MASAMI MORIMOTO was born in Tokyo, Japan.
A short documentary film about Masami Morimoto shot by the BBC cameraman, Johnnie Behiri
youtu.be/wLK3BQ6uXjM
A video with Koto, Art, Calligraphy and Karate shot by Yukika Kudo.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6E8dVPPKGQ
Instagram: @masamimorimotodesign
STUDIES:
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA - Textile / Surface design; BFA
Brooks College, California, USA - Marketing and buying;
Bunka Fashion College, Tokyo, Japan - Fashion Design and pattern making;
CAREER: NEW YORK, USA (1989-2007, 2016-2023), VIENNA, AUSTRIA (2007-2016):
DESIGN
She was a Manhattan-based designer. With long experience in the textile industry, designing scarf for Anne Klein, Echo, Talbots, and, Ralph Lauren.
She is now marketing her own labeled scarves.
She enriched her artistic self having pursued her passion for ink painting, calligraphy and Koto music in Vienna for ten years.
She hopes you can feel this from her scarf when you hold it in your hands.
Home furnishing for the hotel chains of Marriott, Hilton, Disney, Four Seasons, private labels for Barbara Barry, and for Kravet;
Scarf design for Anne Klein, Talbots, Echo and Tweedles;
Men's necktie design for Anne Klein;
She received the Retroneu Award for silverware design, New York, USA, 1992;
She held classes in Japanese textile design, Sashiko, stitching and Shibori Zome, resisting dyeing at the Vienna International School.
KOTO (national musical instrument of Japan)
Her introduction to the Koto took place in the family, her mother played the instrument. She started taking piano lessons at age 5. Her major in high school was music, which became a passion for her. Masami pursed art and design education in Japan and later in the USA, where also her Koto studies started in earnest. She attended the well-known Sawai Tadao Koto academy taught by Masayo Ishigure in New York City.
As a Koto performer she played on both sides of the Atlantic, among others in New York, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia in the USA, and in Vienna, Linz, Graz in Austria, Szombathely, Hungary, as well as in Verona, Italy. She accompanied the world famous contemporary Koto artist, Kazue Sawai in her North American tour. She performed in the opening show at Shea Stadium for the New York Mets, and also at the award celebration of director Sofia Coppola for her movie hit “Lost in Translation” at Yale University. Her list of charity performances includes the 9/11 Firemen and Families event and the Food for Wheels fundraiser in New York, as well as the concerts held at the Vienna Hofburg and at the Ehrbarsaal in the Prayner Konservatorium with the Vienna Philharmonic for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and also the Vienna Red Cross Ball in Vienna City Hall. Most recently she had a concert with the Vienna Boys Choir in the Muth Theater. She held several Koto-workshops, among others in the Japanese School, Webster University and the Lycée Francais in Vienna.
CALLIGRAPHY and INK PAINTING
Masami is certified as a Professor of Calligraphy, Fifth Degree by the Japanese Calligraphy Educational Association and also received the Golden Award from the Association.
Her calligraphy work was exhibited at the Theater museum and at the Red Cross Fundraiser Ball, in Vienna.
She had a solo Calligraphy / Ink Painting exhibit at the United Nations in New York in 2018 and 2019 and calligraphy collaboration exhibit with Aviva Stanoff for the United Nations in 2023.
Her calligraphy and an ink-painting are in the permanent exhibition at the headquarters of the United Nations.
She created calligraphic illustrations for the book "Happy Samurai" by Luke Mayes, published on Amazon. At the annual fall festival, she did calligraphy and ink-painting demonstrations at Westport, CT organized by the Japanese counsel.
She held ink-painting workshops at the Japanese Embassy, various international schools in Vienna, as well as in New York City.
One of her ink paintings was chosen by the Consulate General of Japan in New York as part of an artist collaboration project on 5.19.2020.
KARATE
Masami received her black belt from the World Seido Karate Organization in New York, USA in 1993.
She won multiple Championships in New York at Karate tournaments in Kata.
She conducted self defense classes at the Danube International School, in Vienna and also at the United Nation Women's Guild, and for private students.
In New York, She taught Karate at Lyceum Kennedy, the Japanese school in Manhattan as well as assisted at Seido headquarter Dojo.
YOGA
Masami has completed and certified Yoga Alliance 200 hours teacher training course by Sivananda Yoga Farm, US. in August 2020
She taught (gentle) yoga classes online and in person privately. Contact : [email protected]
Karate Kata " Gekisaisho"
youtu.be/y7WZiQhKGo4 Synchronized Kata " Koryu Gojyu Shiho" 2019 Seido Tournament-Final www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlsdI666O0&feature=youtu.be |
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