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Who We Are

Steven Beimel Heywood

Founding director

Founding Director Born in California, USA. Graduated with a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. Has had a deep connection with Japanese culture since first visiting Japan in the 1970s. In 1992, founded Esprit Travel and Tours, a tour company to introduce Japanese crafts and culture to people both in Japan and overseas. In 2016, launched the "A to B Seminar to Achieve Your Goals."

Michael Sonnenfeld

Director

He is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, political activist, and enthusiast of Japanese culture and traditional arts and crafts living in the United States. He founded Tiger21, of which he serves as chairman, and is also chairman of Earthjustice Action, MUUS & Company, and MUUS Climate Partners. He invests in young entrepreneurs focused on decarbonization. The MUUS Collection preserves and continues to collect works by leading American photographers.

Allison Shapiro

Director

A fresco painter and architectural restorer who divides his time between Paris and Los Angeles, he has experience as a curator and manager at two art galleries and studied art history at Duke University.

Cathy Krauss

Director

She was a long-time history teacher at the American School in Japan, Japan's first national school. She is a key member of the Japanese expatriate community and has also served at the International Women's College in Bangladesh. She holds a Master's degree in Japanese History.

Masamitsu Saito

Director

A bamboo basket collector and forestry worker, Saito worked for a record company for seven years before founding Saito & Associate, Ltd., an artist management company. Employing a designer from Walt Disney Studios, he has created CI for the Daiei Hawks baseball team (now the SoftBank Hawks) and the Japan Racing Association. He coordinated the Lloyd Cotzen bamboo basket exhibition, and in recent years has assisted in the holding of bamboo basket exhibitions at the Quai Branly in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Musee Tomo in Tokyo.

Keiko Kamei

Secretary General

Graduated with a Master's degree in Art Museum Education from the New York Graduate School. Experience in gallery management and art museum education. Currently lives in Tokyo and Gunma. As a freelance art consultant and guide, she introduces Japanese culture and crafts to many travelers. Qualified as a guide-interpreter (English).

Our Directors

JapanCraft21 is run by a team of directors, each bringing their own unique set of skills and expertise to our organization.

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Keiko Aono

Owner of Ippodo, Ginza, NY

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Yuji Akimoto

Art critic, professor emeritus of Tokyo University of the Arts

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Sawako Kaijima

Artist, Representative of jeneratiff

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Reiko Sudo

Textile designer, Director of Nuno Co., Ltd., Professor Emeritus at Tokyo Zokei University

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Shioko Fukumoto

Indigo dyeing artist

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Eriko Horiki

Washi designer,

Representative of Eriko Horiki & Associates

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Benjamin Boaz

Cabinet Office Certified Cool Japan Producer

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Shinya Maezaki

Professor at Kyoto Women's University

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Catherine Wallace

Associate Professor, Department of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi Business School

Co-chair of the Innovation, Research and Education Committee of the Australia and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Advisory Board

Our purpose is to revitalize traditional Japanese master crafts (dentou kougei) by identifying the issues artisans face and implementing solutions for the 21st Century.

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Building partnerships

The Japanese Traditional Crafts Revival Contest is co-hosted by JapanCraft21 and the Asia Society Japan Center.

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presentation

JapanCraft21 founding director, Steve Bymel, speaks at symposiums and other events to raise awareness of Japanese crafts and the activities of JapanCraft21.

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International House of Japan

It is the home of the Asia Society Japan Center and where the awards ceremony will be held.

Our Partners

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The Asia Society Japan Center, launched in March 2018 in partnership with the International House of Japan, is a new global hub for East Asia. The Japan Center hosts policymakers from the United States and Asia and offers programs on arts and culture, policy, business, and current affairs.

For more information, please visit : https://asiasociety.org/japan

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Hitomi Ariga

Visual Quality Control/Architectual and Design Firm Project

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Keiko Kamei

Executive Director

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Naho Kikuchi

Membership Coordinator

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Steven Beimel

Director

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Yoko Hioki

Project Manager

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Yuki Hitsuma

Web Designer

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Hijiri Fujishima

Keisho Program and Press Release writer

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Yuko Horino

Administrative

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Kaori Yamada

Accounting

Our Staff

These are the people that make it happen; our staff and key volunteers.

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Taishi Yokotsuka

Most of the event photos on the JapanCraft21 website were taken by Yokotsuka.

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Kan Yasuda

Professor Yasuda has donated the Ronnie Award trophy "Tenpi."

Our Talented Support

These individuals dedicate their time and professional talents to assisting the efforts of JapanCraft 21.

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