EVENT

Special Visit to the Exhibition at the National Crafts Museum
This special visit to the exhibition, held from Friday, September 6 through Sunday, December 1, features commentary from the curator of the Imaginal Crafts exhibition, followed by a chance to view the works on display.

“Touch&Talk” Hands-On Visit
“Touch&Talk” is an interactive way for guests to experience crafts, through hands-onencounters with example crafts from the collection of the National Crafts Museum. This event focuses on works by leading artists, including living national treasures like Yasokichi Tokuda and Kunie Komori, as well as other masters of contemporary crafts.
Co-organizers: National Crafts Museum

Terumasa Ikeda (Lacquer / Raden Inlay)
This up-and-coming artist has made a name for himself with his high-tech approach to traditional crafts, incorporating laser cutting and CAD into his lacquering and raden mother-of-pearl inlay work. This visits to his studio in Kanazawa offers a closer look at how his intricately detailed works are created and to see some of his past works, as well as to talk with him about his thoughts on his works and about crafts in general.

Co-organizers: National Crafts Museum

Born in Chiba in 1987. He graduated from the Kanazawa College of Art Department of Craft in 2014 with a focus on lacquer and woodworking, and completed a master’s degree there in 2016. Since the end of his training at the Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo (Utatsuyama Craft Workshop) in 2019, he has continued to be based in Kanazawa. His extraordinarily elaborate production process transcends mere human excellence, resulting in a relatively limited artistic output. Despite their small number, his works are often exhibited at galleries and museums nationwide and overseas, through the cooperation of various collectors. (For artwork inquiries, please contact the Ginza Ippodo Gallery at tokyo@ippodogallery.com )

Akihiko Sugita (Lacquer)
Sugita uses the traditional techniques of Wajima Lacquerware, but with a distinctly modern sensibility on display in his works. Some of his lacquerware can be found in use at prestigious restaurants overseas. This visit to his charmingly old-fashioned lacquerware studio, to learn about lacquer, his handiwork, and the tools involved in the process.

Born in Tokyo in 1978. In 2007, he relocated to Wajima, Ishikawa, and trained under the lacquer artisan Akito Akagi. He went independent in 2013, and opened a studio in Kanazawa in 2014. His work values collaborative creation, advanced through the expressivity of lacquer and lacquerware as a craft, and explores the possibilities of the rich black color of lacquer. These items hearken back to the ancient origins of vessels and containers, while simultaneously demonstrating a decidedly contemporary sense of beauty. Sugita maintains a constant awareness of the tactile sensations involved in his work, as the lacquer is brushed on, gradually accumulating into layers, and leaving behind palpable traces.
^*Exhibiting Artist at KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2024

Yuichi Nakata (Ceramics)
This ceramicist’s work is beloved for its rustic lack of artifice, with coloration and brushwork that exist at the intersection of Japanese and Western sensibilities. Nakata works from a unique perspective, that the history of ceramics and personal experiences are interwoven, like an ongoing narrative still being told. His studio is located in a renovated machiya townhouse that was once a tatami mat shop, and visitors have the opportunity to encounter his philosophical worldview through both demonstrations of his work and conversations with him directly.

Born in Hokkaido in 1980. He studied ceramics at the Tohoku University of Art and Design. After graduating, he trained at the Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo (Utatsuyama Craft Workshop). In 2011, he established a studio in Kanazawa, where he began his production work in earnest. Today, he is based in Kanazawa, and his work focuses on white glaze and color painting on items like dishes and tea utensils, which have been shown internationally.

Hitoshi Maida (Dyeing/Yuzen)
At the Maida Kaga Yuzen dyeing studio, Hitoshi Maida works alongside his father Kenji, and between the two of them they handle every single step of the Kaga Yuzen dyeing process. This type of division of labor is rarely seen in Kaga Yuzen, and offers visitors a chance to see the entire process from start to finish, from the initial design, to tracing outlines on the fabric in glue, to actually dyeing. Visitors can even try out some of these tasks for themselves. Additionally, for this workshop visit, a special dance performance is planned, featuring a geisha wearing a kimono made with Kaga Yuzen.

