Yuko Kudo – Master of Traditional Kogin-zashi Craft
What the title of “Traditional Craft Artisan” brought her
“When I received the certification, I felt for the first time that I had finally become ‘someone.’”
These are the words of Yuko Kudo, who in 2022 was certified as a Traditional Craft Artisan in kogin-zashi, an Aomori Prefecture-designated traditional craft. At first she had not even known that such a certification existed.
Since 2001, Aomori Prefecture has operated a system that certifies highly skilled practitioners of its prefecturally designated traditional crafts as “Traditional Craft Artisans” (dento-kogeishi). Some of these crafts, such as Tsugaru lacquerware, are also nationally designated; others — like kogin-zashi and hishi-zashi — are traditional crafts that the prefecture has independently preserved and passed down.
Ms. Kudo is only the tenth person to be certified as a Traditional Craft Artisan in kogin-zashi, and one of the four currently active.
For Ms. Kudo, a member of Japan’s so-called “employment ice age” generation who came of age during the country’s long economic stagnation, the words “becoming someone” carry particular weight. From handmade craft she had started as a hobby, making things gradually became the centre of her life. Society’s recognition of that path with the title “Traditional Craft Artisan” carries great meaning.
Tradition lives between people
Kogin-zashi was the wisdom of farmers in Aomori’s harsh natural environment — a way to strengthen and warm hemp clothing. Beyond its visual beauty, kogin-zashi grew from the practicality of daily life. It is rooted in the rhythms of everyday living.
The appeal of Ms. Kudo’s work goes beyond mere technical excellence. Her real value lies in the connections between people that her work makes possible.
In 2020, she and the members of her own class organised an exhibition of works on Instagram, which we covered on koginbank: Kogin Works Exhibition @watashi_to_kogin_to.
After the exhibition, the participants compiled their personal essays into a small book. How does kogin-zashi exist in everyday life? The book records each person’s diverse points of contact with kogin — through family life, caring for elderly relatives, raising children. It almost felt like proof that kogin-zashi is not merely a craft but a culture that nurtures and heals people within everyday life.
I also took part in one of Ms. Kudo’s workshops in Hirosaki last year. Threading my needle while chatting casually with the locals felt like dissolving into the everyday life of the town. It was a “journey of touching everyday life” — a kind of travel experience you cannot get from ordinary tourism.
A turning point from handmade
After university, Ms. Kudo worked as a swimming instructor while studying for teacher-recruitment exams. Then marriage and the birth of her child changed her lifestyle. She left her instructor role, and her hobby of selling handmade baby clothes online took off, drawing offers from local events and shops.
Her activity was going smoothly, but one day she sensed that “something about what I’m doing feels self-contained — only for me.” She did not yet understand what was self-contained about it, and the feeling passed. Soon afterwards, she encountered kogin-zashi.
At her first kogin-zashi workshop she was shown an old kogin kimono. She was struck by the way the pattern continued ahead despite minor irregularities — by the easy generosity of the technique — and decided on the spot: “I will do this.” She has since incorporated kogin-zashi into her work and adopted the title “Kogin-zashi-ist.”
Connecting community and future: rebuilding Goshogawara Shinmei Shrine
In March 2024, Goshogawara Shinmei Shrine was completely destroyed by a fire of unknown cause. For the crowdfunding campaign to rebuild this beloved local shrine, Ms. Kudo has been creating reward items.
She has been making fragrance sachets from the white hiba shavings produced when reshaping the wood salvaged from the burned shrine. Even from the prototype stage, Ms. Kudo says, “it felt like I was being given work by the gods themselves.”
Going forward, the sachets will be produced together with local volunteers. The very act of making them becomes a “prayer for reconstruction” that shapes the community’s future.
Living tradition
“Receiving the Traditional Craft Artisan certification has strengthened my feeling that I want to work in a way that is rooted in the community.”
That is what Ms. Kudo told us after the interview. But maybe it was actually the other way around: she was chosen as a Traditional Craft Artisan because she had already been working with such deep roots in the community.
Beauty rooted in everyday life. Making things alongside friends. Handwork that brings joy to others. Each of these had always been part of Ms. Kudo, regardless of titles. As a result, she became a Traditional Craft Artisan.
Tradition is not a relic of the past; it is being gently rewoven by the hands of those who live today. Yuko Kudo’s work quietly teaches us that truth.
For the latest news from Mitsumame / Yuko Kudo, see Instagram: @mitumame.3.
