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Hamada Shoji, Master Potter (1894-1978)
30th Commemoration Exhibition
June 17 - August 31, 2008
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The Nihon Mingeikan (the Japan Folk Crafts Museum) will hold a summer exhibition with the works of Hamada Shoji. As a young man, Hamada traveled with the English potter, Bernard Leach (1887-1979), who had left Japan in 1920 to move back to England. While in England, the two of them built a pottery at St. Ives in Cornwall, including the first oriental style kiln ever seen in Europe. Later, Hamada played an important role in support of Yanagi Soetsu's (1889-1961) Mingei Movement. Following Yanagi's death in 1961, Hamada became the second director of the Mingeikan.
The Mingeikan houses a superior collection of Hamada's work and will display 150 of his pieces at this exhibition to commemorate the 30th year after his death. They are all useful objects: tea bowls, dishes, jars or plates for our daily usage.
Hamada built a climbing kiln in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, after he returned from St.Ives in 1924. While working on pottery, he also started to collect beautiful crafts for everyday use from sources around the world. He referred to these works, and studied them, especially ceramics from the East and the West, old and new. He adopted techniques from them and formed his simple but powerful works for people to enjoy in their every day life.
The Nihon Mingeikan collection of old ceramics from people's local kilns in Japan, old British slipware, and potteries from the Joseon Dynasty, Korea, are also on display.
Large Plate by Hamada Shoji, Diameter 58 cm, 1963
Cup by Hamada Shoji, H = 9.0 cm, 1968
Piece by Hamada Shoji, Diameter 19.5 cm, 1958
From Top Right, Moving Left:
Rectangular Vessel (1938)
Teapot (1941)
Three Cups (1937)
Round Plate (1944)
Tea Pot (1938)
Square Serving Platter, Two Round Dishes (1958)
Hand-woven Textiles from Okinawa
April 1 through June 8, 2008
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The Nihon Mingeikan will display its collection of hand-woven textiles from Okinawa. These weavings were admired by Soetsu Yanagi, who collected by his own sharp eyes in Okinawa. Although he had long wished to visit the Ryukyu Islands, more commonly known today as the Okinawa Islands, he had to wait until 1938, two years after the museum opened, to fulfill his wish.
Yanagi was startled to find such a rich variety of threads: silk, cotton, choma, tonbian, and even bashou-hu (banana fibers made into textile). The threads were colorfully dyed in blue, red and yellow tones. The work was skillful, and displayed a large variety of superior techniques.
It is believed that the weaving technique of kasuri (splashed patterns) came originally from India via Indonesia to Okinawa. The technique of teyui, however, of placing warp threads on the loom such that a pattern results when weft threads are woven across it, produces a kasuri that is uniquely from Okinawa.
In the Okinawa Islands, kasuri textiles of outstanding quality display regional characteristics. In Shuri, patterns known as tejima kasuri have lattice designs in combination with splashed patterns within the lattice, a kasuri in indigo on cotton. Yaeyama is known for its kasuri patterns in choma (linen group) of white or colored textiles. Miyakojima prefers a solid color textile without patters and is dyed in indigo blue or colored with choma textiles. In addition, hana-ori (flower weave), or ro-ori (gauze weave) which came from China are also found in Okinawa textiles. A special type of textile known as hanakura-ori is a combination of hana-ori and ro-ori echniques, producing a very sheer cloth reminiscent of the wing of a dragonfly.
Today one can find numerous examples of hanakura-ori, but they are not the originals, produced only after the last war. The Mingeikan holds one hanakura-ori, which is called "textile of phantom," only one original, woven in the original technique, known to exist within Japan today.
Soetsu Yanagi manifested through these pieces his unobstructed confidence to observe beauty in Okinawa. It was the gift of a rich subtropical climate of deep blue sky and vast ocean, and a geographical location that encouraged a mixture of influences from neibouring countries.
Tejima
Nigashii
Textile pattern from Okinawa
Textiles from Okinawa
Beauty of Woodblock Prints and Stone Rubbings
January 6 through March 23, 2008
Soetsu Yanagi (1889-1961) collected many works produced by nameless artisans. These items, which are today of irreplaceable value, were used by the common people in their everyday life.
In the winter exhibition (January 6 - March 23, 2008), you can enjoy the unpretentious beauty of Yanagi's collection of woodblock prints and stone rubbings. These works, produced in great quantity by way of copying techniques, were available to the common person at very little cost. The exhibit includes Yanagi's collection of religious prints and amulets given out to the people at shrines and temples during the Edo period, and stone rubbings with images of Buddha, and other monuments from the Han period (1st～2nd C.) through the Six Dynasties Period (3rd～6th C.).
In modern history, many different kinds of religeous prints have been produced. Due to the popularity of Ukiyo-e, however, the humble looking prints were largely overlooked in the 20th century Japan. Yet the solemn and mysterious expressions of these pieces manifest a rich world in the history of Japanese prints.
The technique of stone rubbing dates back to 1st century China. It is known that Chinese characters in those days were written with greatly strong brush strokes. Letters inscribed on stone monuments were washed in wind and snow for generations, and copied by rubbing. Emerging from the original work carved in stone centuries before, the new work is created by rubbing, and becomes its own work of beauty. The Mingeikan hopes that you will enjoy the beauty of these prints and rubbings that Yanagi loved and deeply valued.
- Museum hours: 10am - 5pm.
- Closed Mondays. (Open Monday holidays / closed on Tuesday)
- Admission: 1,000 yen. Univ. and High School Students 500 yen.
Junior High and Elementary pupils 200 yen.
- Transportation: Take a local train of the Keio Inokashira Line from Shibuya terminal station. Get off Komaba Todai-mae (2nd stop), exit the west gate, immediately turn right, and follow the road about 7 minutes walking distance. See Map Here.
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