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…

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…

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…

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…

@Untitled, from the series « Pretty Woman », 2017 © Daido Moriyama Photo Foundation. Courtesy of Akio Nagasawa Gallery Two outstanding 20th century Japanese photographers featured in an exhibition in Paris, entitled Moriyama–Tōmatsu: Tokyo. Venue: Maison Européenne de la Photographie Daido Moriyama and Shomei Tōmatsu had envisaged this project together, but the death of the…

On November 15, 2019 our group of travelers had the great privilege of taking an indigo workshop at Buaiso’s home in Tokushima We were welcomed by the young farmers, dyers and business associates who served us lunch and indigo tea. Kakuo Kaji then showed us various methods of resist dyeing and we folded and clamped…

The solo exhibition of celebrated artist, Fujikasa Satoko will be held at Joan B Mirviss LTD. May 1 – June 21, 2019 Joan B Mirviss LTD 39 E 78 Street, New York, NY 10075 Among sophisticated collectors and informed curators, the single most sought-after Japanese clay artist is the extraordinarily gifted Fujikasa Satoko. Both visually…

A 26-minute video celebrating a project of the late Shiro Kuramata, one of the great designers of the 20th century (1960’s thru 1980’s). He played a central role in Japanese architecture and design as it was becoming especially prominent, internationally. Kuramata may be best known for creating some of the world’s most iconic furniture. This…

by Alice Gordenker Entry on Noguchi Shōhin in Bunbu kōmeiroku 文武高名録, a compilation of famous people and important literary figures published in 1893. Private collection. Image used here with special permission. Are you familiar with the painter Noguchi Shōhin? If not, you’re hardly alone. Even when famous in their day, female artists are more likely to…