The world of traditional crafts is woven with uniquely Japanese beauty and skill. The Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Japan's largest open exhibition, organized by the Japan Crafts Council, a public interest incorporated association, with the aim of preserving traditional crafts and nurturing their successors, has opened at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store. Approximately 600 works, selected through rigorous judging, are on display, including the latest works by holders of Important Intangible Cultural Properties in seven categories: ceramics, dyeing and weaving, lacquerware, metalwork, wood and bamboo work, dolls, and miscellaneous crafts. The Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, which began in March 1954, is now in its 63rd year. Kazumi Murose, vice president of the Japan Crafts Council and a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property for lacquerware, said, "The appeal of crafts lies in the wide range of works available, from everyday tools to exquisite works of art. I want to spread this appeal not only domestically but also overseas. I have previously translated "kogei" as "craft," but I would like to promote Japan's unique culture as "kogei" overseas."
This year's "Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition" had award-winning works in all seven categories, which is apparently quite rare. First, we headed to the wood and bamboo crafts area, where the grand prize winner, the Japan Crafts Council President's Award, Maruyama Hiroaki's "Waxed Maple Inlaid Decorative Box" was on display. The piece, with its striking soft curves and ripple-like wood grain, "waxed rather than lacquered to bring out the beauty of the wood grain. The inner box is finished with black lacquer and decorated with Edo Komon French stripes inlaid," says Maruyama Hiroaki. Maruyama normally works as a woodworker, crafting wooden chairs and other items. Apparently, it took him eight months to complete this piece.
"Creating the curves was difficult," said Maruyama Hiroaki, winner of the Japan Crafts Council President's Award.
Lacquerware is known as Japan in English. In the lacquerware category, a craft that represents Japanese beauty, attention is drawn to Yamagishi Kazuo's black inlaid box "Noto Afterglow" and Teranishi Shota's maki-e box "Night View." Yamagishi's work evokes the image of the sun setting over the Noto Sea, while Teranishi's maki-e box evokes the scene of fishing lights on the Sea of Japan. Both works depict the unchanging beauty of Japanese landscapes.
The makie and mother-of-pearl inlay decorative box "Spring Reflection" was created by Murose Kazumi, a holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property for lacquerware. It depicts cherry blossoms reflected on the surface of a river.
The ceramics category had an overwhelming number of entries. Three works were awarded: "Saiyuuki" (Colored Glaze Ware) by veteran Kutani ware maker Tajima Masahito; "1670" (Indigo Sancai) by Kyoto-based Kato Kiyokazu; and "Hakuji Mizusashi" (White Porcelain Water Jar) by young female artist Takahashi Nami. Among them, the "White Porcelain Water Jar," which won the Japan Crafts Association Newcomer's Award, is a small piece that fits in the palm of your hand, while most other artists are submitting large pieces. However, the beautiful techniques embodied in this small water jar, such as its interesting form and pleated design, are sure to make a strong impression on viewers. The next entry in the dyeing and weaving category features kimonos, an "art" that is completed when worn. The award-winning piece is the grain-woven kimono "Ask the Sea" (Komeori Kimono "Umi ni Kiku") by Ebigase Junko. "Komeori" is a silk fabric with a pattern resembling rows of rice grains. The translucent light blue color, dyed with vegetable dyes, and the kasuri patterns interwoven between the grain weaves evoke the image of ocean waves, evoking the image of "listening to the sea."
"Maihana" is a woodblock-printed chintz kimono created by Shigeto Suzuki, a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property. White powder flowers bloom all over the kimono.
Next, we move on to the Miscellaneous Crafts Zone, which covers a wide range of genres, including glass, cloisonné, inkstones, beads, and folding screens. The Takamatsunomiya Memorial Award-winning cloisonné bowl "Soukai" (Blue Sea) by Matsumoto Michiko. Compared to the usual technique using a metal base, cloisonné requires a high level of skill, as the base is corroded with acid, leaving only the cloisonné on the surface. The endless movement of the waves on the lush blue sea is also expressed thanks to this skill.
The "Peeled Lotus Petal Lidded Container" by judge and inspector Akira Shirahata. The glass is carved in the same way as wood, expressing the softness of the glass.
You'll be able to view the finest crafts up close, as if you were holding them in your hands, and you'll be able to listen to commentary on the award-winning works via audio guide, so take this opportunity to experience the beauty and technique of traditional crafts. And in the unlikely event that you find yourself wanting to own one, don't worry. Almost all of the crafts on display are for sale (although some are not). Why not experience traditional crafts in Nihonbashi this autumn, the season of art?
