Contemporary bamboo: masters from Japan

Contemporary bamboo: masters from Japan

ESKENAZI

Illustrated as cover and on pages 34 and 35

4 Morigami Jin (b. 1955) Musou (Peerless), 2015 Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 58.0cm Width: 48.0cm Depth: 45.0cm

ESKENAZI

ISBN: 978 1 873609 49 1

Design, Typesetting and Photography Daniel M. Eskenazi, London Printed and originated by Graphicom Srl., Vicenza © copyright 2022 ESKENAZI London

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ESKENAZI

Contemporary bamboo: masters from Japan

8 June - 8 July 2022

10 Clifford Street London W1S 2LJ Telephone: 020 7493 5464 Fax: 020 7499 3136 e-mail: gallery@eskenazi.co.uk web: www.eskenazi.co.uk

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Foreword

The present exhibition, our first dedicated to contemporary Japanese masters of bamboo, is not our first exhibition of Japanese art. After operating from offices on Piccadilly from 1960, the company moved within the same building to a purpose-built gallery in 1972. The inaugural exhibition focused primarily on China but also included South-East Asian works and Japanese art in the form of a pair of early Rimpa school screens. This new path of the gallery holding exhibitions was partly inspired and encouraged by Vittorio Eskenazi and his sumptuous gallery founded in the 1920s in Milan. Although my father had dealt in Japanese objects from the beginning, it soon became clear he would need to restructure the company if it were to cover both China and Japan thoroughly.

Luckily my late uncle, Luigi Bandini, was the ideal person for the task of running the Japanese department. After a short stint with Vittorio in Milan, Luigi had joined the company in 1969, was made a director at the inauguration of the gallery in 1972 and became head of the newly formed Japanese department in 1976. His focus was lacquer, inrō and netsuke whilst Giuseppe held on to screens and prints. Luigi’s eye for detail, aesthetics and capacity for hard work made the department one of the foremost in the field. During his career he held over twenty exhibitions for the gallery each accompanied by a meticulous catalogue, which from the 1980s was partly researched by his wife, Rosemary Bandini. From 1996 Rosemary saw through three exhibitions on her own before setting up her own company.

This exhibition started life on the last day of a trip I made to Japan a few years ago when an old friend, Rio Hirano, took me to see a dealer in Tokyo.

Already primed by the superlative and comprehensive collection Lloyd Cotsen, a client of ours, had formed over many years, I embarked on a new journey with the purchase of the bamboo work on the cover. These masterful creations, rich in tradition, skill and creativity are a welcome alternative to today’s digital world.

We have included works by eight of the top Japanese bamboo artists, each with their unique character. The breadth and quality of what has been achieved from the humble bamboo plant is astonishing. There are architectural and geometric works by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, Honda Shōryū, Ueno Masao, figurative works

by Honma Kazuaki and Morigami Jin as well as bold textural compositions by Yonezawa Jirō, Yufu Shōhaku and Mimura Chikuhō.

The gallery has enjoyed a weekly Japanese floral arrangement from the very first exhibition in 1972. This task has been been accomplished for more than thirty years by Mrs Sumie Takahashi, master of ikebana, together with the support of her beloved husband. Each Monday morning we are blessed by her sensitive floral displays of great beauty which are enjoyed by all those that visit the gallery. She has kindly undertaken to create displays throughout the present exhibition adding a touch of nature to some of the masterful bamboo baskets in this catalogue. I would like to thank her not only for the wonderful displays but also giving us an insight in this catalogue into ikebana and her career.

I would also like to thank Sarah Wong for her informative essay that sheds light on the Japanese governmental system that not only safeguards its cultural past but also its future. I would like to think that collectively, each in our own way, we have contributed to this most formidable tradition, long may it continue.

Daniel Eskenazi

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Fig. 1 Yoshu, Hashimoto, Naoyoshi.: Naikoku kangyo hakurankai kaijo goshiki no zu, (1877), three-part print depicting the opening ceremony of the First National Industrial Exhibition, copyright 2010-2011, National Diet Library, Japan.

Fig. 2 Basket for transporting sencha tea-ceremony utensils (Chakago or Teiran), c. 1877-80s, Hayakawa Shōkosai I, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Diane and Arthur Abbey, 2019, public domain.

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Bamboo Artists and Government-sponsored Exhibitions in Japan in the late Nineteenth to early Twentieth Centuries

by Sarah Wong The transition between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw the growth in Japan of innovative bamboo artists who pushed the traditional boundaries towards individualistic, artistic expression, resulting partly in an evolution from bamboo artisan to studio artist.1 This essay considers the context in which this happened and offers an overview of the role that government-sponsored exhibitions and art organizations may have played in the development of bamboo art and artists in Japan at this time. It examines some of the key exhibitions in relation to existing government policies and the wider arts administration policy after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. It will also assess the impact of some of the different exhibitions and their selection criteria on the career trajectory of some bamboo artists and indeed the work produced by them.

National Industrial Exhibitions in Japan (1877-1903) The Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in London in 1851 set the standard for a series of world fairs that occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century. These exhibitions were the perfect venue to display new innovations and technology, some of which had been developed during the Industrial Revolution in the UK and the USA. Particularly significant to Japan was the Vienna International Exposition of 1873. It was the first international exposition officially attended by Japan and was seen by the government as an opportunity to present ‘modern Japan’ to the world. The Japanese entry was a great triumph and was visited by the Emperor and Empress of Austria. Highlights included a Shinto shrine, a Japanese garden, a model of the five-storey pagoda of Tennōji Temple, as well as many ‘industrial art products’.2 This success led the Japanese government to initiate a series of five ‘National Industrial Exhibitions’ starting in 1877, primarily to draw attention to new potential export items and developing industries and technologies in Japan. These exhibitions were part of a wider modernization campaign led by the Home Minister, Okubo Toshimichi and promoted by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the slogan Fukoku kyohei, shokusan kōgyō (enrich the country and strengthen the military; encourage new industry and manufacturing).3 Seen from a different perspective, these exhibitions were also consistent with the wider arts administration policy in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. This had three broad aims administered by different departments: the promotion of art and craft objects under the broader category of shokusan kōgyō (encourage new industry and manufacturing) with the National Industrial Exhibitions fitting with this aim; the protection of ‘ancient art’; and the establishment of an arts education system.4 The first National Industrial Exhibition (Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai) was held at Ueno Park, Tokyo in 1877 (fig. 1). The venue was an impressive 100,000m² in size and separated into six areas, which included the Fine Art Building, the first to be named bijutsukan, or art museum.

