Yoshishige Tanaka

Yoshishige Tanaka, born in 1957 in Kyoto, is a leading contemporary master of Kyo-hyogu (Kyoto mounting arts). He serves as chairman of the Kyoto Hyogu Cooperative Association and the Kyoto Hyogu Cooperative Union. After an early engagement with music, including performances at venues such as Kyoto Kaikan, he returned to his family craft at the age of 21, apprenticing under his father, Takeo Tanaka, founder of Koseido, and later succeeding him as second-generation master. He has devoted over forty years to the practice of hyogu.

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Rooted in Kyoto’s artistic and religious traditions, Tanaka emphasizes that tradition is something that evolves rather than remains fixed. Working with materials such as kiriji paper, he applies repeated humidification, drying, and complex mounting processes to sliding doors, wall panels, hanging scrolls, folding screens, scroll albums, and restoration projects. Alongside Koseido’s work in conserving historical artworks, Tanaka develops contemporary expressions of hyogu through his brand GENGORO, introducing materials such as cedar wood and metal mesh and presenting this centuries-old craft within modern interiors and international exhibitions.