Known as a visionary for his introduction of the color white in urushi lacquered woodwares, the Matsumoto-based artisan, Ryuji Mitani has paved the way for a new outlook on traditional woodcrafts. Revered the world over, and with an ardent, long-standing following in Japan, he has redefined the very syntax of his field with his leadership and writings in regards to a post-Mingei lifestyle crafts movement called Seikatsu Kogei. As a result he has inspired an entire generation of artisans in his pursuits of blurring established boundaries in his field.