Notable exhibits included a cotton spinning machine and a steam engine. An American style windmill was set up at the entrance and the exhibition drew around 450,000 visitors in the 102day period.5 The exhibition was divided into six main categories: mining and metallurgy; machinery; manufacturing; agriculture; horticulture; and art. The exhibits were shown by prefecture to encourage competition and the entries were judged on various criteria including material, method of manufacture, quality, effectiveness, value and price. The winning exhibits were presented with medals and certificates. The essential nature of the National Industrial Exhibitions was clear, seen by the fact the last three were sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce – the ministry in charge of the shokusan kōgyō policy.6 Industry and technology were the central focus of all these exhibitions, with traditional arts and crafts, including bamboo weaving, included under this blanket term. Historically, bamboo basketry in Japan had its roots in the import of Chinese baskets from the twelfth century for Buddhist rituals and tea ceremony, as well as its own long tradition of master craftsmen producing baskets, coinciding with the rise of the sencha tea ceremony from the late seventeenth century.7 In the context of the National Industrial Exhibitions, bamboo works were treated as

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‘industrial products’, of potential interest to the world of commerce. The ministry in charge had ‘the exportation of goods at the top of its list of stated goals.’8 However, this new wider public setting beyond the Japanese literati class also enabled some bamboo artists to raise their public profile and even move beyond their traditional boundaries.

The first National Industrial Exhibition was an important landmark in the career of the talented bamboo master, Hayakawa Shōkosai I (1815-1897). He won the Phoenix prize for a portable ‘picnic’ basket with a lid for transporting sencha tea ceremony objects. It was acquired by the Empress of Japan, showing the importance of these exhibitions in raising the profile of such masters, as well as the role that imperial patronage played in their careers. A similar example from the Abbey collection is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (fig. 2).

Hayakawa Shōkosai I is often regarded as the ‘father of modern bamboo art’ and possibly the first to put his signature on his works. He also became known in the West for his bamboo creations, partly through exhibiting at world fairs. His trail-blazing work and ‘self-directed creative activities’ have been credited for raising awareness of his field and in ‘encouraging basket artists to value their own creative individuality’ during the nineteenth century.9 Many consider that in Japan he transformed the status of the artisan-basket maker to that of artistbasket maker.10 The continuation and importance of his artistic lineage was seen in the figure of Shōkosai V (1932-2011), one of the designated ‘Living National Treasures’ in the category of bamboo.

Four more National Industrial Exhibitions followed, at Ueno Park, Tokyo in 1881 and 1890; in Kyoto in 1895 and Osaka in 1903. The second exhibition in 1881 was organised by both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance and was attended by around 820,000 visitors for whom the newly introduced gas lights were a great draw. Part of the exhibition was in the newly completed building of what was to become the Tokyo National Museum. Some bamboo artists continued to gain recognition at this second exhibition. Shōkosai I won another award for his Kanchiku reishi basket of 1881.11 Another artist, Wada Waichisai I (1851-1901), one of the leaders of bamboo working in Osaka, renowned for his ‘literati-style’ baskets also won a prize for his ‘Flat Basket’, and was recognized again in 1895 at the Fourth National Industrial Exhibition in Kyoto. Waichisai I’s success was also accompanied by imperial patronage.

A fruit tray made by him was presented to the Meiji Emperor in 1894 by the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Osaka.12 The fifth National Industrial Exhibition – the largest and the last – ran for 153 days and the venue was more than double the size of the fourth exhibition. It was also notable for having evening viewings, due to the introduction of electric lights, ushering in the ‘electric age’ in Japan. In terms of raising the profile of bamboo artists, the Shōkosai lineage continued its prominence as Shōkosai II (1860-1905), a son of Shōkosai I, was awarded a prize at this exhibition.

After Shōkosai II’s untimely early death, his brother, Shōkosai III (1864-1922) ‘led the Osaka world of bamboo crafts until his death in 1922.’13 Twentieth-century annual juried exhibitions in Japan Bunten/Teiten/Shin-Bunten/Nitten Exhibition At the turn of the century, in a parallel development to the commercial programme of the National Industrial Exhibitions, there were various art organizations allied with the Ministry of Education, as well as the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, which advocated ‘innovation’ in painting and ‘new methods of art education.’14 In 1907, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, the first Japanese government sponsored exhibition was founded in Tokyo: the Bunten (Monbushō bijutsu tenrankai or Ministry of Education Art Exhibition). The exhibition modelled itself on the Paris Salon and in keeping with this only accepted works in the categories of paintings and sculpture, to the exclusion of the applied arts and crafts, such as bamboo works.

A committee was formed to establish standards and find venues. The entries for these select categories were chosen by jury. Thus, ‘while painting and sculpture were treated as works of art under the Ministry of Education’s art education efforts, crafts continued to be treated as industrial products in the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce’s shokusan kōgyō (encourage new industry and manufacturing) policy.’15 A group of bamboo artists formed the Japan Craft Art Society (Nihon Kogei Bijutsu Kai) in protest against the exclusion of traditional craft from the prestigious Bunten and continued to advocate for their inclusion. In 1919, under the newly established Imperial Art Academy, the Bunten was re-organized and re-named Teiten (Imperial Art Exhibition). Finally, in 1927, twenty

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Fig. 3 The National Art Centre, Tokyo, venue for the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition), Wikimedia Commons.

years after the establishment of the Bunten/Teiten16, an ‘art crafts’ or ‘crafts as art’ (bijutsu kōgei) section was included and in 1929, works by bamboo artists were finally exhibited.

Early bamboo artists to show in the Teiten, later re-named the Shin-Bunten, included Tanabe Chikuunsai II (1910-2000) and Shōno Shōunsai (1904-1974), both from Osaka. The innovative bamboo artist Iizuka Rōkansai (1890-1958) was also recognized for his talents, winning awards at international expositions before being included in the Teiten in 1931 after several unsuccessful submissions, for a box made of bamboo. By 1939, his achievements were cemented when he was elected as the first judge of the bamboo section.17 The post-war period saw the re-organization of the societies and exhibitions relating to the traditional arts of Japan. By 1947 the Imperial Art Academy had become the Japan Art Academy. The newly formed Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) replaced the earlier exhibitions variously known under the names of Bunten, Teiten and Shin-Bunten. The Nitten judges prized ‘artistic creativity and design innovation’ and the focus was on individual expression. Today, the Nitten is held at The National Art Centre, Tokyo (fig. 3) and the categories include Japanese and Western style paintings; sculpture; craft as art; and calligraphy. Many of the bamboo artists practising today have shown at the prestigious Nitten, an important landmark in their career progression.

Bamboo artist, Honma Kazuaki (1930-2017) of Niigata prefecture, was celebrated for his works using ‘bent bamboo’ and his ‘large-scale abstract compositions’. His career shows the importance of exhibiting for a bamboo artist working after the Second World War, particularly at high profile exhibitions such as the Nitten. He was first selected in 1965 for the eighth Nitten for a tray (‘Blue Sea’) and subsequently was selected another fifteen times to show his works.

In 2001 he became a councillor of Nitten and in 2011 became a consultant to the Nitten. From the mid-1960s onwards, he also showed regularly at the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibitions. His work in the current exhibition (cat. no. 1) which featured in the 42nd Nitten, is

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Fig. 4 Tanebe Chikuunsai IV (b. 1973), photo by Minamoto Tadayuki.

