Monden Yuichi

MO NDEN YUICHI

Dancing Harmony, 2014,18 Ă— 19.5 Ă— 11 inches

Wave Prayer, 2012, 22.25 × 14.75 × 9.5 inches

MONDEN YUICHI Hiroko Fukuda Siddiqi A strong desire to make something beautiful out of a unique medium, bamboo, must have dwelled in Monden Yuichi’s mind for a long time.

Yuichi grew up watching his father playing with, wrestling, and subsequently conquering bamboo. Bamboo always surrounded him, a fateful relationship that began at birth through his father, Monden Kogyoku, a renowned bamboo artist.

Kogyoku, now 102 years old, was born and raised in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima. After studying under Kadota Niko, a master craftsman and artist in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, the main production area of traditional bamboo crafts in Japan, Kogyoku returned to his hometown and started creating bamboo handicrafts. In those days, utilitarian baskets and strainers were in high demand.

To make a living as a bamboo craftsman, Kogyoku had to learn to produce a large number of inexpensive bamboo products quickly. Doing this every day over many years was excellent training for Kogyoku.

Almost unanimously, bamboo artisans say that they hesitate to let their children take over the trade because of the likely financial hardship. I wonder if Kogyoku felt the same way, wanting to spare Yuichi from the hard work.

However, although Yuichi pursued a career in analytical chemistry, he was gradually drawn back to bamboo.

Yuichi remembers one day when he, at the age of 34, suddenly felt an unstoppable urge to make something out of bamboo. He realized then that the time had come for him to start creating, and in 1975, he created his first original artwork using his father’s scrap materials. As early as the following year, he won the Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Award at the Workers Art Exhibition of Hiroshima Prefecture. After this, night after night, for several years, Yuichi experimented and struggled with shinodake, a short, thin species of bamboo, at his father’s studio. He continued to work on his art while keeping his day job, and was determined to submit his work every year, at least, to the Annual Competition of Art in Hiroshima Prefecture. In 1998, at the age of 56, he decided to quit his engineering job to devote himself to bamboo art. From April 1999 to May 2000, he studied at the training center in Beppu and also under Tanabe Nobuyuki, whose artist name is Kochikusai, a student of the first Living National Treasure in bamboo art, Shono Shounsai. Through this apprenticeship, Yuichi improved his techniques and broadened his knowledge in bamboo art.

Since 2002, Yuichi has submitted his works annually to the Japan Modern Craft Exhibition and the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition. He is also an organizer of the Fukuyama Craft Arts Association, which aims to gain publicity for bamboo art in Japan and foster talented students. Furthermore, Yuichi showed his talent in the field of restoration last year by giving new life to the Uma - Jirushi, the Horse Banner — one of the most important cultural assets of Hiroshima. The banner is associated with the Asano Clan, who made a triumphant entry into Hiroshima some 400 years ago in the early Edo period. During this period of warring states, each military commander had his own ornamental banner to show his location on the battlefield. The Uma- Jirushi, made of bamboo woven into the shape of a long cylindrical hat, was in bad condition, and Yuichi was selected for the important work of restoring it. He carefully examined the thickness and size of the strips of bamboo, replicated the damaged parts, and successfully completed the restoration.

The only bamboo that Yuichi uses now is madake grown in Beppu. He uses madake for its balance of stiffness and flexibility. Yuichi works with intensity in the studio he shares with his father. When Yuichi expressed his determination to quit his job and take an apprenticeship in bamboo art, his father immediately advised him that he should study under Tanabe Nobuyuki of Beppu. While his face remained stern, Kogyoku was surely rejoicing internally over his son’s decision.

The techniques that go into creating bamboo artworks are roughly divided into two categories: plaiting or weaving, and construction or assembly. Within these two categories, there are many unique techniques and variations. Ochi Matsuba, Fallen Pine Needles, is a technique Yuichi has inherited from his father. Pliant, thin strips of bamboo are woven freely and without fuss in layers, creating complex details and profoundly beautiful depth which one never tires of viewing. Yuichi is also particularly strong with assemblage. Yuichi developed a sincere attitude toward bamboo art by reflecting on, but not imitating, his father’s style. He creates his own exuberant sculptural forms which express the vital energy of bamboo.

In 2004, the exhibition Bamboo Masterworks: Japanese Baskets from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection was held in the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum. In the museum we held workshops during which participants learned to make a basket using pre-prepared strips of bamboo. Along with these workshops, we asked Yuichi to demonstrate the process of preparing the material. Yuichi came and showed visitors how a whole, round culm of bamboo is split into the thin strips.

He was enthusiastic, showing genuine enjoyment and profound love towards this unique material. I still fondly remember those days we enjoyed together

with Yuichi and his group of friends and students during the exhibition fifteen years ago.

Yuichi has had work included in two group shows at TAI Gallery: The Next Generation, a show of emerging artists in 2002 and a two -person show with his father, Father and Son: 107 Years of Bamboo Art, Monden Kogyoku and Yuichi in 2010. Now, at the age of 77, considered a significant age in Japan and cause for celebration, Yuichi is fully prepared for this solo exhibition at the same gallery, now TAI Modern.

