Shinsuke Akita was born in 1978 in Toyama Prefecture and raised in Tokyo from early childhood. In 2011, seeking a life closer to nature, he moved to Notsu, in the city of Usuki, Oita Prefecture, where he spent his days in a century-old farmhouse, embracing the quiet rhythm of rural life. In 2014, he encountered taima kazari — sacred ornaments woven from hemp — and, taking up the name Taimado, set out upon this path. Since then, he has devoted himself to their creation: for private homes, salons, and places of business; as offerings to shrines and temples; and as ritual pieces crafted for sacred ceremony.

From 2016, he has served as head instructor of the Taima Kazari Artisan Training Program, teaching across Japan from his base in Asakusa, Tokyo. More than a thousand students have studied under him to date. In 2023, in order to fulfill this calling more fully, he returned to Tokyo, where he continues to create and to teach from Asakusa while journeying throughout the country.

At the heart of his work lies harai — purification. It is the path of transcending the division of yin and yang, not by erasing either pillar, but by guiding both toward a true and supreme harmony. Through taima kazari, he gives form to the ancient Japanese wisdom of purification and binding, reviving the sacred hemp of prayer and carrying it forward to the generations yet to come.