Fig. 5 ‘Living National Treasure’ and kabuki actor Nakamura Fukusuke VII (Nakamura Shikan VII) (1928-2011) as Okosho Yayoi in Kagami-Jishi, taken in 1955. Wikimedia Commons.

an upright composition with his characteristic curved bamboo (manipulated over a gas burner) combined with thin strips of bamboo bound by rattan. Another well-known bamboo artist, Morigami Jin (born 1955) featured in the present catalogue, trained in Ōita. One of his works in the current exhibition (cat. no. 5) uses a technique of openwork hexagons formed of six strips (mutsume) to produce an intriguing anthropomorphic sculpture. He was selected to exhibit at the Nitten in 1988 and 1989, and more recently participated again in 2005. It is notable that while showing at the Nitten is an important and prestigious milestone, many artists like Morigami Jin often work in parallel modes, making more ‘ambitious work’ for an arena such as the Nitten, while also producing more commercial work for a wider audience.18 Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibitions In 1913, to address the fact that the applied arts had been excluded from the original Bunten, another exhibition, this time of applied arts and crafts came into being. This was the Nōten (Nōshōmusho tenrankai) and by 1918 it was renamed the Kōgeiten (Crafts Exhibition). Notably, it was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, as the last three National Industrial Exhibitions had been, rather than the Ministry of Education, which was in charge of the highly prestigious Nitten.

In the post-war period, the Japanese Craft Association (Nihon Kōgeikai) initiated the annual Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibitions (Nihon Dento Kōgeiten) in 1953 to support master craftsmen working in traditional Japanese crafts.19 Its remit, in line with the 1950 Law for the

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Protection of Cultural Properties, was to ‘protect and foster crafts which have high historical or artistic value.’20 It has been distinguished from the Nitten as follows: ‘Whereas the Nitten included Japanese and Western style painting, calligraphy and sculpture and prioritized artistic creativity and design innovation, the Craft Association sought masterworks that were technical tours de force adapted for a modern lifestyle.’21 Thus, evaluation for entry into the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibitions is based partly on assessment of traditional forms and technical criteria, rather than just on artistic merit.

The emphasis on preservation of traditional skills and techniques put this important exhibition in keeping with other government initiatives to preserve and protect ‘ancient art’ which had started at the end of the nineteenth century in Japan. Early projects included the Jinshin survey which encompassed the inventory of the Shōsoin repository in 187222, and in the early twentieth century, several laws were passed for the protection of National Treasures, culminating in the 1950 law of which the system of ‘Living National Treasures’ is a part.23 Participation in the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibitions has often formed part of the career path of bamboo artists who have become ‘Living National Treasures’. The Craft Association membership is tiered starting with the student category, moving to ‘junior’ and then to full membership. The latter is achieved after four objects have been accepted for the annual exhibitions. Only the works of ‘Living National Treasures’ are exhibited without being put before a jury panel.24 Fujinuma Noboru (b. 1945), one of two bamboo artists who is currently a ‘Living National Treasure’, first started entering his work to the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 1980 and in 1992 was awarded the Tokyo Governor’s Prize; he was designated as a ‘Living National Treasure’ in 2012.25 The celebrated bamboo artist, Tanebe Chikuunsai IV (b. 1973) (fig. 4), from a long line of well-known masters, benefitted from both studying for a degree in sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts and working with his well-known father Chikuunsai III. The former was the recipient of a prize in the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 2016, though in fact his recent works are notable for their architectural quality and their innovative fusion of technology and tradition, examples of which are included in the present catalogue (cat. nos. 7 and 8).

Moroyama Masanori of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo has suggested that: ‘The majority of leading artists in today’s bamboo craft world are affiliated with and exhibit in either the Nitten or the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Each Artist’s affiliation clearly identifies his or her own production stance and artistic identity.’26 However, while these two venues do seem to offer divergent artistic paths, it seems likely that there is in reality some degree of cross-over, while the range of alternative venues today may offer more than just a binary option.

The System of ‘Living National Treasures’ As touched on earlier, the preservation of ‘ancient art’ formed part of the early arts administration policy as well as being the focus of some arts organizations.27 The late nineteeth century efforts to preserve cultural properties in Japan as the country shifted from the adoption of Western cultural values to a renewed interest in the preservation of Japanese culture continued after the Second World War. The post-war heritage development saw the enactment of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Property in 1950, the purpose being to ‘preserve and utilize cultural property objects so that the cultural quality of the nation can be enhanced, thereby contributing to the evolution of world culture.’28 The two of the main sub-headings included under the 1950 law are ‘Tangible Cultural Properties’ and ‘Intangible Cultural Properties’. The former category covers physical cultural treasures such as buildings and important objects. Under the second sub-header, a person (or a group) can be designated as the ‘bearer’ or ‘preserver’ of ‘Important Intangible Cultural Properties’. These are individual master practitioners of traditional skills and techniques at the highest level. The members of this elite group are designated by a committee, now the Agency for Cultural Affairs, under the aegis of the Minster of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. These people are nominated for their outstanding artistic skills and will have reached an elevated mastery of a specific, traditional area of arts or crafts through many

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decades of training, apprenticeship, practice and exhibiting. They are a chosen and highly regarded few who are ‘protected’ for their skills and considered a cultural asset. These master artists are designated as ‘Holders/Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties’; informally they are dubbed ‘Living National Treasures’ or Ningen kokuhō. A key aim is to perpetuate traditional Japanese artistic skills through the generations both in ‘craft’ and in the performing arts (fig. 5) and ‘Living National Treasures’ may be required to ‘train successors and take any other appropriate measure’, including ‘public viewings’ to preserve their field. A vital aspect of being a ‘Living National Treasure’ is the role they play in the transmission of often traditional techniques so that the skills are passed from generation to generation, either by apprenticeship or other means; providing leadership and acting as a conduit between the past and the future are key.

In total, only around 371 people have ever been designated as ‘Living National Treasures’ and at present there are only around 111 currently living. In addition to the great status, the holders are also provided with a government stipend of around two million yen per year. The maximum number of ‘Living National Treasures’ is also in part limited by the total available budget for their stipends.

The work of these ‘Living National Treasures’ fall into set categories. Included under the category of Japanese craft are eight sub-sections: ceramics; textiles; lacquer; metalwork; dollmaking; woodwork; paper; and other. Bamboo is a sub-category of woodworking. Currently there are seven ‘Living National Treasures’ under the woodworking category, of which two are bamboo practitioners. They are Katsushiro Sōhō (b. 1934, designated 2005) and Fujinuma Noboru (b. 1945, designated 2012) – both are from Ōtawara, Tochigi prefecture. Since the system was established, only four other bamboo artists have previously been designated ‘Living National Treasures’: Shōno Shōunsai (1904-1974), the first to be designated as a ‘Living National Treasure’ for bamboo crafts in 1967; Iizuka Shōkansai (b. 1919, designated 1982); Maeda Chikubōsai II (1917-2003, designated in 1995); Hayakawa Shōkosai V (1932-2011, designated in 2003).

