1950 Born in Toroyama-cho, center of Kyoto, where it is known for the Mantis floats of the Gion Festival and grew up in the cultural center of dyeing. Worked part-time at Kawashima Textiles Co.Ltd and encountered weaving at the age of 16.
Exhibitions and Activities
1867 Studied at Kansai Bijutsuin
1971 Graduated from Dyeing and Weaving course, Kyoto Seika Junior College. Worked for weaving workshop in Sagano and studied natural dyeing
1972 ”Tapestry” Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto Prefectural Center for Arts& Culture
“88 Circles” Awarded Mayor’s Prize, Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
1973 “Escalation” Awarded Mayor’s Prize, Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“Escalation by Circles” Japan Modern Craft Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Overlap” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
Appearance on NHK TV “The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition“
Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
1974 ”Tapestry” Honorable Mention Award,Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
Solo Exhibition “Ostinato MARU ORI”, Gallery 16, Kyoto
“Polymer” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“Ostinato”Modern Craft Prize, Japan Modern Craft Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Aufheben” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
1975 Selected as a member of “Kyoto Art Assosiation”, and exhibited new work every year until‘87
“Increase” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“Weaving and Curving 75-1”No inspection, Japan Modern Craft Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Rondo”The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
”Exhibition of Modern Textile Artist” Juraku Textile Museum, Kyot
1976 “Tapestry-Weaving and Curving” Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
”Rondo” Japan Modern Craft Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Milky Way”The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko Textile Exhibition”, Kyoto ASAHI Gallerly, Kyoto
1977 “Circle and Magnetic Field” Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto Prefectural Center for Arts& Culture
“Profusion of Flowers” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“Two Costumes” Japan Modern Craft Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Constellation” Purchase Award, Selected Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
Published collection of works, ”Modern Tapestry”, Co-author, by Futaba-shobou
Studied at 's-Hertogenbosch Royal College of Art in the Netherlands for one year as a Japan Cultural Affairs Agency Fellow
1978 Solo Exhibition, Hilversum de Vaart Culture Center, the Netherlands
“Exhibition of Modern Japanese Craft Artists”, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
“Exhibition of Japanese Textile Artist’s excellent works”, Seibu Department, Tokyo. Every year until 1988
1979 “Encounter” Selected Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto “Encounter”Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
“Fiber Crystal” 1st Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto, Membership
“Dialog with Time” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
1980 “Whimsical of X” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“ZigZag” Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Fiber as Art” Manila Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manila
1981 “ZigZag Quartet” Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
“Yoenn” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“Wind from Andromeda ” Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Weaving and Tuzura-Ori” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Exhibition of miniature Fiberwork”Gallery Maronie, Kyoto
1982 “Hibiki” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto
“Melody” Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Echo from Stars” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Exhibition of Miniture Fiberwork”Gallery Maronie, Kyoto
1983 “Interference”Purchase Award, Selected Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
“Dawn” Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Ungen Gassou” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
1984 “Flower Dance” Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Akatsuki” Tommorrow’s Crafts,The Hakone Open-Air Museum
“Affinity” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
1985 “Early Spring in Rakusai” Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
“Merody of Wind” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“Rhyme of Wind” Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
1986 “Divertimento” Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
“Divertimento” Japan New Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
