Monden Kogyoku, one of the brilliant innovators in the field, worked in bamboo beginning in 1933, when he first apprenticed to Kadota Niko (1907-1994). Niko too was a creative force (see his works also introduced on this site) able to link the deep folk traditions of bamboo craft in Kyushu to the fine technical considerations of mid-century bamboo art exhibitions and institutions. Niko must have been an excellent mentor, as Monden continued with such innovative syntheses of form, texture, color, and technique for more than half a century. He was among the first bamboo artists to make sculptural objects as flower baskets, as found here, rather than the other way around. It’s testament to his artistry that his unconventional works have in turn been assimilated back into the wider field of bamboo art. Few contemporary basketmakers have escaped his influence.

Monden's achievements have been recognized at nearly every relevant platform. Since 1935 he has regularly exhibited and won prizes at the prefectural, regional and national levels, including nine times at Japan's National Fine Arts Exhibition.