living expression of Japanese aesthetics and ecological craftsmanship.
Mid Sep
Okinawa, Japan
Delve into the Tradition of Laquer III
Okinawa, once the independent Ryukyu Kingdom, has long been a cultural bridge between Japan and China—and its lacquer tradition reflects this position. While Japan’s oldest lacquer artifacts date back about 9,000 years and China’s about 7,000 years, Okinawa stands geographically and artistically between the two. The Ryukyu people adopted lacquer techniques from China and developed their own distinctive style, blending refined Chinese craftsmanship with Japanese sensibility and local aesthetics. In this trip, the residents would be able to explore Okinawa’s historical role as a crossroads of culture and artistry in East Asia.
Oct
Kyoto, Japan
Harvest of Lacquer
In October, participants will have the rare opportunity to engage directly with the traditional practice of lacquer harvesting. This activity offers an immersive experience in collecting sap from lacquer trees—an essential step in creating Japan’s esteemed lacquerware.
Through guided demonstrations and hands-on participation, residents will gain insight into the techniques, patience, and seasonal knowledge required to sustainably harvest lacquer. The activity highlights the deep connection between nature, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage.
Oct
Kyoto, Japan
The lacquer tree planting
By participating in lacquer tree planting activities, resident can engage directly with the natural sources of lacquer, fostering a deeper appreciation for the material's cultural and ecological significance. Such hands-on experiences bridge the gap between tradition and sustainability, highlighting the interconnectedness of nature, craftsmanship, and cultural identity.
This activity aligns with broader efforts to promote sustainable practices in traditional crafts.
Oct
Mosouan, Kyoto, Japan
Workshop offered by residents
The residents will offer a workshop for the local community in Fukuchiyama, integrating their individual artistic focus with the outcomes of their lacquer explorations during the residency. The workshop aims to share combined knowledge and experiences, while fostering an innovative and transcultural exchange with local practitioners.
Oct-by the end of the residency
Mosouan, Kyoto, Japan
Online Forum
The forum will serve as a platform for residents to share their research outcomes and reflections developed throughout the residency. Open to the public, it aims to bring together individuals with shared interests and curiosity toward the innovative possibilities of lacquer and Sukiya-zukuri architecture—explored through the lens of harmonizing human participation with nature.
Some schedule may be adjusted according to the each year’s harvesting and planting season