TANAKA KYOKUSHO
THE MASTERY OF BAMBOO ARTIST
TANAKA KYOKUSHO
Melissa M. RinneFor over four decades, Tanaka Kyokusho’s baskets have been known for their distinctly urban sophistication and their elegant proportions. Perhaps this is only natural for an artist born into a multi - generational family of bamboo craftsmen in the heart of Tokyo and educated at one of Japan’s top universities. Recently, Tanaka and his family decided to leave city life behind for the mountains bordering Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. The works featured in this exhibition embody the techniques and artistry Tanaka has cultivated over decades, but they may also provide a glimpse into possibilities for the future as a result of this major lifestyle change.
MATERIALS, TECHNIQUES, AND COLORS
Tanaka’s works typically utilize fine strips of Japanese timber bamboo in varying widths. These might be laced together into polished forms using the technique of “thousand - line” parallel construction or plaited into billowy openwork vessels. Tanaka’s baskets are instantly recognizable for their chic tonality, often incorporating his signature black complemented by russets, oranges, yellows, or browns obtained from safflower, Amur cork, madder, Japanese green alder, or other natural colors. They are typically finished with a lustrous coating of buffed lacquer. Tanaka is one of the few bamboo artists today who uses such time - consuming vegetable dyes.
PREPARATION
There is no blueprint for the type of bamboo works in this exhibition their successful execution depends entirely on the resourcefulness of the artist. One challenge for Tanaka in his artistic journey was how to dye bamboo with vegetable dyes, a time-consuming process. Bamboo strips are long, narrow, and fragile, and unlike thread, they cannot be wound into skeins. Tanaka solved this problem by custom-ordering long, narrow stainless - steel dye vats that could hold the full length of the strips. He heats the dye baths over linear burners of the kind normally used at yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurants, which he found years ago in Tokyo’s restaurant supply district.
An even bigger challenge for artists is the need to innovate and create something original for every new artwork. Tanaka Kyokusho’s high standards and dedication to artistic vision are apparent in the careful experimentation he conducts prior to beginning each piece. Tanaka believes the sensibility conveyed by a completed basket can be significantly transformed through minor adjustments in widths, colors, and spacing of the material. Prior to settling on the specifications for any artwork, he spends days creating numerous sketches and actual samples to evaluate the visual effects of these diverse elements.
While many artists keep their creative processes secret, for this exhibition Tanaka has chosen to share this information for posterity. For each basket featured in this exhibition, the artist has produced a one- of- a- kind accompanying booklet that fully documents the production through photos, original sketches, and more. These booklets together with the finished baskets they describe will serve as an invaluable resource for bamboo art researchers in the future.
FORMS
Tanaka Kyokusho makes baskets in a wide range of shapes, but he also has some clear artistic preferences. Five works in this exhibition are elongated baskets, with or without handles. Kyokusho finds these boat - like shapes to be more elegant and ethereal than ordinary squares or rectangles. These shapes are also inspired by the slender ichimonji trays used in the literati practice of sencha tea preparation. Each elongated basket in this exhibition is distinct, combining various plaiting techniques or fine - line construction in contrasting colors. One unusual example even includes a luxurious application of gold.
Bamboo baskets that flare at the top and taper at the base, known as suehiro in Japanese, are considered auspicious, suggesting the expansion and flowering of good fortune. This inverted trapezoidal shape is quite challenging to execute in parallel construction, as in the basket Mononofu (Samurai). Bamboo naturally splits into straight, even strips. In order to create the tapered effect seen here, Tanaka had to painstakingly hand - plane each individual strip along both edges.
Tanaka Kyokusho’s new exploration into lidded baskets, inspired by Western covered dishes, resulted in two unusual creations that redefine the concept of concealed contents. Crafting these two - piece works proved especially challenging as the lids had to fit precisely over the trays. To achieve this, Kyokusho hand - carved wooden molds in the shape of the lids, over which he gradually acclimated the plaited bamboo using moisture to achieve a perfect form. Only then could he add the final finishing rim at the bottom. What treasure might one encase under such an enchanting cover?
No discussion of the forms of Tanaka’s baskets would be complete without mention of his elegant handles. He believes the shape and proportions of a handle can completely transform a basket. An ideal handle complements the body while simultaneously expanding upon it, incorporating the surrounding space into its sphere. Tanaka draws numerous sketches of prospective handles for each work before ultimately selecting the perfect design.
LEGACY AND NEW INSPIRATIONS
Tanaka Kyokusho’s talents have long been recognized in his home country. Starting with his very first submission 42 years ago, he has consistently been accepted into the annual Japan Traditional Koˉgei Exhibition led by the country’s Living National Treasures. Throughout the years, his works have received numerous significant awards, but one of the most prestigious came very recently.
Tanaka’s basket Kasumi ( Mist ), showcased in this TAI Modern exhibition, was also shown in the 63rd Exhibition of the East Japan Traditional Koˉgei held at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tokyo in May 2023. There it was awarded the prestigious Japan Koˉgei Association Prize a sort of peer - awarded “Best of Show” across all genres.
