In 1924, following in the footsteps of the master lacquerer Seizo Sugawara, Japanese-born Katsu Hamanaka had established himself in Paris. Under the encouragement of Sugawara, Hamanaka mastered the art of lacquering and began working with important designers and architects including Maurice Dufrêne, Jacques Adnet, and Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. In demonstrating virtuosity, brilliance, and his almost transmutative abilities, Hamanaka would often apply gold leaf or eggshell decorative elements into his resplendent lacquered surfaces. Examples of his work were presented at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs.