Hafu Matsumoto
Hafu Matsumoto (b. 1952, Tokyo) is a Japanese bamboo artist based in Minamiboso, Chiba. He studied under Shokansai Iizuka, a Living National Treasure, and has spent more than five decades exploring the expressive possibilities of bamboo.
Rather than imposing a form on the material, Matsumoto works closely with the natural characteristics of bamboo — its flexibility, strength, texture and movement. From finely woven baskets to sculptural works made from broad, stretched bamboo, his practice reveals a remarkable range of forms that feel both organic and contemporary.
Selected Biography
1952 Born in Haneda, Tokyo
1972 Studied bamboo art under Shokansai Iizuka, Living National Treasure
1976 Established his bamboo craft studio in Koto, Tokyo
1988 Relocated his studio to Tateyama, Chiba
1996 Participated in a group exhibition of bamboo art at Felissimo Design House, New York
2009 Invited to exhibit in The New Bamboo – Modern Japanese Masters, Oita Prefectural Art Museum
2013 Exhibited in The Birth of Modern Bamboo Art, Tochigi Kuranomachi Museum of Art; relocated to Minamiboso, Chiba
2019 Collaborated with LOEWE for Milan Fashion Week
2024 Presented a bamboo lighting work at Milan Design Week
Awards
2004 Cotsen Bamboo Prize, Semi Grand Prix; exhibited at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
2007 Best New Artist Prize, 54th Japan Kogei Exhibition
2008 Tokyo Governor’s Prize, 48th East Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition
2014 Chairman’s Prize, Japan Kogei Association, 61st Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition
Matsumoto's work includes traditional weaving techniques as well as his distinctive use of Noshitake — bamboo that is heated and flattened, allowing the natural character of the material to become part of the form.
For Matsumoto, the beauty of bamboo lies in the material itself — particularly in its nodes, where its natural rhythm and character are revealed.
Through this process, bamboo can move beyond its familiar role as a traditional craft material and become a sculptural language of its own.
“Fresh, green bamboo is beautiful in itself. Once its life is cut, I want to preserve its suppleness and beauty, holding them within a work of craft for generations to come.”
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Beyond Tradition
Matsumoto’s work has continued to develop through encounters with different fields and materials. In 2019, he collaborated with the Spanish fashion house LOEWE, creating works that combined bamboo techniques with leather for Milan Fashion Week. His work has also been presented internationally.
For Matsumoto, tradition is not something to preserve unchanged. Instead, he continues to return to the fundamental question of what it means to work with bamboo as a living plant — allowing new forms and possibilities to emerge from the material itself.
He also believes that the beauty of craft lies not only in looking at an object, but in living with it.
“The appeal of craft is not simply in looking at it. I want people to touch it, use it in their everyday lives — and, above all, enjoy it.”
His works invite us to look at bamboo not simply as a traditional Japanese craft, but as a contemporary material with its own strength, softness and unexpected beauty.
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