JAPANESE BAMBOO AND THE WORLD EXPO:A CENTURY OF DISCOVERY

2KAJIWARA KOHO Shadow, 2013,17.5 × 12 × 9.25 inches

At the International Exposition of 1867in Paris, the Western world saw Japanese bambooart for the first time. The Tokugawa Shogunate participated in the Exposition along withtwo feudal lords from the island of Kyushu. Various regional specialties were displayed,including hand-crafted bamboo baskets. A year later, the Meiji government was formed, and Japan embarked on a program

of active modernization and participation in world affairs.The newly- formed governmentfelt a strong obligation to display a new Japan to the world and aggressively promotedthe country’s unique products.They created lavish national pavilions to promote the cultureand arts of Japan at most of the major world’s fairs over the next 40 years, including theWorld Exposition of1873 in Vienna and the1893World’s Columbian Exposition in Chi-cago. The strategy worked and an enormous mania for all things Japanese was createdin Europe and the United States.To supply this newly-created export market, a number of workshops with anywhere from

a few dozen to over 200 artisans were set up in and around the Arima hot springsregion, one of the historic centers for high-quality bamboo crafts during the Edo period(1615 –1868). Since the “Arima basket” had become a well-known brand name, productsmade in surrounding areas were also classified as “Arima baskets.” Recognizing Arima’ssuccess, other regions in Japan soon followed suit in setting up production of bamboo flowerbaskets, serving trays, and stationary boxes.During the heyday of the world’s fairs and Japonisme, several major early bamboo

basket collections in the West were formed, such as the Hans Spörry bamboo collection,assembled from1890 to1896; the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe bamboo basket col-lection, approximately 170 baskets, including 60 rare examples of Hayakawa ShokosaiI; the Arima basket collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum; and the Edward C. MooreCollection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This special exhibition, Japanese Bamboo and the World Expo: A Century of Discovery,

honors the fairs’ roles as critical moments of international exposure that inspired the firstgeneration of modern bamboo masters and their followers to further develop the art form.With pieces spanning from the Boat Shaped Flower Fruit Basket (1887) by HayakawaShokosai I to Prism: Square (2015) by Nakatomi Hajime, the exhibition provides an in-troduction to the diverse developments bamboo arts have undergone throughout the lastcentury by focusing upon three primary regions of bamboo art: Kansai, the historic citiesof Kyoto and Osaka and the surrounding area; Kanto, which covers the greater Tokyometropolis; and Kyushu, which is the southern island of Japan.

JAPANESE BAMBOO AND THE WORLD EXPO

4

KANSAI

HAYAKAWA SHOKOSAI I (1815 –1897)

Boat Shaped Fruit Basket, 1887,12 × 11.5 × 6 inches

One day in the mid 19th century, a bamboo craftsman in Osaka named HayakawaShokosai carved his name into a small piece of bamboo which he then inserted into thebottom of a freshly finished basket. As far as he knew, he was the first person to sign a bas-ket in Japan. Hayakawa Shokosai I has long been credited in Japan as the first bamboocraftsman to sign his work, but recent research shows that two other basket makers in theKansai area began signing their works at roughly the same time.What was in the air? For many years, flower baskets from China were deemed more desirable than Japan-

ese -made versions.The sencha tea ceremony was introduced from China, and Chinesetea accessories were the esteemed (and unsigned) originals.Restricted trade encouragedJapanese craftsmen to become excellent imitators of Chinese baskets.However, Hayakawawas creating new forms that were personal in style and conveyed a distinctly Japaneseaesthetic. The first signed baskets coincided with Japan’s resumption of international trade,and in the face of these broader opportunities, signing a basket was both a public challengeand crucial self-advertisement.By the1880s, Hayakawa Shokosai I was known in Europe and America to be Japan’s

foremost bamboo artist. His international exposure came by way of the world’s fairs of thelate19th century. It is fitting that a superb example of Hayakawa’s work,Boat Shaped FruitBasket, is included in this exhibition on the centennial of San Diego’s own world’s fair, thePanama-California Exposition of 1915.The Kansai region is considered the cradle of Japan’s great artistic traditions.The nobility,

