Our Story

The owner, Dr. Sawako Takemura Chang, has been living in New York and Honolulu, Hawai'i for over 20 years. Sawako worked at Japan Society in New York as a gallery assistant and later served as an art museum curator, specializing in Japanese art, conducting research and education for over 10 years in Honolulu. Subsequently, she decided to pursue a Ph.D. at Leiden University in the Netherlands, focusing on ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints of the 18th-19th century). Now, Sawako's passion lies in sharing her extensive knowledge of Japanese art and culture through contemporary Japanese artists' works and handicrafts. ukiyo concepts promotes the beauty and functionality of Japanese artworks for everyday life.

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Short Biography

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2023
Founded Ukiyo Concepts Inc.

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2021
Received a Doctorate in Japanese Art from Leiden University, Netherlands.
The doctoral thesis focused on the function of female imagery in the work of ukiyo-e artist Keisai Eisen (1790–1848).

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2020
Worked with Joan Mirviss Gallery, New York.

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1998–2011

Served as a Japanese Art researcher and curator at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Obtained a curatorial certificate from Kongōbu-ji Temple on Mt. Kōya, Japan, which houses numerous national treasures dating back to the 8th century AD. Additionally, completed a Master's degree in Asian Art History with a focus on Japanese Art at the University of Hawai'i Mānoa in 2004.

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1997
Worked at the Japan Society Art Gallery, New York.

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