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Maeda Kôin was a master of traditional [[Ryukyuan lacquerware]]. He was one of the primary artisans who reproduced the royal throne, calligraphic plaques, decorated pillars, and other lacquerware objects for the restoration of [[Shuri castle]] in the 1980s through its opening in 1992, and for display and use in reenactments at the castle in the years since then. He was designated by [[Okinawa prefecture]] as a holder of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and served as an advisor to the prefecture on traditional arts.

Maeda Kôin was a master of traditional [[Ryukyuan lacquerware]]. He was one of the primary artisans who reproduced the royal throne, calligraphic plaques, decorated pillars, and other lacquerware objects for the restoration of [[Shuri castle]] in the 1980s through its opening in 1992, and for display and use in reenactments at the castle in the years since then. He was designated by [[Okinawa prefecture]] as a holder of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and served as an advisor to the prefecture on traditional arts.

Originally from [[Ogimi|Ôgimi]] village in northern [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], Maeda graduated from the [[University of the Ryukyus]], and was then introduced by painter [[Adaniya Masayoshi]] to a job as a designer at the lacquerware company [[Benbo|Benbô]], the leading producer of contemporary lacquerware designs in Okinawa at the time. He began showing his own work at exhibitions five years later. In 1968, he quit that job and opened his own "Maeda Lacquerware Atelier."

Originally from [[Ogimi|Ôgimi]] village in northern [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], Maeda graduated from the [[University of the Ryukyus]], and was then introduced by painter [[Adaniya Masayoshi]] to a job as a designer at the lacquerware company [[Benbo|Benbô]], the leading producer of contemporary lacquerware designs in Okinawa at the time.<ref name=feenukaji9>"Shurijô Seiden ha sekai saidaikyû no urushi no ki. Shurijô no shûfuku, fukugen ga dekiru shokunin o sodatete moraitai"「首里城正殿は世界最大級の漆の器。首里城の修復、復元ができる職人を育ててもらいたい。」、''Fee nu kaji'' 南ぬ風 9 (2008/10-12), 3.</ref> He began showing his own work at exhibitions five years later. In 1968, he quit that job and opened his own "Maeda Lacquerware Atelier."

In conjunction with the restoration of Shuri castle, Maeda created a red-lacquered, gilded, and painted royal throne with [[mother-of-pearl]] inlay, based on portraits of King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] and other documentary sources, a project which took about two years. He also produced many of the plaques which now hang over the castle's gates, as well as reproductions of those bestowed upon the kings of Ryûkyû by Qing emperors.

In conjunction with the restoration of Shuri castle, Maeda created a red-lacquered, gilded, and painted royal throne with [[mother-of-pearl]] inlay, based on portraits of King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] and other documentary sources, a project which took about two years. He also produced many of the plaques which now hang over the castle's gates, as well as reproductions of those bestowed upon the kings of Ryûkyû by Qing emperors.

He lived in the Kinjô-chô neighborhood of [[Shuri]] during the last decades of his life, and taught as a lecturer at the [[Okinawa Prefectural University of the Arts]] and [[Tokyo University of the Arts]].

He lived in the Kinjô-chô neighborhood of [[Shuri]] during the last decades of his life, and taught as a lecturer at the [[Okinawa Prefectural University of the Arts]] and [[Tokyo University of the Arts]]. In [[2005]], he was named director of the [[Urasoe Museum of Art]].<ref name=feenukaji9/>

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*“Shitsugei Maeda Kōin-san: Shurijō ni inochi wo fukikonda shitsugei sakka” 漆芸前田孝允：首里城にいのちを吹き込んだ漆芸作家, ''Shuri: Ryūkyū no miyako wo aruku'' 首里：琉球の都をあるく, Momoto special issue 別冊モモト, Itoman: Tōyō kikaku (2013/8), 24-29.

*“Shitsugei Maeda Kōin-san: Shurijō ni inochi wo fukikonda shitsugei sakka” 漆芸前田孝允：首里城にいのちを吹き込んだ漆芸作家, ''Shuri: Ryūkyū no miyako wo aruku'' 首里：琉球の都をあるく, Momoto special issue 別冊モモト, Itoman: Tōyō kikaku (2013/8), 24-29.

*"Ryûkyû shikki" 琉球漆器, Fee nu kaji 南ぬ風 3 (2007/4-6), 3-5.

*"Ryûkyû shikki" 琉球漆器, Fee nu kaji 南ぬ風 3 (2007/4-6), 3-5.

[[Category:Ryukyu]]

[[Category:Ryukyu]]

[[Category:Artists and Artisans]]

[[Category:Artists and Artisans]]