‘Living National Treasures’ working in bamboo are often from a long lineage of master craftsmen or artists, with roots in a particular locale using specific species of bamboo, as well as with defined styles and techniques. Three of the main geographical areas traditional for bamboo working in Japan with long established lineages are: Western Japan (Kansai), centring on Osaka and Kyoto; Eastern Japan (Kantō), including Tochigi, Niigata and Tokyo prefectures; and the Ōita prefecture in Kyūshū. While this has been examined in detail elsewhere, it is important to acknowledge the importance of apprenticeships and lineages in bamboo artistry, alongside the wider government-sponsored exhibitions. Most of the bamboo artists practising in Japan today are associated with the small number of artistic lineages. Some were father-son relationships but often students would also train under a master craftsman to learn the skills required, sometimes for up to ten years. Today, bamboo artists, while still learning and training from the masters, are also likely to have trained at a prestigious art school or university. Beppu on Kyūshū Island has long been a centre of bamboo working and many bamboo artists have also trained at Ōita Prefecture Bamboo Craft Training Centre.

Recognition as a ‘Living National Treasure’ is highly prestigious and may be seen as part of a long-standing government policy or programme of protection of ‘cultural property’. It may represent the pinnacle of achievement but is only the tip of the iceberg, in terms of the long, hard career progression, reached by very few bamboo, or other, practitioners. Being chosen to exhibit on a regular basis at certain important annual government-sponsored events was, and is, one of many different factors towards wider recognition.

Bamboo Artists: Other National and International Exhibitions The focus of this essay has been some of the government sponsored exhibitions, that, in keeping with various government policies, were key in Japan in the first half of the twentieth century in the careers of many bamboo artists. Clearly, many other events played a part as they do now, including one-person exhibitions, exhibitions/expositions abroad and those with specific geographical links within Japan.

Today, there are various exhibitions based in specific locales in Japan, often in areas with a strong tradition in bamboo art. As mentioned above, Beppu in Ōita Prefecture has a long

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tradition of bamboo working and there are a number of exhibitions associated with this region: New Bamboo Work Exhibition; Beppu City Art Exhibition; and Ōita Prefecture Industrial Design Exhibition. Morigami Jin, one of the artists featured in this catalogue, was born in Beppu City, trained in Ōita and has exhibited and won prizes at all these exhibitions. Similarly, Yufu Shōhaku (b. 1941) whose work is also featured in the present catalogue (cat. nos. 23 and 24), was also born in Beppu. He has exhibited at the Beppu City New Bamboo Work Exhibition, the Ōita Prefecture Art Exhibition and the Ōita Craft Exhibition.

Although international venues have not been discussed here, from the early twentieth century, some Japanese bamboo artists have exhibited at international expositions with great success, such as Yamamoto Chikuryusai I (1868-1950) who won prizes at the 1925 Paris International Exposition of Modern and Decorative Industrial Arts and at the 1933 Chicago World Fair.29 Thus for some early bamboo artists, recognition began abroad perhaps a result of the government’s promotion of ‘domestic industries’, followed by recognition in Japan.

More recently bamboo-focused juried exhibitions and prizes outside Japan have also been established, including the The Llyod Cotsen Bamboo Awards (2000-2006) and the MingeiGuimet Prizes. Three of the artists represented in this catalogue have variously been recipients of these prizes. Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) won the Cotsen ‘Celebration of the Next Generation’ Prize in 2006 and the Public Choice Mingei-Guimet Prize in 2021. Morigami Jin won the associate Grand Prix at the Cotsen Bamboo Awards in 2004 and Tanebe Chikuunsai IV won the Cotsen Bamboo Prize in 2007, as well as the first Mingei-Guimet Prize in 2021.

Conclusion This essay has looked at some early bamboo artists of the late nineteen and early twentieth centuries within the context of their rapidly changing environment, the multi-stranded arts administration policy and some key government-run exhibitions. The tension between what was considered ‘art’ or ‘craft’ was seen in the initial exclusion of bamboo from the prestigious Bunten which advocated ‘artistic creativity’. In contrast, the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibitions privileged traditional skills and techniques and were more closely aligned with long-standing policies to preserve cultural tangible and intangible properties. Now, with the emergence of bamboo into the realm of art and the bamboo master working as a studio artist, these divisions are perhaps less rigid. Many of these artists today are both the torch bearers of a long tradition in Japan as well as artists who strive to articulate their own contemporary vision.

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Notes

1

Moroyama Masanori, ‘The Development of Bamboo Crafts in Modern and Contemporary Japan – with a Focus on The Cotsen Collection’, in Lloyd Cotsen and Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, Masterworks, Japanese Bamboo Baskets of Form and Texture, Los Angeles, 1999, pages 90 -119 for a full discussion of this topic.

2

https://www.ndl.go.jp/exposition/e/s1/1873-2.html, accessed 24/2/2022.

3

https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=149&lang=en, accessed, 21/2/2022.

4

Dōshin Satō, Modern Japanese Art and the Meiji State, The Politics of Beauty, English edition translated by Hiroshi Nara, Getty Publications, Los Angeles, 2011, page 47.

5

https://www.ndl.go.jp/exposition/e/s1/naikoku1.html, accessed 17/2/2022.

6

Dōshin Satō, op. cit., page 50.

7

Monika Bincsik, ‘Japanese Bamboo Art, The Abbey Collection’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New York, Spring 2017, page 11.

8

Dōshin Satō, op. cit., page 50.

9

Moroyama Masanori, op. cit., page 96.

10

Moroyama Masanori, ‘Artistes du bamboo de l’ere Meiji a 1945’, in Fendre l’air, L’art du bamboo au Japon, Paris, 2018.

11

Moroyama Masanori, op. cit., page 94.

12

Monika Bincsik, op. cit., page 16.

13

Moroyama Masanori, op. cit., page 97.

14

Dōshin Satō, op. cit. page 56.

15

Dōshin Satō, op. cit. page 58.

16

Moroyama Masanori, op. cit., page 106.

17

Lloyd Cotsen and Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, op. cit., page 372.

18

Joe Earle, New Bamboo, Contemporary Japanese Masters, New York, 2008, page 112 where the artist is quoted as having made for commercial purposes around ‘five hundred small flower vases a year’.

19

Also called the ‘Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition’.

20

https://www.nihon-kogeikai.com/TEBIKI-cdE/0.html, accessed 18/2/2022.

21

Monika Bincsik, op. cit., page 26.

22

Dōshin Satō, op. cit., page 53 where the responsibility for the protection of cultural properties is discussed in detail, mostly under two government entities, the Ministry of the Imperial Household and the Ministry of the Interior.

23

Dōshin Satō, ibid.: Law for the Protection of National Treasures (1929); Law Relating to the Protection of Important Art Objects (1933); Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties (1950).

24

Moroyama Masanori, op. cit., page 115.

25

Monika Bincsik, op. cit., page 39.

26

Moroyama Masanori, op. cit., page 115.