[Exhibition Information]
63rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition
Venue: Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Main Building & New Building, 7th Floor Gallery
Address: 1-4-1 Muromachi, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Dates: September 21st - October 3rd
Hours: 10:30 - 19:30 (until 18:00 on the last day)
Free admission
This year's "Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition" had award-winning works in all seven categories, which is apparently quite rare. First, we headed to the wood and bamboo crafts area, where the grand prize winner, the Japan Crafts Council President's Award, Maruyama Hiroaki's "Waxed Maple Inlaid Decorative Box" was on display. The piece, with its striking soft curves and ripple-like wood grain, "waxed rather than lacquered to bring out the beauty of the wood grain. The inner box is finished with black lacquer and decorated with Edo Komon French stripes inlaid," says Maruyama Hiroaki. Maruyama normally works as a woodworker, crafting wooden chairs and other items. Apparently, it took him eight months to complete this piece.
"Creating the curves was difficult," said Maruyama Hiroaki, winner of the Japan Crafts Council President's Award.
Lacquerware is known as Japan in English. In the lacquerware category, a craft that represents Japanese beauty, attention is drawn to Yamagishi Kazuo's black inlaid box "Noto Afterglow" and Teranishi Shota's maki-e box "Night View." Yamagishi's work evokes the image of the sun setting over the Noto Sea, while Teranishi's maki-e box evokes the scene of fishing lights on the Sea of Japan. Both works depict the unchanging beauty of Japanese landscapes.
The makie and mother-of-pearl inlay decorative box "Spring Reflection" was created by Murose Kazumi, a holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property for lacquerware. It depicts cherry blossoms reflected on the surface of a river.
The ceramics category had an overwhelming number of entries. Three works were awarded: "Saiyuuki" (Colored Glaze Ware) by veteran Kutani ware maker Tajima Masahito; "1670" (Indigo Sancai) by Kyoto-based Kato Kiyokazu; and "Hakuji Mizusashi" (White Porcelain Water Jar) by young female artist Takahashi Nami. Among them, the "White Porcelain Water Jar," which won the Japan Crafts Association Newcomer's Award, is a small piece that fits in the palm of your hand, while most other artists are submitting large pieces. However, the beautiful techniques embodied in this small water jar, such as its interesting form and pleated design, are sure to make a strong impression on viewers. The next entry in the dyeing and weaving category features kimonos, an "art" that is completed when worn. The award-winning piece is the grain-woven kimono "Ask the Sea" (Komeori Kimono "Umi ni Kiku") by Ebigase Junko. "Komeori" is a silk fabric with a pattern resembling rows of rice grains. The translucent light blue color, dyed with vegetable dyes, and the kasuri patterns interwoven between the grain weaves evoke the image of ocean waves, evoking the image of "listening to the sea."
"Maihana" is a woodblock-printed chintz kimono created by Shigeto Suzuki, a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property. White powder flowers bloom all over the kimono.
Next, we move on to the Miscellaneous Crafts Zone, which covers a wide range of genres, including glass, cloisonné, inkstones, beads, and folding screens. The Takamatsunomiya Memorial Award-winning cloisonné bowl "Soukai" (Blue Sea) by Matsumoto Michiko. Compared to the usual technique using a metal base, cloisonné requires a high level of skill, as the base is corroded with acid, leaving only the cloisonné on the surface. The endless movement of the waves on the lush blue sea is also expressed thanks to this skill.
The "Peeled Lotus Petal Lidded Container" by judge and inspector Akira Shirahata. The glass is carved in the same way as wood, expressing the softness of the glass.
You'll be able to view the finest crafts up close, as if you were holding them in your hands, and you'll be able to listen to commentary on the award-winning works via audio guide, so take this opportunity to experience the beauty and technique of traditional crafts. And in the unlikely event that you find yourself wanting to own one, don't worry. Almost all of the crafts on display are for sale (although some are not). Why not experience traditional crafts in Nihonbashi this autumn, the season of art?
[Exhibition Information]
63rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition
Venue: Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Main Building & New Building, 7th Floor Gallery
Address: 1-4-1 Muromachi, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Dates: September 21st - October 3rd
Hours: 10:30 - 19:30 (until 18:00 on the last day)
Free admission
![Hiroshi Sugimoto has been photographing theaters since the 1970s, and his book "THEATERS" is a collection of photographs that continue to mark the passage of time. [NADiff Recommended Book]](https://wrqc9vvfhu8e.global.ssl.fastly.net/api/image/crop/380x380/images/migration/2016/09/0260b1f5669196fe1f17d07fd8ebb117.jpg)