“Divertimento” Contenporary Women’s Art Exhibition, The Ueno Royal Museum/The Hakone Open-Air Museum
Solo Exhibition “Encounter with Weaving - Asakura Mitsuko Tapestry Exhibition”, Senbikiya Gallery, Tokyo
Solo Exhibition “Encounter with Weaving - Asakura Mitsuko Tapestry Exhibition”, Senbikiya Gallery, Tokyo
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko - Weave Colors” Gallery Kawashima, Tokyo
“Sai Ryu” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
1987 “Milky Way” Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
“Kyoenn”Judge,Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko - Weave Colors” Gallery Kawashima, Tokyo
“ORIMAGARU”,“ITF Kyoto International Textile Competition”,Kyoto International Coference Center
“Exhibition of Textiles and Ceramics” Yurakucho Seibu, Tokyo
“Galaxy” The Nitten-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Tokyo/Kyoto
1988 “Tanabata” Kusube Award, Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko”Art salon at Yurakucho Seibu, Tokyo
”Exhibition of Urakukai” Yurakucho Seibu, Tokyo, ibid ’89,’90
“Selected Art and Craft SOKO-Kai”Art Space LE MONDE, Kyoto
“ORIMAGARU” Contemporary Women’s Art Exhibition, The Ueno Royal Museum/The Hakone Open-Air Museum
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko”ASAHI Salon, Kyoto
1989 “Exhibition of Keihoku International Art Zone”Keihokucho, Kyoto
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko”Gallery Nakamura, Kyoto
1990 ”Star Meditating” Excellent Award, Kyoto Kogei-bijutsu-ten, Kyoto
Kyoto City New Artist Award by Kyoyo City; Exhibition of Awarded artists
“Kyoto Contemporary Arts & Crafts Exhibition” The Museum of Kyoto
“Exhibition of Selected Arts” Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto
1991 “Contemporary Crafts Exhibition”Osaka Mitsukoshi
Solo Exhibition ”Asakura Mitsuko ORITATAMU - Relation” Art salon at Yurakucho Seibu, Tokyo
“Contemporary Arts & Crafts in Kyoto” The Museum of Kyoto
1992 “Sinfonia” Kyoto Craft Biennale, The Museum of Kyoto
“Anew generation of Kyoto crafts - Fusion of Beauty” Matsuya Ginza,Tokyo
1993 “Contemporary Crafts Exhibition”Osaka Mitsukoshi
“Passing Sound” and Judge at the Kyoten-Kyoto Exhibition, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
“Dyeing & Weaving - Reborn Modeling” The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga
1994 “Sea/Sound” Kyoto Craft Biennale, The Museum of Kyoto
Solo Exhibition ”Color - Asakura Mitsuko - Weaving” HASEKO Gallery,Tokyo
Published collection of works“Listening to the Thread”Futaba Publishing Co.,Ltd
Solo Exhibition “Listening to the Thread - Asakura Mitsuko”Art Gallery at Takashimaya, Kyoto
1995 Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko”Kyoto Brighton Hotel
KBS TV “Artists in Kyoto - The world of Asakura Mitsuko”
1996 “Four Artists’ Work - Weaving and Color” Ikebukuro Seibu
2000～2001 Essay“Listening to the Thread ” Serialized 50 times in the newspaper Kyoto ShimbunThe
2001 Invited to exhibit in“Beauty and Mastery of Woven Silk”Tenshin Memorial Museum of Art, Ibaraki
Solo Exhibition “Voice of the Thread - Asakura Mitsuko” Art Gallery at Takashimaya, Kyoto
2002 Kyoto Painting Festival“Listening to the Thread - Asakura Mitsuko” Kyoto International Exhibition Hall
Lecture at Kyoto Dying Art Association, Kyoto
2003 Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko”Gallery Sanjyo, Kyoto
Solo Exhibition “Tapestry of Asakura Mitsuko”Gallery Kotyukyo, Tokyo
2004 Published “Gazing at Tapestry; History and Future”Toho Shuppan Publishing Co.,Ltd
Solo Exhibition“Gazing at Tapestry; History and Future - Publication Memorial Exhibition” Osaka Daimaru
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko - Publication Memorial Exhibition”Kyoto Takashimaya
2005 Lecture at Cultural Cource in Itami AIPHONIC Hall,Osaka
“The Story around Textile”The Museum of Kyoto
Invited to exhibit in the “Modern Art of Craft Works” The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga
Judge at the ASAHI Contemporary Craft Exhibition
2006 “Arts and Crafts Exhibition of Kyoto - Sence of Women” The Museum of Kyoto
Judge at the ASAHI Contemporary Craft Exhibition
Lecturer at the Ryukoku University
2008 “Itoiromekashi”Kyoto Craft Biennale Invitation Section, The Museum of Kyoto
Member of “Cultural Property Protection Deliberation Committee of Tokushima Prefecture” until 2014
Solo Exhibition “MITSUKO ASAKURA TAPESTRY in Architecture： Creating Human Spaces” Japan Society, New York
Published the exhibition catalog “MITSUKO ASAKURA TAPESTRY in Architecture： Creating Human Spaces”
Solo Exhibition at Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, Boston
Solo Exhibition and workshop at The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Florida
2009 Solo Exhibition at Headquarters Gallery of The American Institute of Architects, Washington.D.C.
Lecture at Library of Congress, Washington.D.C.