A tall diaphanous basket, this work has a delicate translucent body in two - toned openwork twill plaiting and a gracefully everted rim in fine linear construction. The oscillating visual effect of its walls emulates the fine, hazy vapor enveloping the slopes near Tanaka’s mountain residence in Nagano. This refined interplay of color, line, spacing and proportion, executed with uncompromising precision and artistic vision, perfectly encapsulate the creative mastery of bamboo artist, Tanaka Kyokusho.And perhaps it also foreshadows the increased influence of the natural world on his works in the future.
Melissa M. Rinne is a senior specialist at the Kyoto National Museum and chair of the International Committee for Decorative Arts and Design (ICDAD ) at the International Council of Museums (ICOM ). She was previously associate curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (2005 – 2013). Her publications include Masters of Bamboo: Artistic Lineages in the Lloyd Cotsen Japanese Basket Collection
Mist, 2023, 14.5 × 9.5 × 9.5 inches
ARTIST STATEMENT
Japanese bamboo art has carved out a unique space within the Asian cultural sphere. Japan is a long archipelago stretching horizontally for more than 2,000 kilometers from the islands of the South Sea to Hokkaido. Vertically, it is blessed with high mountains, moderate rainfall, and four distinct seasons. Even today, forests occupy nearly 70% of its land, and bamboo forests are found throughout the country except on Hokkaido. Japanese bamboo, even when split and sliced thin, is sturdy, and its hardness is balanced by its spring - like elasticity and flexibility.
There is madake bamboo that is flexible but with a strong enamel - like surface; black bamboo with its lustrous and glossy appearance; the tenacious nemagari bamboo that has survived cold winters in the mountains; and susutake bamboo that has been smoked by the hearths in thatched houses for hundreds of years. I am grateful to have contended with such unique natural materials for 55 years. In creating my works, I try to keep the design as simple as possible and create works with delicacy and strength.
After 115 years in business since its founding in 1906, our family shop relocated from Tokyo to Nagasaka in Yamanashi Prefecture last year. Our new neighborhood is dotted with museums and is home to many artists. With birds chirping around the studio and pleasant breezes coming into the space, we spend each day with a refreshed mind. I secretly hope that such an environment will have a positive influence on my work.
This will be my third solo exhibition at TAI Modern. I look forward to seeing you all in Santa Fe.
n Tanaka KyokushoTransparent Twill - plaited Offering Tray with Contrasting Colors , 2016 5.25 × 19.75 × 6.75 inches
TANAKA KYOKUSHO
Born 1947, Tokyo, Japan
EDUCATION
1972 Graduated from Waseda University
1976 Graduated from Oita Prefectural Bamboo Craft Training Center
EXHIBTIONS + ACCOLADES
1979 Admitted to 19th Eastern Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition for the first time (thereafter every year)
Admitted to 27th Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition for the first time ( thereafter many times )
1984 Winner of Tokyo Educational Committee Award at 24th Eastern Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition
1989 Winner of Mitsukoshi Department Store Award at 29th Eastern Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition
Solo Exhibition at MOA Gallery, Nagoya
Winner of Tokyo Educational Committee Award at 4th Japan
Traditional Craft Arts, Wood and Bamboo Exhibition
Winner of Japan Craft Arts Association Chairman’s Award at 37th Japan Traditional Crafts Arts Exhibition
Appeared on NHK television program “Sunday Art Museum”
1994 Winner of Japan Craft Art Association Award at 6th Japan
Traditional Craft Arts, Wood and Bamboo Exhibition
1997 Solo Exhibition, Yu Gallery, Akasaka, Tokyo (thereafter two times)
2002 The Next Generation , University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
2003 The Classic Japanese Basket , TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2004 Winner of Prince Takamatsu Award in 51st Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition ( the winning piece purchased by the Imperial Household Agency )
Exhibited in the Hand Workshop Art Center, Richmond, VA
2005 Two - person exhibition at TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Weavers of Wonder, Naples Museum, Naples, FL
2006 Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Bamboo Art, Grinnell College, IA
Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Bamboo Art , Chicago Cultural Center, IL
2007 Masters of Bamboo , Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
2008 Awarded the “Purple Ribbon” by the Japanese Congress for lifetime achievement in the arts. This award is presented by the Emperor.
2009 Public lecture and demonstration at the Asian Art Museum
2010 Craft Arts in the 21st Century: A View from Abroad , MOA Museum of Art, Atami
2011 Winner of Governor of Iwate Prefecture Prize at 51st Eastern Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition
2013 Winner of the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Prize at 14th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Wood and Bamboo Exhibition
2015 Solo exhibition, TAI Modern, Santa Fe, NM
2017 Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Masterpieces of Japanese Bamboo Art, TAI Modern at Joan B. Mirviss LTD, New York, NY
2020 Masterpieces of Bamboo Art: Katsushiro Soho and Fujinuma Noboru, Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Utsunomiya
2021 Ten Thousand Flowers , TAI Modern, Santa Fe, NM
2023 Winner of Japan Craft Arts Association Award in the 63rd Eastern Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition
Creative Splendor: Japanese Bamboo Baskets from the Thoma Collection , San Antonio Museum of Art, TX
The Splendor of Bamboo: Japanese Contemporary Baskets , Charles B. Wang Center, Stony Brook University, NY
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Imperial Household, Japan
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
Nasunogahara Museum, Japan
