Kodo Nishimura
BUDDHIST MONKS ARE TYPICALLY trained to live austerely, wearing plain robes and few accessories. Kodo Nishimura does anything but. He tends to his family’s temple in Tokyo while working as a makeup artist and LGBTQ activist. “I am both ancient and trendy,” Nishimura says over Zoom from his home in the Japanese capital, wearing a Buddhist robe and just a little tinted lip balm.
The day before, he worked 13 in 2019, and his clients include the musical sister duo Chloe x Halle and Christina Milian. In February, he is releasing his first English-language book, an autobiography that weaves his personal story with Buddhist teachings.
