Born in 1945 in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan, Kenji Io graduated from the Department of Media Studies at Tokai University in Tokyo in 1968. Io is the second son of metal artist, Toshio Io and trained in gold and silversmithing by his father alongside his studies at university. He specialises in hammer raising, colouring, engraving and chasing with various metals. Recently he has been considering the challenge of adapting and proposing how Japanese traditional craft could be more appreciated in a contemporary lifestyle. At present he runs the Aoyama School of Jewellery and Metalsmithing and was a former visiting lecturer at Musashino Art University.