YAKO Hodo
(b. 1940)
Yako learned the basics of bamboo technique at vocational school and
continued his studies as an apprentice to masters Nakajima Hoso, Nakamura
Yukosai, and Baba Shodo. Within a decade, while he was still in his 20s,
his work garnered major awards, culminating in 2000 with a prestigious
medal given by the Emperor and the Japanese government.
Yako, who lives in Saitama prefecture in the Tokyo region, has created
pieces that are housed in the collections of the San Francisco Asian Art
Museum, Mint Museum, and Fukaya City Museum. He has exhibited at the
LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, N.Y.
"When I make a basket, I draw rough sketches first to conceptualize the
image I would like to capture," Yako says. "When I have a hard time finding
out what adjustments to make, I try listening to the bamboo and asking it
what I should do. It is important to improve one's skills and techniques
but mental preparation and conceptualization are just as important. The
baskets I make reflect both function and dream."
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