27

Monika Bincsik, op. cit., page 20, for details of the Dragon Pond Society or Ryuchikai (the precursor of the Japan Art Association) whose purpose was the protection and exhibition of ‘Japanese traditional arts’.

28

Law for the Protection of Cultural Property (Law No. 214, 30 May 1950), Article 1, translated by Japan Centre for International Cooperation in Conservation, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo, https:// en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/japan_law_protectionproperty_entno.pdf, accessed, 21/2/2022.

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16

Moroyama Masanori, op. cit., page 100.

Select bibliography

Bincsik, M.: ‘Japanese Bamboo Art, The Abbey Collection’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New York, Spring 2017.

Cotsen, L. and Kahlenberg, M. H.: Masterworks, Japanese Bamboo Baskets of Form and Texture, Los Angeles, 1999.

Dōshin Satō, Modern Japanese Art and the Meiji State, The Politics of Beauty, English edition, translated by Hiroshi Nara, Getty Publications, Los Angeles, 2011.

Earle, J.: New Bamboo, Contemporary Japanese Masters, Japan Society, New York, 2008.

Galerie Mingei, Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, Masters of Bamboo Art, vol. 4, Paris, 2018.

Hanabako, Disappear, Bamboo x Technology, Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, Sawako Kaijima, Tokyo, 2017.

Martin, S. et al.: Fendre l’air, L’art du bamboo au Japon, Paris, 2018.

Rinne, M. M. et al., Masters of Bamboo, Artistic Lineages in the Lloyd Cotsen Japanese Basket Collection, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 2007. https://www.ndl.go.jp/exposition/e/s1/naikoku1.html https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/japan_law_protectionproperty_entno.pdf Tai Modern, Japanese Bamboo and the World Expo: A Century of Discovery, Santa Fe, 2015.

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Bamboo artists featured in the present exhibition

Honda Shōryū (b. 1951) Born in Iriki-cho, Kagoshima prefecture, Kyūshū, Honda Shōryū is a graduate of the Ōita Prefecture Bamboo Craft Training Centre and he trained under Kadota Nikō, a well-known artist. He was awarded the Ōita Prefectural Governor’s Prize in the Western Japan Crafts Association Exhibition in 1981 and 1986. From the late 1980s onwards, his works have regularly been selected for the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition. In 2000 he was admitted to the prestigious Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) and he has since shown there ten times. He was a finalist in the Cotsen Bamboo Awards in 2000, 2002 and 2004. In 2003, he won the ‘Newcomer’ Award at the 42nd Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition.

His work has featured in The Next Generation exhibition at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, 2007; Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2017; and Fendre l’Air, L’art du bamboo au Japan, at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris in 2018. Some of his abstract sculptures are distinguished by the use of the sensuji or ‘thousand line’ technique using multiple strips of stained bamboo. His works are in the collections of institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Art and Design, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca; Beppu City Bamboo Craft Centre, Beppu.

Honma Kazuaki (1930-2017) A native of Sado Island, Niigata prefecture, Honma Kazuaki moved to Tokyo in 1952 where he trained under Hayashi Shōgetsusai (1911-1986), a bamboo master who specialized in ‘bent’ bamboo work. In 1965, Honma’s work was selected for the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition where he subsequently showed another nine times. In the same year, his work was admitted to the prestigious Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) where he showed another fifteen times, winning the Grand Prize in 1977 and another award in 1983. In 2001, he became a councillor of the Nitten and from 2011 was a consultant at the Nitten. His work has featured in numerous exhibitions including the 2008 New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters at the Japan Society, New York.

Honma’s trademark curving sculptures are made of whole stems of smoked dwarf bamboo (hōbichiku) bent over a gas burner and combined with finely split strips of madake bamboo. He is also known for his ‘plaited’ wall panels, exhibited at the Nitten in 1983 (‘Special Recognition Award’) and 1985. Honma was presented with the Minister of Education Award in 1994 and the Prime Minister’s Award in 2002, both at the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition. His works are in the collections of institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Sado Museum, Sado, Niigata; Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Nagaoka, Niigata; and the Niigata City Museum, Niigata City.

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Mimura Chikuhō (b. 1973) Born in Tokyo, Mimura Chikuhō trained initially as a musician and studied the trombone at the conservatoire in Heidelberg. He studied at both the well-known bamboo training school and the research institute at Ōita and continued with two and a half years of study under the Beppu-based bamboo master Shōhaku Yufu. His artist name Chikuhō, meaning ‘Bamboo Shoot’ was conferred on him by Shōkaku in 2000. From the early 2000s, Mimura has exhibited at a number of venues in the West, including at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco in 2003 and he was selected as a finalist at the ‘Next Generation Festival’, San Francisco in 2007. In 2014, he moved to Kunisaki and started the Chikuhō Bamboo Art Lab. Inspired by nature and the elements, especially the wind and waves, some of his sculptural works use tonal contrasts created by thin strips of bamboo woven in different directions (yatara-ami). His works are in the collections of the following institutions: the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

Morigami Jin (b. 1955) Born in Beppu City, Ōita prefecture, Morigami is from a family of long-established bamboo artisans and he studied at the Ōita Beppu Industrial Crafts Laboratory. As a young artist, his work was selected for the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) in 1988 and 1989, and more recently again in 2005. His work has also been selected for the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition. He has, in addition, received acclaim abroad. In 2004, he was a finalist in the Cotsen Bamboo Awards. His works featured in the New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters exhibition at the Japan Society, New York in 2008 and the Fendre l’Air, L’art du bamboo au Japan, at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris in 2018. Some of his more recognizable bamboo sculptures are of anthropomorphic three-dimensional shapes made of openwork hexagons each formed from six bamboo strips (mutsume-ami). His works are in the collections of institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Denver Art Museum, Denver; the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris; Beppu City Traditional Crafts Centre, Beppu; Ōita Prefectural Art Museum, Ōita.

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Tanabe Chikuunsai IV (b. 1973) Tanabe Chikuunsai IV is the fourth generation of an illustrious family of bamboo masters from Sakai, Osaka prefecture. Following a degree in sculpture at the Tokyo University of the Arts, he began an apprenticeship under his father, the renowned bamboo master, Tanabe Chikuunsai III (1940-2014) and he himself assumed the title of Tanabe Chikuunsai IV in 2017. Tanabe Chikuunsai IV has exhibited widely in Japan and abroad, in both individual and group shows. In 2012, he was selected by the National Policy Unit in Japan as part of the ‘Global Messengers of Japan Project.’ Recent participations include the travelling exhibition, Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection which started at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2017, where his large bamboo installation graced the entrance and Fendre l’Air, L’art du bamboo au Japan, at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris in 2018.

Recently, in 2021, he won the first Mingei-Guimet Prize. His works are in the collections of institutions including the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Musée Guimet, Paris; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and The Imperial Household Agency, Japan.