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko” Art Gallery at Takashimaya, Kyoto
2011 “Encountered Area - Outdoor Modeling Exhibition”;Judge,Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
2012 Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko” Art Gallery at Takashimaya, Kyoto
Solo Exhibition “Dyeing - Weaving - Tapestry of Asakura Mitsuko”MIKIMOTO Ginza 4-chome Main Store, Tokyo
2013 “Crafts X Contemporary Arts”The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga
“Collection Exhibition” The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko” Art Gallery at Nihonbashi Takashayima,Tokyo
2014 “Horizontal Will”Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
2015 Solo Exhibition “ORITATAMU - Asakura Mitsuko” Art Gallery at Takashimaya, Kyoto
“Modern Craft and Tea Ceremony” National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
2016 Solo Exhibition “ORITATAMU - Asakura Mitsuko” Art Gallery at Takashimaya, Tokyo
2017 “Modern Craft and Tea Ceremony Ⅱ” National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
2018 Solo Exhibition “Contemporary Weaving Ⅲ - Asakura Mitsuko”Tanabe City Museum of Art, Wakayama Prefecture
“Rolling OK”, ”Resonance” Selected Exhibition of Kyoto Kogei-Bijutsu, LIU HAISU Art Museum, Shanghai
2019 “Dyeing and Weaving in Kyoto - From the 1960s to Today” National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
“MINGEI NOW” Sokyo Gallery, Kyoto
“Postwar Expression”Tanabe City Museum of Art, Wakayama Prefecture
2020 “Exhibition of New Collection”Kyoto Institute Library and Archives, Kyoto
2021 Published Collection of works “ORIMAGARU” Seigensya Co.,Ltd
Solo Exhibition “Asakura Mitsuko ”ORIMAGARU” Publication Memorial Exhibition” Art Gallery at Takashimaya, Tokyo
2022 Exhibition “Listen to the Thread” at ONNA HOUSE, NewYork, USA
Awards
1972 Kyo-ten "88no maru", Mayor's Award
Kyo-ten "Escalation", Mayor's Award
1974 Kyoto Ko-gei Art Exhibition Tapestry Award
Japan Contemporary Crafts Art Exhibition "Ostinato" Award of Contemporary Crafts Art
1977 Kyoto Selected Arts and Crafts Exhibition "Constellation" Kyoto Prefecture Purchase Prize
1983 Kyoto Selected Arts and Crafts Exhibition "Interference" Kyoto Prefecture Purchase Prize
1988 Kyo-ten "Tanabata", Kusunobu Prize
1990 Kyoto Crafts Art Exhibition, "Hoshi no Inori", Award of Excellence
Collection
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (Japan)
Kyoto Prefectural Library and Archives (Japan)
Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (Japan)
The National Museum of Art, Osaka (Japan)
Shiga Museum of Art (Japan)
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (Japan)
Tanabe City Museum of Art, Wakayama (Japan)
MIHO MUSEUM, Shiga (Japan)
Paramita Museum, Mie (Japan)
The British Museum (UK)
Cleveland Museum of Art (USA)
Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies (USA)
Hie Jinja Shrine, Tokyo (Japan)
Suntory Holdings, Tokyo (Japan)
IBM Japan, Tokyo (Japan)
TOSTEM, Tokyo (Japan)
K-Tower (Japan)
Kojimachi Gakuen School, Tokyo (Japan)
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Limited, Chiba (Japan)
Pfizer Japan, Nagoya (Japan)
TOYOTA Institute Global Learning Center, Aichi (Japan)
Four Seasons Hotel, Kyoto (Japan)
Hotel Okura Kyoto (Japan)
Brighton Hotel, Kyoto (Japan)
Japan Baptist Hospital, Kyoto (Japan)
Chikiriya, Kyoto (Japan)
Doshisha University Business School, Kyoto (Japan)
Kansai University, Linpu Building, Osaka (Japan)
Resona Bank, Osaka (Japan)
Hotel Nikko, Kanazawa (Japan)
Haruno-cho Cultural Hall, Kochi (Japan)
The Bank of Amsterdan (Netherlands)
Astellas Pharma Canada (Canada)
Shumei Creston Center (USA)
Publishings
1977 'Contemporary Tapestry' (co-edited), Futaba Books
1994 'Asakura Mitsuko : listening to the thread', Futaba Books
2004 'History & Future of Tapestry' Tohoshuppan
2008 'MITSUKO ASAKURA TAPESTRY in Architecture：Creating Human Spaces'
2021 'ORIMAGARU' SEIGENSHA Art Publishing