priesthood, and scholars were brought together in the imperial capitals of Nara and Kyoto,and a flowering of culture resulted.The port city of Osaka became the economic capitalof Japan, and merchants joined the nobility as important patrons of the arts. The Kansaibamboo art aesthetic reflects this sophisticated patronage. Hayakawa, Tanabe, Maeda,Yamamoto, and Wada are the names that dominated bamboo art in Japan from the late1800s into the 1920s. These artists excelled at the most refined, formal baskets but alsodeveloped an aesthetic that reflected an engagement with nature and enjoyment of rusticforms. Deceptively simple, this manner of working became a litmus test among artists torank each other’s artistic refinement. Tanabe Chikuunsai I‘s flower basket Zazen is a typicalexample. Constructed on a loose framework of hexagonal plaiting, irregularly plaitedbamboo strips freely intertwine throughout the form. Tanabe Mitsuko,Chikuunsai I’s grand-daughter- in- law, provides a wonderful contemporary example in Sunlight StreamingThrough the Leaves of Trees.Kansai artists born in the early 20th century, like Tanabe Chikuunsai II, Higashi

Takesonosai, and Maeda Chikubosai II, responded to Modernism with a flowering of cre-ativity. Sophisticated proportions and shapes, exquisite rattan wraps, beautifully finishedsurfaces, and warm, subtle colors are typical of the works made in Kansai since the1940s. Kansai’s aesthetic tradition is now being carried forward by Fukunishi Ryosei, husband and wife Tanioka Shigeo and Aiko, and by the great-grandson of Chikuunsai I,Shochiku, soon to be Tanabe Chikuunsai IV.

� Steve Halvorsen, TAI Modern

HAYAKAWA SHOKOSAI IV (1902 –1975)

Kofukuji Peony Basket, after1945,17 × 12 × 12 inches

HAYAKAWA SHOKOSAI V (1932–2011)

Untitled Flower Basket, late 1960s to early 1970s, 19.5 × 9 × 9 inches

TANABE CHIKUUNSAI I (1877–1937)

Zazen, 1910s to 1920s, 18.25 × 10.25 × 10.25 inches

TANABE CHIKUUNSAI II (1910 –2000)

Lily Shaped Flower Basket, after 1945,17.5 × 7.5 × 7.5 inches

TANABE CHIKUUNSAI III (1940 –2013) A Breeze from Long Ago, 2012, 8.5 ×16 × 5.5 inches >

< TANABE MITSUKO Sunlight Streaming Through the Leaves of Trees, 2000,10.25 × 10 × 10 inches

TANABE SHOCHIKU III Infinity, 2014, 34.25 × 15 × 15 inches

HIGASHI TAKESONOSAI (1915–2003)

Akebono, after1945,12.5 × 8.25 × 8.25 inches

MAEDA CHIKUBOSAI I (1872–1950)

Boat Shaped Flower Basket, 1926,10 × 20 × 10.5 inches

MAEDA CHIKUBOSAI I I (1917–2003)

Sunlight, 1960s to1970s,10 × 6.5 × 6.5 inches

FUKUNISHI RYOSEI Evening Glow, 2010,13.25 × 9.25 × 8 inches

18

KANTO

IIZUKA ROKANSAI (1890 –1958)

Long Live His Majesty the Emperor, 1950s, 20.5 × 9 × 9 inches

The artists of Eastern Japan are mainly based in Tokyo,Tochigi, and Niigata prefectures.The Kanto region became a home to artists known for their innovation and break with tradition. From a broad range of colors and types of bamboo, to inventive, asymmetricalshapes, these artists share an impulse for experimentation.This new way of thinking madethe Kanto region the center of bamboo arts in the late Taisho (1912 –1926) and early Showa (1926 –1989) Periods. Iizuka Rokansai (1890 –1958), the sixth son of Iizuka Hosai I, led the radical modern-

ization of bamboo basketry as a creative art form. Rokansai exhibited both nationally andinternationally. His innovations inspired other bamboo artists in the region and beyond.Rokansai’s siblings— including Iizuka Hosai II (1872 –1934)—and many of his talentedstudents were very active throughout the twentieth century.Rokansai advanced the aesthetic experimentation that Osaka-based Hayakawa