(Photo credit: Minamoto Tadayuki)

Ueno Masao (1949-2019) From Negano prefecture, Ueno Masao originally trained as an architect at the Shibaura Institute of Technology. In 1979, he was apprenticed to the bamboo master Honma Kazuaki (1930-2017) and in 1983, he worked at the studio of Kondou Shousaku. Ueno participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, both in Japan and in the West, including Japanese Contemporary Bamboo Art at the MFA, Boston in 2006 and the New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters exhibition at the Japan Society, New York in 2008. He produced specially commissioned work for the 2011 Basketry exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich and in 2017 for the headquarters of the Pritzker Organization, Chicago, as well as creating large-scale outdoor projects in Thailand, Indonesia, China and England. His geometrically precise works combine the innovative use of computer design software with traditional technical skills and are found in the collections of many institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute of Japanese Art, San Francisco; the MFA, Boston; Sumida Riverside Gallery, Tokyo; and the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.

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Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) A native of Saiki, Ōita prefecture, Yonezawa Jirō’s early interests included self-sufficient agriculture and a period on a farm in Ōita, where he first encountered bamboo working. He studied at both the well-known bamboo training school and the research institute at Ōita. Yonezawa is unique amongst current Japanese bamboo artists in having spent a large part of his career in the States, primarily in Portland, Oregon: he lived and worked there from 1989, only returning to Saiki in 2007. He has received numerous awards, including the Cotsen ‘Celebration of the Next Generation’ prize in 2006 and several prizes at the Kyūshū New Craft Exhibition, in 2011 (Ōita Governor’s Award), 2016 and 2017. In 2021 he was the ‘Public Choice’ at the Mingei-Guimet Bamboo Prize. He has exhibited widely in Japan, notably five times at the Nitten exhibitions. His numerous group exhibitions in the West include the recent Fendre l’Air, L’art du bamboo au Japan, at the Musée du Quai BranlyJacques Chirac, Paris in 2018. His sculptures are notable for their inclusion of unusual materials such as steel wire and plastic and are in various institutions including the Musée Guimet, Paris; Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris; the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, Hanford, California; Portland Art Museum, Portland; Microsoft Corporation, Seattle; the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; and the Beppu City Traditional Crafts Centre, Beppu.

Yufu Shōhaku (b. 1941) Born in Beppu, Ōita prefecture, Yufu Shōhaku studied under his father, the bamboo master Yufu Chikuryu. He has exhibited and received awards at various exhibitions including at the Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition, the Ōita Prefecture Art Exhibition and the Ōita Craft Exhibition. In 2018, he was designated a ‘Special Person of Cultural Merits’ by Beppu City and in 2021, he was designated a ‘Person of Cultural Merits’ for Traditional Crafts Industry by the Kyūshū Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry. He has also been certified as a ‘First-class Skilled Technician’ and a ‘Traditional Craftsman’ by the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. Yufu’s work is distinguished by his technique of yataraami (random knitting) incorporating large pieces of bamboo culm and rhizome. A large part of his practice currently includes training the younger generation of bamboo artists in this technique.

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Mrs Sumie Takahashi demonstrating ikebana at a selection of events

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A Master of Ikebana: Mrs Sumie Takahashi Mrs Sumie Takahashi is a Master of the Nippon Kadō Koryū School of Ikebana. Founded in 1925 by Ichiyo Tsurata, it is one of the main ikebana schools and follows the classical traditions. Some modern free-style work is taught but classical arrangements are emphasized.

Mrs Takahashi began her studies at the age of fifteen, qualifying as a teacher three years later.

At the age of twenty-five, she then continued with the time-honoured tradition of going to stay in the Grand Master’s (lemoto) house, living with his family and helping with the running of the ikebana school. This arduous apprenticeship, involving long days of hard and often laborious tasks, lasted five years. She began teaching independently after leaving the Grand Master’s studio. However, Mrs Takahashi had already been assisting with the Grand Master’s classes while an apprentice with him. Teaching in the Grand Master’s studio, as opposed to holding classes elsewhere, meant that her own students would have included experienced teachers, i.e. she was at a level where these teachers would also have had their own students.

Mrs Takahashi came to England with her husband in 1971. As a member of the Tokyo Chapter of Ikebana International, she had met many visiting members from England and, once in London, she joined the London Chapter. She has served on the committee and remains an active member of the Chapter.

Ikebana has taken Mrs Takahashi to many different countries. Highlights include exhibition displays as part of the eightieth birthday celebrations of the President of Taiwan in 1968 and exhibiting with the Japanese Grand Master’s group during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.

She was also invited to create ikebana arrangements at the Japan Embassy in Greece during the 1986 Japanese Culture Week. She toured the UK during the 1992 UK Japan Festival, giving demonstrations in both ikebana and in tea ceremony. More recently she has been to Sudan and to New Zealand to give demonstrations.

An Interview with Mrs Sumie Takahashi Eskenazi Limited: Please can you tell us a little about your training, how you became interested in ikebana?

Mrs Takahashi: It was and, to some extent, continues to be usual for women to learn either tea ceremony or ikebana before getting married. I started lessons from the age of fifteen, after leaving junior high school.

E: What were the main milestones on your journey to becoming an ikebana Master?

Mrs T: I had obtained my teacher’s certificate at the age of eighteen but after a while, I was keen to pursue the discipline to a higher level. I therefore decided to study with the Grand Master at his house. There is a traditional system in Japan whereby you live with the Grand Master and become part of the household. Every evening after the end of lessons for day students, I would be given material and asked to decide the most appropriate arrangement style and container. The regular practice would be for the Grand Master to give a student the flower materials, container and tell them what style of arrangement to do. This leads to more indepth knowledge, such as how to assess branches for their most appropriate use. My daughter describes this as the ability to see the main ‘line’ of the branch, without getting distracted by the leaves. After two years, the Grand Master said that I could help with lessons at the Grand Master’s studio. The significance of this is that day students who study directly with the Grand Master tend to be practicing at a much higher level, for example, they are teachers themselves.

E: Please can you tell us a little about the school of ikebana you belong to, its philosophy and what the main practising principles of this school are?

Mrs T.: There are classical and modern arrangements in ikebana. The school I belong to is Nippon Kadō Koryū and is a traditional, classical school. However, as the environment is one element of the arrangement, the school now also practices modern arrangements, which can be more appropriate in a contemporary setting.

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E: Are the principles of shin (heaven), tai (human) and tome (earth) an important part of your ikebana practice? Are there key rules you use when creating an ikebana arrangement?

Mrs T.: Shin, tai and tome make up the framework of every ikebana arrangement. They make a three-dimensional triangle which creates space in which to add colour. Creating a balance with the space is key to a sense of peace and calm.

E: Do you favour one type of container over another, in terms of shape or material and does it vary according to the season?

Mrs T.: For ikebana, every element from material, container, season and environment is important, i.e. the material, season and environment will lead me to favour a type of container.

E: Please could you share with us the process by which you plan, visualize and execute an arrangement?

Mrs T.: Firstly, it is important to know what kind of arrangement is required and what the occasion is. For example, an arrangement for an exhibition would be very different to an arrangement for a cloakroom. Once I understand the impact that is required and know the location/environment, I can then decide on the material and container, depending on the season.

