Kitaoka works primarily in choshitsu, or carved lacquer, a demanding technique in which layers of coloured lacquer are applied hundreds of times before being carved to create intricate patterns and delicate gradations of colour. To this traditional approach he has added an original method of his own, the tatakinuri or stippling technique, in which lacquer is applied by tapping to produce softer gradations that cannot be achieved through conventional carved lacquer alone. He also works in kinma, chinkin, and dry lacquer.
He was first selected for the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition in 1972 and has since been selected forty-five times. He became a full member of the Japan Kogei Association in 1975 and was designated Holder of Intangible Cultural Property of Kagawa Prefecture in 2001. In 2024 he received the MEXT Award at the 42nd Lacquerware Traditional Kōgei Exhibition. His work has been shown internationally, including exhibitions in New York, Denver, Paris, and the Netherlands. He received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays in 2019.