Shokosai III (1864 –1922) explored a few decades earlier by trying to establish bamboocraft art as a true Japanese fine art. Although his forms, composition, and expressions wereradically new, he used motifs from the Tenpyo Period (the late seventh to mid-eighth cen-turies), and introduced the Japanese traditional concepts of Shin- Gyo- So— three levelsof formality in Japanese design— into his works. He claimed that there were three basicmodes: Shin defined the most formal, elaborate and symmetrical basket; Gyo defined the less formal baskets in which the artist’s creative ideas mixed with traditional forms; andSo basketry was characterized by innovative composition and forms that looked morelike sculptures than baskets. Two current Living National Treasures of Japan—Katsushiro Soho, who once learned

from Saito Bunseki, and Fujinuma Noboru, whose artistic philosophy is greatly influencedby Rokansai’s son, Iizuka Shokansai—reside in Tochigi.These contemporary artists are philo-sophical heirs of Iizuka Rokansai and are still advancing the idea of bamboo basketry asa creative art form. In response to innovative styles and sculptural forms, the Nitten exhibitions of the Japan

Art Academy evaluate bamboo works as fine art.Unlike the Dento Kogei exhibitions,whichevaluate based on traditional forms and strict technical criteria, the Nitten welcome a variety of shapes and techniques.The highest ranking Nitten artist is Honma Kazuaki, whoseuse of shakotandake—a unique type of speckled bamboo grass—inOrigin III exemplifiesthe Kanto region’s exploration of new materials and textures. His adopted son, HonmaHideaki, represents a further break with tradition in the abstracted and sculptural DoubleCurrent. The last student of Iizuka Shokansai,Oki Toshie’s geometric Spring Breeze reflectsthe region’s sleek and modern aesthetic,which is also seen in the cherry- red dyes of IsohiSetsuko’s Kouka, and Nakamura Tomonori’s modular Balsam Flower.

� Koichiro Okada, TAI Modern

KATSUSHIRO SOHOAmong the Reeds, 2004,13.5 × 17× 8.5 inches

FUJITSUKA SHOSEI Rose, 2013,11 × 13 × 14 inches >

< FUJINUMA NOBORU Spring Light, 2010,10.75 × 12.5 × 13 inches

HONMA KAZUAKI Origin III, 1996, 23.5 × 18 × 6 inches

HONMA HIDEAKI Double Current, 2013,19.5 × 43.75 ×10.5 inches

OKI TOSHIE Spring Breeze, 2013, 7.5 × 11.5 ×11.5 inches

NAGAKURA KENICHI Arc, 2014,15.25 × 27.25 × 7.25 inches

IIZUKA HOSAI I I (1872 –1934)Natural Color Flower Basket with Handle, late1920s to early 1930s,11× 8 × 8 inches

< KOSUGE KOGETSUDouble Walled Flower Basket with Handles, 1950s to1960s,14.25 × 6.75 × 4.75 inches

ISOHI SETSUKO Kouka, 2013, 8.5 × 20.5 × 9.5 inches

NAKAMURA TOMONORI Balsam Flower, 2015,15.5 ×19 × 16 inches

KYUSHU

SHONO SHOUNSAI (1904–1974)

Sozen Flower Basket, 1955 to1965,10.5 × 10.5 × 7.5 inches

Bamboo craft has a long history in Japan. Dating back to the Jomon period (10,000–300 BCE), many daily-use items were made with bamboo because of its strong yet light-weight qualities. Oita Prefecture is home to nearly 40% of Japan’s bamboo forests andone of the most significant regions in the development of the bamboo arts. According toan old story, a salt merchant traveling through the region in the14th century complainedthat the containers he used to transport his salt were too heavy. When a local craftsmanheard this, he created the first bamboo zaru (“basket”) for salt.These baskets became pop-ular and were soon requested by salt makers from nearby towns. This is considered thebeginning of the bamboo basketry trade in Oita.Oita is located on the island of Kyushu in the southern part of Japan, and its geography