E: In your view, what are the most important or vital elements which contribute to the success of an arrangement?

Mrs T.: Understanding the occasion and expectations for the arrangement are key. The rest, such as the season, appropriate material, container, will all fall into place.

E: The concept of space or a void is important in some schools of ikebana - could you explain a little about this idea and how it is important in your arrangements?

Mrs T.: There is a difference between an empty void and a space which feels comfortable. An ikebana arrangement should create a sense of peace and calm, even if it is a modern style of arrangement.

E: Do you think the viewer needs to understand the philosophy behind ikebana to appreciate your arrangements?

Mrs. T.: I want someone purely to enjoy my ikebana arrangement. And relax.

E.: We know that the language of flowers and their meanings are important - what are the key flowers and their meanings as we move now from the end of spring to the beginning of summer?

Mrs. T.: In the spring, I would lean towards seasonal materials in pink and yellow. They feel soft. Summer needs more green, otherwise pink and yellow feel ‘sleepy’.

E.: From an outsider’s viewpoint, it sometimes seems that rules and structures are important to ikebana, yet closeness to nature and the appearance of naturalness is very important. Please could you talk a little about this apparent contradiction.

Mrs. T.: The rules follow nature, for example, inside the branches, there are flowers. The flowers would never overwhelm the branches, as in nature.

E: Although ikebana traditionally was first practised by monks and shōguns in Japan, today it seems that proportionally more women are involved. Is this the case and do you see an interest in this art form from the younger generation?

Mrs T.: By numbers, there are now more women who are studying ikebana in Japan, but men take it on as a profession so advance through the schools. Most Grand Masters are male which is also influenced by the tradition of continuation from father to son. There are also some women studying ikebana and tea ceremony before embarking on married life to Japan today, and so the interest continues at different levels.

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Catalogue

Contemporary bamboo: masters from Japan

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1 Honma Kazuaki (1930-2017) Rising Cumulonimbus Cloud (Yu-un), 2010 Bamboo (hōbichiku and madake), rattan Height: 49.0cm Width: 56.0cm Depth: 32.0cm

30 30

2 Ueno Masao (1949-2019) Inside Out, 2014 Signed: Masao Bamboo (madake), rattan Height: 53.0cm Width: 57.0cm Depth: 40.0cm

32 32

3 Morigami Jin (b. 1955) Crimson no. 2 (Kurenai), 2020 Signed: Jin Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 38.0cm Width: 38.0cm Depth: 34.0cm

34 34

4 Morigami Jin (b. 1955) Musou (Peerless), 2015 Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 58.0cm Width: 48.0cm Depth: 45.0cm

36 36

5 Morigami Jin (b. 1955) Twin Dragon II (Souryu II), 2006 Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 48.0cm Width: 54.5cm Depth: 47.5cm

38 38

6 Mimura Chikuhō (b. 1973) Wind Pattern (Fumon), 2017 Signed: Chikuhō Bamboo, lacquer Height: 36.5cm Width: 36.5cm Depth: 31.0cm

40 40

7 Tanabe Chikuunsai IV (b. 1973) and Sawako Kaijima (b. 1976) Disappear VIII (Utakata), 2017 Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 32.5cm Width: 49.0cm Depth: 27.0cm

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8 Tanabe Chikuunsai IV (b. 1973) and Sawako Kaijima (b. 1976) Disappear II (Utakata), 2020 SIgned: Made by Chikuunsai Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 57.0cm Width: 24.0cm Depth: 23.5cm

44 44

9 Honda Shōryū (b. 1951) In the Air (Sora), 2018 Signed: Shōryū Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 32.5cm Width: 54.0cm Depth: 26.0cm

46 46

10 Honda Shōryū (b. 1951) Infinity (Ren), 2015 Signed: Shōryū Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 45.5cm Width: 71.0cm Depth: 48.5cm

48 48

11 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Bamboo hanging wall vase (Orikaeshi-hanaire), 2019 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (mousouchiku), lacquer Height: 26.5cm Width: 12.5cm Depth: 7.0cm 12 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Bamboo hanging wall vase (Orikaeshi-hanaire), 2019 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (mousouchiku), lacquer Height: 26.5cm Width: 11.0cm Depth: 6.0cm

50 50

13 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Bagworm (Minomushi), 2020 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (nemagaridake), steel, lacquer Height: 53.0cm Width: 25.5cm Depth: 20.0cm

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14 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Tree (Ki), 2018 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (madake), steel, rattan, lacquer Height: 164.5cm Width: 7.5cm Depth: 7.0cm

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15 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Cocoon, 2017 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (shichiku and kurochiku), brass wire, lacquer Height: 94.0cm Width: 19.0cm Depth: 20.0cm

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16 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Old Well (Furuido), 2021 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (nemagaridake), rattan, vine (kazura), lacquer Height: 36.5cm Width: 79.5cm Depth: 75.5cm

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17 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Red Fossil (Akai-kaseki), 2020 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 34.0cm Width: 48.0cm Depth: 42.0cm

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18 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Ladybug (red) (Tentou-mushi), 2021 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (shinchiku), copper, copper pipe, lacquer Height: 15.0cm Width: 12.5cm Depth: 12.0cm

19 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Ladybug (red) (Tentou-mushi), 2021 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (nemagaridake), copper, copper pipe, lacquer Height: 16.0cm Width: 11.5cm Depth: 11.5cm

20 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Ladybug (red) (Tentou-mushi), 2020 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (nemagaridake), copper, copper pipe, lacquer Height: 16.0cm Width: 12.5cm Depth: 11.5cm

21 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Ladybug (red) (Tentou-mushi), 2021 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (nemagaridake), copper, copper pipe, lacquer Height: 16.5cm Width: 11.7cm Depth: 11.7cm

22 Yonezawa Jirō (b. 1956) Red Fissure (Akai-kiretsu), 2021 Signed: Jirō Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 62.0cm Width: 48.0cm Depth: 36.0cm

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23 Yufu Shōhaku (b. 1941) Flower basket Signed: Made by Shōhaku Bamboo (madake and kinmei-mousouchiku), rattan, lacquer Height: 57.0cm Width: 51.0cm Depth: 45.0cm

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24 Yufu Shōhaku (b. 1941) Flower basket Signed: Shōhaku Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer Height: 86.5cm Width: 25.0cm Depth: 25.0cm

68 68

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Works of art purchased from Eskenazi Ltd. London, are now in the following museum collections:

Ackland Art Museum, North Carolina Arita Porcelain Park Museum, Saga Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Asia House, Mr and Mrs John D Rockefeller 3rd Collection, New York Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama British Museum, London Brooklyn Museum, New York Chang Foundation, Taibei Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Corning Museum of Glass, Corning Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Dayton Art Institute, Dayton Denver Art Museum, Denver Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware, Hong Kong Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Hagi Uragami Museum, Hagi Hakone Museum of Art, Hakone Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Israel Museum, Jerusalem Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, Rome Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi, Osaka Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi M Woods Museum, Beijing Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Miho Museum, Shigaraki Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis MOA Museum of Art, Atami Musée Ariana, Geneva Musée des arts asiatiques, Nice Musée national des arts asiatiques Guimet, Paris

Musées royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg Museum für Lackkunst, Münster Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Museum of Islamic Art, Doha Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka Museum Rietberg, Zurich National Gallery of Australia, Canberra National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City Nezu Museum, Tokyo Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena Östasiatiska Museet, Stockholm Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Speed Art Museum, Louisville State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Beijing Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Tokyo Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong Tsz Shan Monastery Buddhist Art Museum, Hong Kong Victoria and Albert Museum, London Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond Worcester Art Museum, Worcester Zhiguan Museum of Fine Art, Beijing

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Previous Exhibitions

March 1972 Inaugural exhibition Early Chinese ceramics and works of art.

