TA N A K A K Y O K U S H O
Tanaka Kyokusho began his career devoted to custom and legacy. Freshly graduated from the Advanced Training Center for Bamboo Studies in Beppu, he built his pieces from the bottom up, in the traditional way, with designs influenced by the basketmaking of his ancestors. In each, he was tempted to demonstrate all the techniques he had mastered. But quickly he recognized in himself the need for perpetual change. Over time, his baskets have evolved into sleek, minimal objects of great refinement, constructed of thinly sliced, stacked, and threaded rattan and bamboo, a crisscross technique of his own invention. While his work pays homage to the traditions of his grandfather and father, both bamboo artisans, his signature is the integration of his own unique concepts and methods. An admirer of architects Tadao Ando and Osamu Ishiyama, as well as movements that juxtapose modern and age - old designs and materials, Tanaka’s process, which occasionally incorporates smoked bamboo from the rafters of 200 year-old houses, bears a relationship to architecture. He might begin with an idea sketched on a napkin. From there, plans of greater and greater complexity develop until eventually every dimension is meticulously conceived. His baskets are assembled like buildings, composed of 30 parts or more, each individually fabricated.
Gourd 1990, 11 x 8 x 22 in.
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For the artist, bamboo’s complexity is articulated as a set of seeming opposites – thin but sturdy, tense but flexible, muscular, yet capable of communicating great sensitivity – which he strives to evoke in his designs. Two decades ago, he created an open, airy method of transparent weaving, or sukashi-ami, that allows his baskets, as he puts it, to “breathe”. He is constantly experimenting with warp and weft, playing with endless combinations of thicknesses and spacing between strands to craft the most textured, eloquent pieces. This innovation has been recognized by Japan’s Traditional Craft Arts Association, which has admitted him into its annual juried shows in both the Eastern Division and nationwide nearly every year for more than a quarter-century and awarded him top prizes, including a Chairman’s Award, some half - dozen times. He has served as a judge for the prestigious exhibition for four years and one of his baskets, a black tray with open sides and a thin ribbon of red, was purchased by Japan’s Imperial government as a gift for visiting dignitaries. In his Tokyo studio, adjacent to the bamboo shop his family has owned for 97 years, Tanaka ekes out a tiny workspace from a jumble of tools, gadgets, and projects in various states of completion. Slender beige bamboo culms hang from the ceiling and lean against walls, awaiting their remarkable transformation. He works with self - assurance and repose, oblivious to the crashes of breaking glass from the recycling center next door. The results are pieces that embody the Japanese notion of hin – conveyors of quiet beauty. – Dottie Indyke
Two in One 2005, 6 x 3 x 28 in.
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A R T I S T ’S S TAT E M E N T More than thirty years have passed since I embraced bamboo art as a career. When I started out, I was simply following in my grandfather’s footsteps. But winning an award at the Dento - Kogei exhibition drastically altered my perceptions. All of a sudden, I saw how bamboo could be used in fresh, innovative ways, outside the boundaries of popular craft. In Japan, the cultivation and preparation of bamboo has great personal and cultural significance. The material itself is complex and can take many forms and each characteristic is important. One finds madake, bamboo with an enamel-like hardness that is also flexible; kurotake, bamboo with a moist, lustrous quality; nemagaridake, bamboo that survives in the cold mountains; and susutake, bamboo found under a thatched roof which has been smoked for hundreds of years by the flames from a hearth. For a decade, I have made my pieces with an open weave. For me, this technique reflects the Japanese aesthetic, emphasizes the beauty of space, and elicits the essential character of bamboo. My designs and methods are carefully conceived and I hope that viewers get a sense of my ideas as they look at my artwork. The seeds sown by Robert Coffland, a wonderful supporter and patron of Japanese bamboo art, seem to be growing, not only in the United States, but worldwide. I am greatly honored to exhibit at TAI Gallery and to have my art seen by Americans. This support will certainly inspire me to continue to grow as an artist. – Tanaka Kyokusho
Flower Basket 2003, 9 x 6 1/2 x 26 1/2 in.
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Shining Through the Trees 1989, 14 x 6 x 9 1/2 in. Private Collection (above) Noh Drum 2003, 61/2 in. diam. x 18 in. (right)
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Morning Wave 2001, 24 x 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (left) Flowing Water Pattern Offering Tray 1992, 14 x 7 x 5 in. (below)
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Untitled 2004, 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (left)
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Untitled 1982, 10 in. diam. x 6 1/2 in. (left) Untitled 1983, 13 x 8 x 5 1/2 in. (below)
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Offering Tray 2005, 13 1/2 x 12 x 7 in. Private Collection (right) Untitled 2005, 221/2 x 7 x 3 in. (below)
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TA N A K A K Y O K U S H O 1947 1972 1976 1979 1980 1984 1985 1989 1990
1992 1994 2002
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Born in Tokyo Graduated from Waseda University Graduated from Oita Prefecture Advanced Technology Training Center for Bamboo Studies Admitted to 19th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Eastern Division for the first time (thereafter every year) Admitted to 27th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition for the first time (thereafter many times) Winner of Tokyo Educational Committee Award at 24th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Eastern Division Served as judge at 25th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Eastern Division (thereafter four times) Winner of Mitsukoshi Department Store Award at 29th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Eastern Division 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 Craft Arts Exhibition Served as judge at 5th Japan Traditional Craft Arts, Wood and Bamboo Exhibition (and once thereafter) Winner of Japan Craft Art Association Award at 6th Japan Traditional Craft Arts, Wood and Bamboo Exhibition Exhibited in ”The Next Generation”, University of Arkansas Exhibited at International Art & Design Fair, New York Exhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New York Served as judge at 45th Japan Traditional Craft Art Association Exhibited in “The Classic Japanese Basket”, Tai Gallery, Santa Fe Exhibited at SOFA New York and Chicago Exhibited at Antiques Chicago Exhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New York Exhibited at International Art & Design Fair, New York Winner of Prince Takamatsu Award at 51st Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, piece purchased by agency of the Imperial Household Exhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New York Exhibited at Antiques Chicago Exhibited at SOFA Chicago Exhibited at Palm Beach!, Florida Exhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New York Phoenix Wing 2005, 5 x 3 x 43 in. (right) Dew Drop 1998, 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 18 in. (covers) Photography by Carolyn Wright
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