From Marketing to Bamboo, Hajime Nakatomi’s Radical Career Change

Hajime Nakatomi didn’t always see himself working with his hands. Indeed, his university course saw him sitting in lectures at Waseda University in Tokyo, where he studied marketing. It was then that he was struck by the beauty of the work produced by Shono Shounsai (a living national treasure in Japan), and abandoned a promising career to instead take up an apprenticeship in artistic basketweaving.

A passion for bamboo’s curves

Trained by bamboo sculptor Shoryu Honda, Hajime Nakatomi established his own studio in 2005. The basket weaver has since developed a universe that combines simplicity and sophistication, tradition and modernity, and he exhibits his work in museums and galleries across the globe.

His ingenious, functional and sometimes purely artistic creations act as a reminder that passion and dedication can lead to the most unexpected of career choices.

Hajime Nakatomi’s creations can be viewed on his website and on his Instagram page.