June 1972 Georges Rouault, an exhibition arranged by Richard Nathanson.

June 1973 Ancient Chinese bronze vessels, gilt bronzes and early ceramics.

November 1973 Chinese ceramics from the Cottle collection.

December 1973 Japanese netsuke formerly in the collection of Dr Robert L Greene.

June 1974 Early Chinese ceramics and works of art.

November 1974 Japanese inro- from the collection of E A Wrangham.

May 1975 Japanese netsuke and inro- from private collections.

June 1975 Ancient Chinese bronzes from the Stoclet and Wessén collections.

June 1976 Chinese jades from a private collection.

June 1976 Michael Birch netsuke and sculpture.

June 1976 Japanese netsuke and inro- from private collections.

June 1977 Ancient Chinese bronze vessels, gilt bronzes and sculptures; two private collections, one formerly part of the Minkenhof collection.

June 1978 Ancient Chinese sculpture.

June 1978 Michael Webb netsuke.

June 1978 Eighteenth to twentieth century netsuke.

June 1979 Japanese netsuke from private collections.

June 1980 Japanese netsuke from private collections and Michael Webb netsuke.

July 1980 Ancient Chinese bronzes and gilt bronzes from the Wessén and other collections.

December 1980 Chinese works of art from the collection of J M A J Dawson.

October 1981 Japanese netsuke and inro- from the collection of Professor and Mrs John Hull Grundy and other private collections.

December 1981 Ancient Chinese sculpture.

October 1982 Japanese inro- from private collections.

November 1983 Michael Webb, an English carver of netsuke.

October 1984 Japanese netsuke, ojime, inro- and lacquer-ware.

June 1985 Ancient Chinese bronze vessels, gilt bronzes, inlaid bronzes, silver, jades, ceramics – Twenty five years.

December 1986 Japanese netsuke, ojime, inro- and lacquer-ware.

June 1987 Tang.

June 1989 Chinese and Korean art from the collections of Dr Franco Vannotti, Hans Popper and others.

November 1989 Japanese lacquer-ware from the Verbrugge collection.

December 1989 Chinese art from the Reach family collection.

May 1990 Japanese netsuke from the Lazarnick collection.

June 1990 Ancient Chinese sculpture from the Alsdorf collection and others.

November 1990 The Charles A Greenfield collection of Japanese lacquer.

June 1991 Inlaid bronze and related material from pre-Tang China.

November 1992 Japanese lacquer-ware – recent acquisitions.

December 1992 Chinese lacquer from the Jean-Pierre Dubosc collection and others.

June 1993 Early Chinese art from tombs and temples.

June 1993 Japanese netsuke from the Carré collection.

June 1994 Yuan and early Ming blue and white porcelain.

June 1995 Early Chinese art: 8th century BC – 9th century AD. October 1995 Adornment for Eternity, loan exhibition from the Denver Art Museum.

June 1996 Sculpture and ornament in early Chinese art.

November 1996 Japanese inro- and lacquer-ware from a private Swedish collection.

March 1997 Ceramic sculpture from Han and Tang China.

June 1997 Chinese Buddhist sculpture.

June 1997 Japanese netsuke, ojime and inro- from the Dawson collection.

November 1997 Japanese netsuke – recent acquisitions.

March 1998 Animals and animal designs in Chinese art.

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June 1998 November 1998 March 1999 November 1999 March 2000 November 2000 March 2001 November 2001 March 2002 November 2002 March 2003 November 2003 March 2004 November 2004 March 2005 November 2005 March 2006 June 2006 November 2006 March 2007 November 2007 March 2008 October 2008 October 2009 March 2010 November 2010 March 2011

November 2011 November 2011 November 2012 October 2013 October 2013 October 2014 October 2014 May 2015 October 2015 October 2016 November 2016 November 2017 May 2018 May 2018 November 2018 November 2019 October 2021

Japanese netsuke, ojime and inro- from a private European collection.

Chinese works of art and furniture.

Ancient Chinese bronzes and ceramics.

Ancient Chinese bronzes from an English private collection.

Masterpieces from ancient China.

Chinese furniture of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Tang ceramic sculpture.

Chinese ceramic vessels 500 – 1000 AD. Chinese Buddhist sculpture from Northern Wei to Ming.

Two rare Chinese porcelain fish jars of the 14th and 16th centuries.

Chinese works of art from the Stoclet collection.

Song: Chinese ceramics, 10th to 13th century.

Chinese Buddhist figures.

A selection of Ming and Qing porcelain.

Ancient Chinese bronzes and sculpture.

Song ceramics from the Hans Popper collection.

A selection of early Chinese bronzes.

Recent paintings by Arnold Chang.

Chinese porcelain from the 15th to the 18th century.

Song: Chinese ceramics, 10th to 13th century (part 3).

Mountain landscapes by Li Huayi.

Chinese sculpture and works of art.

Chinese ceramics and stone sculpture.

Seven classical Chinese paintings.

Trees, rocks, mist and mountains by Li Huayi.

Fiftieth anniversary exhibition: twelve Chinese masterworks.

Early Chinese metalwork in gold and silver; works of art of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Chinese huanghuali furniture from a private collection.

The twelve animals of the zodiac by Li Huayi.

Qing porcelain from a private collection.

Junyao.

Bo Ju Gui: an important Chinese archaic bronze.

Waterfalls, rocks and bamboo by Li Huayi.

Chinese sculpture c. 500 - 1500.

Principal wares of the Song period from a private collection.

Transfigured echoes: recent paintings by Liu Dan. Recent paintings by Zeng Xiaojun.

Early Chinese art from private collections.

Six Dynasties art from the Norman A. Kurland collection, Part one.

Song: Chinese ceramics, 10th to 13th century (part 5).

Gogottes: a rift in time.

Six Dynasties art from the Norman A. Kurland collection, Part two.

Room for study: fifty scholars’ objects.

Tang: ceramics, metalwork and sculpture.

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ESKENAZI Oriental Art 10 Clifford Street London W1S 2LJ Telephone: 020 7493 5464 Fax: 020 7499 3136 e-mail: gallery@eskenazi.co.uk web: www.eskenazi.co.uk