makes it home to hot springs and mineral water. Many farmers came to the town of Bepputo relax at the hot springs after harvest. Functional bamboo baskets became a popularsouvenir as more and more visitors made Beppu their vacation destination. As demandincreased, vocational schools of bamboo crafts were established to train craftsmen in themaking of the traditional Beppu basket.When the popularity of tea ceremony and ikebanaled tastes to favor elaborate, Chinese-style baskets, artisans from Arima, an area nearerto the cultural epicenter of Kyoto, were invited to Beppu to teach local artists more sophis-ticated, non-utilitarian styles of craftsmanship. In1902, the Meiji government established a municipal training school in Beppu and a

curriculum in bamboo art was included. The school is now the Oita Prefectural BambooCraft and Training Support Center. Unlike other regions, which have relied more on a moretraditional apprenticeship system, the success of Beppu’s bamboo training has depended oneducating future craftsmen in a school setting.Talented artists from around the country cameto teach and learn in Beppu. Influenced by the techniques and styles from a variety of regions,Kyushu’s bamboo artists developed a unique style of powerful constructions androbust, jar- shaped baskets.As markets opened up, some craftsmen started specializing in baskets intended more

for display than daily use. The majority of pre-war artisans were farmers making basketsfor themselves or their neighbors, whereas modern bamboo artists began spending monthsmaking a single piece to submit to official exhibitions. This shift is reflected in the changeof terminology from kagoshi (“basket maker”) to takekogeishi (“bamboo crafts artist”).Shono Shounsai (1904 –1974), the first bamboo artist to be named a Living National

Treasure, revolutionized the art form, creating works that ranged from exquisite traditionalvessels to abstract, expressionist sculpture. He also made his mark as a teacher; many of hisformer students, such as Tanabe Kochikusai, Shono Tokuzo, Abe Motoshi, and YamaguchiRyuun, are now mature artists who have taken on the task of educating and inspiring thenext generation.The other seminal figure in the Kyushu bamboo tradition is Iwao Kounsai (1901 –1992),

an important leader and advocate for Oita’s bamboo craft industry. Significant artists, including Kadota Niko, Iwao Honan, Kajiwara Koho, Monden Kogyoku, Kajiwara Aya,Honda Syoryu, Kibe Seiho, and Nakatomi Hajime are part of the Iwao artistic lineage.

� Dr. Hiroko Johnson, San Diego State University

MONDEN KOGYOKU Flower of Wave, 2007, 12.5 × 13 × 17inches >

< KADOTA NIKO (1908–1994) Untitled, 1980s,13.25 × 15.5 × 14.5 inches

HONDA SYORYU Sound of Waves, early 1980s, 9.75 ×14 ×14 inches

KA JIWARA AYA Guiding Waves, 2010,11.5 × 12 × 12 inches

YUFU SHOHAKU Sacred Mountain, 2015, 28.5 × 21× 20 inches

TANABE KOCHIKUSAI Ascension, 2014,19.75 × 14.5 × 14.5 inches

YAMAGUCHI RYUUN Breeze Among Bamboo Leaves, 2012,11× 22.5 ×18 inches

IWAO HONAN I (1925–2002)

Blue Ocean Plaited Flower Basket, 1980s to1990s, 7.5 ×13 ×13 inches

SUGIURA NORIYOSHI Whirl Wind, 2010, 22 × 12 × 12 inches

KAWANO SHOKO Fusion, 2015, 7.5 × 15 × 15 inches

ABE MOTOSHI Diamond-Shaped Windows, 2005,14.25 ×10 ×10 inches >

SHONO TOKUZO Otori, 2014, 6 × 57×17inches

KIBE SEIHO Sea of Clouds, 2014, 9 × 13 ×12.5 inches

Back Cover: MORIGAMI JIN Warm Current, 2015,13.75 × 13.5 × 6 inches

NAKATOMI HAJIME Prism: Triangle, 2015, 21.25 × 20.5 ×14.5 inches

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