July.03
The Enduring Charm of Japan’s First Porcelain
July.03
Frequent JLA contributor Alice Gordenker shares her appreciation for a type of Japanese antique porcelain that has captivated people all over the world for more than 400 years. For a comprehensive introduction to Imari ware, and some lovely photographs, please take a look at her new article on the All About Japan website.
Jan.10
Senna Misawa is revealing new facets of Edo Kiriko by Sankaku
Jan.10
Senna Misawa didn’t originally intend on becoming an Edo Kiriko craftsman. Unlike most artisans in Japan, she didn’t have a background or familial connection with the industry. Her plan was to open a nail salon. But when she came across a unique Edo Kiriko product made by Toru Horiguchi, it changed her life. Now in…
Jan.05
Yuki Sakamoto on the road to becoming an artisan by Sankaku
Jan.05
When Yuki Sakamoto joined Horiguchi Kiriko in 2017 at the age of 18, he was at the time Japan’s youngest Edo Kiriko apprentice. Drawn to “jewels, gems and shiny bright things,” as a kid, Sakamoto was inspired to move from Hokkaido to Tokyo straight after high school to study the decorative art of glass cutting. First made…
Nov.20
Robert Rauschenberg and Japan, a Tale of Collaboration by Pen
Nov.20
In the early 1980s, the American contemporary artist discovered the potential Japanese ceramics had to offer in Shigaraki. An iconic figure in contemporary American art, Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) bridged the gap between abstract expressionism and pop art in the 1950s, while refusing to be affiliated with one particular movement. Bringing together materials, symbols, cultures and…
Nov.11
Chasing Paradise: Life After the Fire by MutualArt
Nov.11
Ukiyo-e gradually became the dominant Japanese art form following a devastating fire that was also the birth of Tokyo. The West underwent a similar transformation almost simultaneously According to legend, sometime during the first half of the fifteenth century in Edo, Japan, a young girl came into possession of a kimono. This would not be…
Aug.12
Homeward Bound: Ukiyo-e, Japonisme, and Cultural Integration by MutualArt
Aug.12
The West was quick to integrate Japanese techniques into its culture, adapting it to its own worldview, while the Japanese are still reserved about integrating the West unquestioningly. “Homeward bound! / Beneath the light of the moon / the Ohara maidens / rest their heavy burden / in the shade of flowers.” This is the…
Aug.06
Handmade in Japan by Irwin Wong (reviewed by The Japan Society)
Aug.06
If like me you have an appetite for exploring all things related to Japanese design and crafts, Irwin Wong’s introduction to Handmade in Japan will surely prompt you to investigate further. Wong is a well-known commercial photographer based in Tokyo, so on the book’s announcement I knew it would be filled with evocative images of Japan and…
June.19
In Kyoto, a Seventh Generation in Metalwork by The New York Times
June.19
KYOTO, Japan — Yoshinaga Nakamura’s family has specialized in kazari-sho, or metal art, for seven generations. But the items have changed with the times over the last 200 years, and now, as Japan looks forward to welcoming tourists again, he is preparing for the future. “We used to make decorative parts — metal carvings of…
Apr.28
Exhibition – Changing and Unchanging Things: Noguchi and Hasegawa in Postwar Japan
Apr.28
Discover how two artists seeking a new direction for modern art in the aftermath of World War II found inspiration in Japanese tradition. Trace the friendship, work, ideas and mutual influence of Isamu Noguchi and Saburo Hasegawa, who both sought to balance tradition and modernity, Japanese culture and foreign influences, past and present. Changing and…