Lacquer Art Restorer Hiroki Suezaki's 'Heiando Kyoto | Kintsugi Experience Class' to be Held Regularly at 'hide k 1896 Flagship Store' (Omotesando, Tokyo) from June 2026

Environmentally harmonious lifestyle brand 'hide k 1896' (Founder & Owner: Hideyuki Kasuga) will regularly host the 'Heiando Kyoto | Kintsugi Experience Class' by lacquer art restorer Hiroki Suezaki at its 'hide k 1896 Flagship Store' in Omotesando, Tokyo, starting from June 2026.

To commemorate this launch, a preview presentation event will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 17:00 to 18:00 (reception starts at 16:40). On the day, Hiroki Suezaki and cultural anthropologist Shinichi Takemura will join Hideyuki Kasuga to discuss the 'fusion of tradition and innovation' for a future circular society.

'Heiando Kyoto | Kintsugi Experience Class in hide k 1896'

Preview Presentation Event Overview

Date & Time: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 17:00-18:00 (Reception starts at 16:40)

Venue: hide k 1896 Flagship Store

1F, Path Omotesando A Building, 5-6-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001

Participation: By reservation only

Reservations & Inquiries: kaneko@hk1896.com

*Please use the email above for reservations and inquiries.

Panelists:

Hiroki Suezaki (Lacquer Art Restorer)

Shinichi Takemura (Cultural Anthropologist)

Hideyuki Kasuga (Founder & Owner, hide k 1896)

Reception: Light refreshments and drinks will be served after the panel discussion.

Kintsugi Experience Class Overview

Lacquer Art Studio Heiando × hide k 1896

Schedule:

Every Monday: 10:30-12:00

Every Wednesday: 10:30-12:00

Every Saturday: 10:30-12:00 / 14:00-15:30

Venue: hide k 1896 Flagship Store

1F, Path Omotesando A Building, 5-6-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0051

Participation: By reservation only

Reservations and applications for the experience can be made at the following URL:

https://heiando-kyoto.com/distinations/classical-kintsugi-experience/

Message from Lacquer Art Restorer Hiroki Suezaki

'When we look at the Earth 100 years from now, what should we leave behind?' – I deeply resonate with the philosophy of Hideyuki Kasuga, the representative of hide kasuga group, who poses this question.

Over half a century of walking the path of a lacquer art restorer, I have come to realize and believe in the essential power of 'the technique to revive broken things.' Kintsugi is not mere repair. It does not hide the damage; it envelops the scars with lacquer and gold, bearing the history and value of the object, restoring it more beautifully, and connecting its story to the next era. This is the truly sustainable philosophy of 'respect for things' and 'the cycle of life' that the Japanese people have cultivated over many years. I believe that 'what we should preserve and what we should advance' is an important challenge for us at this very moment. Mr. Kasuga's pursuit of 'branding Japanese craftsmanship' and 'creating a culture of creation' is fundamentally connected to the worldview I wish to embody through lacquer art. I am deeply honored to be able to work together at this place open to the world, the hide k 1896 Omotesando flagship store.

Through kintsugi, we will take Japanese aesthetics and the philosophy of restoration global. From this place, I want to sow the seeds of Japanese culture that will reach the Earth 100 years from now, together with Mr. Kasuga.

Profile of Hiroki Suezaki

・For over 50 years, he has been involved in lacquer art restoration using lacquer, inheriting traditional techniques established in the Edo period.

・He handles a wide range of restoration work, including cultural properties such as temples, shrines, and Buddhist statues, as well as ceramics, lacquerware, and antique art objects.

・He practices kintsugi and lacquer art restoration using only natural materials.

・Since 2015, he has been leading kintsugi classes in Kyoto and Tokyo.

・Appeared on the BBC (UK public broadcaster) in 2020 and NHK WORLD in 2023.

・In 2022, invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he gave lectures at museums and educational institutions both in Japan and abroad, starting at the Benedict XVI Hall in Vatican City, followed by Rome, Faenza, Venice, Lugano, London, Oxford, and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.

・In 2024, he opened a special course on lacquer art restoration at the Venice Restoration School IVBC.

・Established Lacquer Art Studio Co., Ltd. in July 2019 and became its representative.

・Established the NPO corporation 'ROLE' in June 2021 and became its representative director.

・From the 2025 academic year, he is writing texts for the junior high school Japanese language textbook 'Modern Japanese' published by Sanseido.

・In 2026, he will exhibit at the London Collect Art Fair.

Message from Hideyuki Kasuga, Founder & Owner of hide k 1896

I have been advocating for a new fusion lifestyle called 'Reiwa Modernism,' which blends the philosophy of circulation, culture, and traditional techniques inherited in Japan with modern cutting-edge technology and aesthetics.

'Things made by humans should be returned to nature by human hands' – this is the fundamental philosophy of our hide kasuga group.

The kintsugi practiced by Hiroki Suezaki embodies a Japanese aesthetic that does not merely fix broken things but accepts the traces of damage and time, connecting them to new value.

This philosophy deeply aligns with our efforts to implement a circular society. Instead of discarding used items, we transform them into something valuable once again. We believe that the future of manufacturing lies beyond this point.

Holding the 'Heiando Kyoto | Kintsugi Experience Class' at the hide k 1896 flagship store is an initiative to embody the philosophy of restoration and circulation inherited in Japan within modern life.

Creating new value by fusing tradition and cutting-edge technology, natural materials and industrial products, science and art. That is the next-generation lifestyle 'Reiwa Modernism' that I envision.

Profile of Hideyuki Kasuga

Born in Nagano Prefecture. Doctor of Engineering. Representative of 'hide kasuga group,' which promotes the construction of a CE (Circular Economy). Founder and owner of environmentally harmonious brands 'BLANC BIJOU PARIS®,' 'hide k 1896®,' and 'TRANSWOOD®.' He is implementing a circular economy in society, from developing environmentally friendly materials and products to building circulation schemes. He also provides circular economy construction consulting to various companies, leveraging the know-how of his own brands. In the education sector, he is involved in human resource development as a Specially Appointed Professor at Shinshu University and a Visiting Lecturer at Waseda University. He is the proponent of the new fusion lifestyle 'Reiwa Modernism®' based in Japan.

hide kasuga group official website: https://www.hk1896.com

Kintsugi Studio 'Lacquer Art Studio Heiando'

https://www.heiando-kyoto.com

Heiando Kyoto is a lacquer art restoration studio founded by Hiroki Suezaki, a lacquer art restorer and its representative. As an inheritor of traditional techniques established in the Edo period, the studio restores buildings, Buddhist statues, ceramics, lacquerware, antique furniture, and curios.