Please enjoy this special exhibition outlining Monden Yuichi’s 43 years of innovative and ingenious bamboo art.

Hiroko Fukuda Siddiqi is the Chief Curator of the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, Japan.

Zazen, 2008, 7.5 × 13.25 × 13 inches

Swirling Current, 2014, 15.5 Ă— 17.5 Ă— 17.5 inches

Swell, 1980, 20.75 × 17 × 16.75 inches

Q & A WI TH MONDEN YUICHI When you were young, what did you think of bamboo art?

When I was young, my father’s business was making kitchen strainers, so I was a bit indifferent towards bamboo. But when my father’s teacher, Kadota Niko, came to visit Fukuyama, he would always stop by and talk to my father about the bamboo arts in Beppu. Hearing these conversations is what first sparked my interest in bamboo art. Kadota Niko was always so nice to me — I called him my “grandpa from Beppu.” When he visited my father, Kadota would bring small photos of the brand-new designs in his recent pieces. My father Kogyoku showed great interest in these but was not making art in those days (1950s to 60s ). I knew so little about the fine art side of bamboo, seeing Kadota’s modern oshibori tray using line - construction, rather than the chrysanthemum plaiting I was used to, shocked me. Over time, I know Kogyoku was inspired by those conversations with Niko, and sometimes in one of my father’s later works from his solo shows at Tenmanya Gallery, I felt I could recognize some remnant of Kadota’s pieces he had seen in those photos.

What led you to eventually become a bamboo artist?

First was my training period in Beppu, where I was very lucky to have the opportunity to study under three great teachers: Tanabe Kochikusai, Okazaki Chikuhosai II, and Sugawara Hiromi. Tanabe and Okazaki, who themselves went through traditional apprenticeships, did not give me much instruction but would tell me to “observe and steal.” On the other hand, Sugawara would thoroughly explain things to me. Through getting to know and learn from these wonderful people, I became more serious about my art. While in Beppu, I thought I had learned all the basics — I later realized that I was so wrong!

Then, in 2002, I was invited by Rob Coffland, founder of TAI Gallery, to participate in a group show he was holding in Santa Fe. The other artists in the show were all established professionals — Tanioka Shigeo, Yamaguchi Ryuun, Morigami Jin, Honma Hideaki, Kawano Shoko — and I felt out of place showing my work alongside those who already had decorated careers as bamboo artists.

To my great surprise, one of the gallery’s clients purchased both of my artworks during the opening! I remember that the couple who purchased my Fallen Pine Needle Flower Basket couldn’t take their eyes off of it; it was an incredible moment for me to witness someone who really loved my work! Within a few years, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco also acquired one of my pieces. Having these experiences as an emerging artist and getting sincere encouragement from the gallery’s owner cemented my decision to become a professional artist.

What is your process? Do you know what you want the finished piece to look like ahead of time, or do you figure it out as you are working on it?

Every time I make a piece, I have to go through a loss of confidence first. Even though I have a clear vision of what I would like to make in the beginning, sometimes my technical limitations don’t allow the bamboo to take that shape.

Having and missing the deadlines for an exhibition will also give me a loss of confidence. I am slow — It takes me so long to complete a piece. I consider myself to be my own harshest critic. However, starting my career late, not yet having mastered enough skills, or my slower pace are never good enough reasons for me not to push myself to create a good piece. Every attempt I make, I have to get better.

What inspires you?

Sometimes it’s a word I like, other times a photo of something I saw while traveling or exploring nature.

Your father Monden Kogyoku is also a bamboo artist. How has your personal relationship impacted your art?

It was only when I came to Beppu that I realized how renowned a bamboo artist Kogyoku is.“You are the son of Kogyoku!” — every artist I met there knew and respected him. He was too big of a figure in Beppu, so I grew to hate hearing someone say I am the successor of Kogyoku. I felt so much pressure every time I heard his name mentioned.

When I was making my pieces as an amateur and would ask Kogyoku for technical advice, he would just take the piece and do it himself. It was so much faster for him to show me what to do rather than explaining in words. Once I began submitting to Nitten, Kogyoku stopped giving me any critiques or technical advice.

After struggling in my own creative process, I have come to realize how great of an artist Kogyoku is. A few years ago, Mr. Okada of TAI Modern asked me to document my father’s techniques in video. Doing so forced me to recognize the unbelievable skills he has honed. There are pros and cons of sharing a studio space with Kogyoku. One great advantage is I can watch and learn from his incredible technique. The disadvantage is that he is not approving of my work — even though he won’t say it in words, it is so obvious.

What response do you want viewers to have to the works in this show?

I want viewers to see the shapes in space and the technique that goes into plaiting so many very thin strips of bamboo.

Fallen Pine Needle Basket, 2011, 19.5 × 14 × 9 inches

Flower of Waves, 2011, 23.5 × 25 × 18 inches

Born, 2009, 10.5 × 18 × 11.5 inches

Bright 99, 2015 16 × 17.25 × 9 inches

Wave Song, 2011, 21 × 25.5 × 12.75 inches

Playful Spheres, 2015 26 × 14.5 × 12.5 inches

Roaring Seas, 2009 22 × 22 × 20.5 inches

Wing 100, 2016, 13 × 21.5 × 19.75 inches

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