Born in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in 1980, Hanako Gejo 下條華⼦ received her M.F.A. from Kyoto City University of Arts in 2006. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions across Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and the Europe, including the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2023 and Fine Art Asia. In 2011, she received the Encouragement Award at the 50th Japan Craft Exhibition in Tokyo, and in 2016 she was awarded by the Saga Prefecture Arts and Cultural Association to recognise her artistic achievement. Gejo is currently a part-time lecturer at Kyushu Sangyo University.

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Gejo’s lacquer works are distinguished by their vivid chromatic sensibility and refined use of decorative techniques, including shell inlay, gold leaf and metal powders. Fluent in a wide range of lacquer processes, she creates sculptural forms that are full-bodied yet graceful, combining volume, elegance and a subtle feminine sensibility. This balance of richness and restraint has become a defining feature of her artistic language.