​I moved to the United States from Japan in 2002 as a teacher. When one of my students wanted to trade leather working lessons for Japanese language classes, I said yes and began my journey into leather designing in Nashville Indiana. After several years of leather study, I gave up teaching to do leather working full time, and in 2008 opened up a small store in Nashville Indiana. K. Bellum Leather , featuring the handbags and other leather goods that I design and make. I still have the store, but have recently moved to Charleston South Carolina, and am excited to begin doing art fairs in the Charleston area even as I still make and supply bags for my Indiana store. My designs are intended to be useful as well as artistic. I combine the best features of traditional Japanese aesthetic design and American artistic innovation to produce leather products that are beautiful, and will last for years.