Born in 1974 in Kanazawa. In 2005, he became an independent Kaga Yuzen artisan, and in 2022, he followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, as the third generation of his family to be certified as a fully-fledged member of the Japan Kogei Association. His work combines Kaga Yuzen dyeing methods with his own unique resist-dyeing techniques, and his kimono designs integrate geometric patterns alongside Kaga Yuzen’s trademark natural-scenery-inspired designs. He has been involved in everything from fashions and interior decorations to package designs that make use of Kaga Yuzen techniques and designs.

Yoca Muta (Ceramics)
Yoca Muta’s Kutani Ware items are hand-shaped to create results that feel almost like paintings or ukiyo e prints, expressed in three dimensions. Her work has been exceptionally well received by collectors internationally. This visit features the new studio she established in 2023 in Nomi, where guests will see her studio environment and how she works, as well as some of her past work, and learn about her thoughts on crafts and art.

Born in Shibuya City, Tokyo in 1981. In 2008, she graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a BA in Fine Arts, and in 2012, she graduated from the Ishikawa Prefecture Kutani-ware Technical Training Institute. She is currently based in Nomi, Ishikawa. Her work focuses primarily on ceramics painted with colored pigments, with results that run the gamut from everyday tablewares and tea ceremony items to works of art. She grapples with the theme of a contemporary awareness of nature, as she creates colorful ceramics that draw upon plants, animals, mythical creatures, traditional patterns, and more.
^*Exhibiting Artist at KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2024

ISHIGURO SHOUTEN Co., Ltd.
This antique shop dates back to 1904, and still features beautiful wood latticework on its exterior. The building itself, a Kanazawa machiya townhouse, has been designated a Tangible Cultural Property by the national government. Inside, you’ll find a choice selection of tea ceremony items and other antiques, as well as modern and contemporary craft items. Ishiguro Shoten is celebrating their 120th anniversary in 2024 by December 1; visitors to the celebration can enjoy tea served in antiques, while looking at masterpieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Kashimoto Kin’yodo
This cozy shop offers a selection of tea ceremony utensils and other items carefully curated by the owner. For this visit, the group first heads out from the shop’s location near the Higashi Chaya District, followed by a walk through town to a traditional chaya geisha entertainment venue, where guests enjoy a drink served in an artisanal craft item. The owner loves Kanazawa, and the walking tour covers more than just antiques, with plenty to learn about when it comes to local culture and history.

Shirai Bijutsu
Shirai Bijutsu is located near the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. It was originally founded with the goal of offering a choice selection of excellent items that would delight customers. Today, the shop has a focus on local art with ties to Ishikawa, from the late 19th through mid 20th century. During the visit, the owner will talk about various precious items in his collection, and guests will also be able to enjoy tea and sweets at the historic Shoutou an tearoom at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.

Tohda Shoten
Tohda Shoten was established in 1975, and handles a wide variety of works of art, with a focus on crafts and tea ceremony utensils from the local region. This tour features a lineup centered around lacquerware decorated with maki e, which has long been highly prized internationally. The shop also has a tearoom inside it, providing guests with a quiet space to experience the tea ceremony using antique items. (No reservation nor entry fee needed for simply looking around the shop; business hours are 10:00 to 17:00 during November 29 to December 1)

HIRAJYUU
Since their founding around the mid 19th century, this shop has traded in antiques, particularly tea ceremony items. For generations, the family has prided itself on their refined sense of taste and style, continuing on to the eighth-generation owner of this shop today. This event is built around the theme of “The Joys of Drinking Vessel Crafts,” and the shop owner will talk about the beauty of sake cups and servers, as well as dishes and utensils, all alongside light refreshments and sake.

Japan’s only art fair with a focus specifically on artisanal crafts (kogei). Forty galleries from Japan and abroad gather at the Hyatt Centric Kanazawa, to exhibit and sell works by promising up-and-comers, as well as by well-established internationally active artists. This year’s Kogei Art Fair will feature a special tour of the event floor, with commentary, for an excellent opportunity to hear about recommended artists, popular galleries, and trends in crafts, and to get a closer look at the works on display.

VIP Lounge
The Hyatt Centric Kanazawa, the venue for Kogei Art Fair Kanazawa 2024, has a rooftop terrace bar on the 14th floor that will serve as a private lounge for the event. Enjoy intimate encounters with crafts, such as local sake served in cups made by artisans, as well as encounters with artists.