After having studied his Goldsmiths' Company traditional hand engraving apprenticeship with R. H. Wilkins and intaglio seal engraving at Rebus Signet Rings, in 2017 Castro was awarded the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust scholarship, and he travelled to Japan to study with Japanese masters under the guidance of Hiroshi Suzuki - spending many months in the workshop of master metal worker Kenji Io as well as his son Koichi, and his son's wife Mariko Sumioka spending time with Kashima Kazuo, and National Living Treasure, Mamoru Nakagawa. In Japan he trained in Japanese metal working, engraving and patination.
Find out more about his trip here.
Julia Weston, Chief Executive of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust said:
“Churchill Fellows travel globally and return with innovative ideas and a commitment to sharing their findings to help others in the UK. Our hope is that these Fellowships will strengthen the heritage crafts industry so that sole practitioners and the traditional crafts can continue to thrive”.
