DiscoverCraft makers and the evidence for their practice
Based in
Kyoto, Japan
Materials
brass, silver, metal
Techniques
chōkin
Classification
metal

日渓美佐江

All makers

Misae Nikkei

Misae Nikkei studied art at Saga Art Junior College (graduating in 1996), then worked in architectural design on shop and fixture production and gained experience buying antiques in New Zealand. In 2015 she saw work by the contemporary jeweller Otto Künzli at a museum in Tokyo and decided to take up metalwork (chōkin). She completed Itami Jewelry College in 2017 and works in Kyoto, making cutlery. [3]

Profile

Background

Misae Nikkei was born in Brazil and graduated from the painting program at Saga Art Junior College in 1996. Before the current metal practice she lived in New Zealand and gained experience buying old objects. She later completed the Itami Jewelry College program in 2017 and is now based in Kyoto.

Her cutlery sits between drawing, jewelry and household tool. Her mornings begin with cooking, partly because she cannot make workshop noise early in her apartment, and ideas for spoons, forks and serving tools emerge from that domestic routine. Walking, shells, plants and other found forms feed the silhouettes, and usefulness is tested in the hand and kitchen.

Her practice turns several earlier ways of looking—painting, selecting old things, metal detail—toward objects that scoop, stir, strain and serve.

Practice

Cutlery made in metal through chōkin metalwork. [3, 8, 7, 5, 4]

Work over time

  1. Education Graduated from the art department of Saga Art Junior College. · 嵯峨美術短期大学 · 美術学科 [3]
  2. Practice milestone Decided to take up metalwork after seeing Otto Kunzli's work at the Teien Art Museum. [3, 9]
  3. Decision to take up metalwork After seeing Otto Künzli's work in 2015, decided to take up chōkin metalwork. [3]
  4. Education Completed Itami Jewelry College. · 伊丹ジュエリーカレッジ [3]
  5. Focus shifted to cutlery Began focusing on cutlery roughly four to five years before the 2026 Rohe feature, per her own statement; the year is inferred from the page's creation date. [4, 10]

Exhibitions

References

  1. Nikke / ニッケ — Isetan Mitsukoshi
  2. Misae Nikkei chronology — Shimada Museum gallery
  3. Bliss Cutlery — Utsuwa Note, 2025
  4. Artist in Focus: Misae Nikkei — Róhe
  5. 森口信一展 我谷盆と五様の彩り — うつわノート
  6. CASE:68 CUTLERY — CIBONE
  7. nikke — TRACING THE ROOTS 2023
  8. 金工作家　日渓 美佐江展 | 芦屋の陶芸ギャラリー Abundante Retrieved 2026-10-02
  9. Misae Nikkei - Utsuwa Note Retrieved 2026-10-02
  10. Artist in Focus: Misae Nikkei, Rohe (page data) Retrieved 2026-10-02
  11. nikke | The Lane (directory) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  12. Editor's Travel Guide to Kyoto, Japan - The Lane Retrieved 2026-10-03
  13. Artful Cutlery to Elevate Your Tablescape - The Lane Retrieved 2026-10-03
  14. 日本橋兜町『BANK』にて、Exhibitionがはじまります (SEKAI NO OYATSU journal, 2025.02.10) Retrieved 2026-10-03