zen: tanabe shochiku x wakamiya takashi
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Leaping Carp (with Dragon Netsuke), 2013, 4.25 × 3.5 × 2 inches
ZEN:TANABE SHOCHIKU ×WAKAMIYA TAKASHI
Tanabe Shochiku, the future Chikuunsai IV, is a familiar name to bamboo art enthusiasts.
He is the fourth generation of the prestigious Tanabe Chikuunsai bamboo art lineage.
On the other hand,Wakamiya Takashi, Japan’s rising star in contemporary lacquer art,
is very new to TAI Modern.Wakamiya studied maki-e and a wide variety of other urushi
lacquer techniques in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, a lacquer art center for over one
thousand years. Working collaboratively, Tanabe and Wakamiya have created this new
body of work, inspired by Zen Buddhism, on display for the first time in the United States
at TAI Modern.
Maki-e (sprinkled picture) is an art form in which the design is typically created by
sprinkling gold or silver powder over wet lacquer. Like bamboo art, it is a time-consuming
art form. Creating an urushi lacquer piece involves the utmost care and requires a high
degree of attention to detail.
Working closely with Tanabe,Wakamiya has achieved something unique in the lacquer
field— the ability to apply raised lacquer (takemaki-e) to the uneven and open surface
of woven bamboo. Many layers of gold and silver are built up to create a stunning relief
effect. In some works,Wakamiya’s boldness of design relies on the interplay of thinner lac-
quer layers with the open space of Tanabe’s masterful sculptural forms. The two artists truly
capture the essence of their respective mediums, and together have forged a new one.
This body of work showcases not only brilliant technical mastery, but superb designs
that are based on Zen references and the traditional values of Japan. In the works entitled
Leaping Carp, Dragon’s Gate, and Rising Dragon, Tanabe and Wakamiya use the Sino-
Japanese iconography and symbolism of the carp swimming upstream against a rushing
river (a sign of perseverance), and then leaping over the dragon’s gate to transform into
a dragon (a sign of success in life). Both Tanabe and Wakamiya incorporate Zen practice
into their focused, disciplined studio work. How appropriate then that they have chosen
Zen as the title of their collaborative show.
n Koichiro Okada, TAI Modern, August 2014
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TANABE SHOCHIKU
There is a saying in the teaching of Buddhism that “the practice of Zen is not about
piousness, but rather that the spiritual is thought to be achieved through devoted disci-
pline.” Studying through years of meditation, one can return to one’s pure self that was given
to him at birth. Buddha teaches us to resolve all of our confusions and seek understanding
and truth via the path of Buddhism. I believe that this philosophy applies to the foundation
of Japanese craftsmanship, and is also the root of the Japanese sense of beauty.
I have been familiarizing myself with bamboo since I was a child. My father, grandfather,
and mother taught me Buddhist spiritualism through the practice of bamboo craftsmanship.
I express my Zen spiritualism through devoted daily studio practice.
The traditional Japanese lacquer work also takes on the spirit of Zen. Craftsmen have
applied urushi lacquer on bamboo bark since ancient times, however, applying relief
maki-e to woven bamboo has never been done before.
The moment I thought about this possibility, I was charged with a heightened energy
about this new creation.
Both maki-e and bamboo craft are authentic Japanese art forms with philosophies
rooted in Zen Buddhism. I wish to create brand new artworks by merging these two different
art forms.
Hanging on a wall in my studio is calligraphy written by my grandfather, Chikuunsai
II. This saying has been the driving force of my creativity. My grandfather wrote, “take no
mushi” which means to devote oneself fully to bamboo. My definition of Zen also includes
challenging myself beyond my own limits by questioning myself as an artist. This process
then becomes the catalyst for creating my next work of art.
Enso (Heaven), 2014, 5.5 ×18 ×13 inches (detail)
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WAKAMIYA TAKASHI
I was born and raised in Wajima, a rural area in Japan.When I look outside into the
expanse of my homeland, I often reflect about my ancestors. “What about them had them
go on living everyday life on this remote peninsula?” I was told that my ancestors had an
urushi grove although the tree farming tradition in our family stopped sometime in our
family history. My father and I have an urushi tree grove in Wajima today and many of
the citizens in Wajima are involved in the production of urushi crafts. I had an affinity to
this material so it was natural for me to become an urushi lacquer artist.
Urushi lacquerware is a traditional Japanese craft. It is a lacquering and painting
process. The natural lacquer is made from the sap of the urushi tree. The process of paint-
ing and sprinkling gold and silver powder over the urushi are also part of the craft. The
gold and silver designs are referred to as maki-e. Products made with urushi, such as
spouted sake servers, sake cups and eating bowls, are called shik-ki. Shik-ki-ware has
been used by Japanese people for the past 1,000 years during folk festivals as special
utensils for eating and drinking. These folk festivals were celebrations meant to unite the
Gods and mortals. Not everyone attains the Zen definition of enlightenment, but family
and community can support each other so that the next generation of children can live
through the challenges of life and recognize that we are part of our common humanity.
This ethos is a reason for celebration and is my Zen practice.
Through working with this traditional medium, I feel that I can get in touch with my
ancestors.When I am in my studio, I imagine that I am bringing back their spirits through
the process of urushi application that was passed on to us. As a practitioner of a traditional
Japanese craft who is working in modern times, my goal is to enhance the knowledge
that was created in the past, and to apply the knowledge to create something new.
Dragon’s Gate, 2013, 21.5 × 8.25 × 8.25 inches (detail)
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Above: Tiger (with Tiger-Bamboo Netsuke), 2013, 4.25 × 3.5 × 2 inches
Right: Reincarnation (Golden L otus), 2014, 16.5 ×10 × 9.75 inches
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Top: Catching the Moon’s Reflection, 2014, 3.5 × 6.25 × 6.25 inches
Bottom: Catching the Moon’s Reflection, 2014, 5.5 ×12.5 ×12.5 inches
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Above: Dragon’s Gate, 2013, 21.5 × 8.25 × 8.25 inches
Left: Water Spirit, 2014,14.5 × 9 × 7inches
TANABE SHOCHIKU
1973 Born in Osaka, Japan
1999 Graduated with a degree in sculpture from Tokyo Art University
2002 Group Exhibition, Osaka Modern Art Center
Solo Exhibition, Courtland Jessup Gallery, Boston, MA
2003 Group Exhibition, Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, CH
Group Exhibition, National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, NL
2006 Group Exhibition, Seattle Art Museum,WA
Group Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Solo Exhibition, Villa Castagnola, Lugano, CH
Group Exhibition, Grinnell College, IA (travelled)
2007 Group Exhibition, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Solo Exhibition, Art Interactive, Tokyo
2008 Group Exhibition, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Group Exhibition, Japan Society, New York, NY
2009 Group Exhibition, Oita Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
2010 Modern Master Bayern Prize, Munich, DE
Group Exhibition, Thailand Creative and Design Center
2012 Group Exhibition, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Group Exhibition, Bellevue Arts Museum,WA (travelled)
2013 Group Exhibition, Morikami Museum, Miami, FL
Solo Exhibition, Masaki Museum, Osaka
Museum Collections:
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
British Museum, London, UK
Japan Imperial Household Agency
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN
Museo Nacional de Arte, La Paz, Bolivia
Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Peruano-Japones Centro Cultural, Lima, Peru
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
Seattle Museum of Art,WA
Victoria and Albert Museum, London,UK
Above: Zen Dialogue, 2014,10 × 28.5 × 5.25 inches
Back Cover: Reincarnation (Golden Lotus), 2014,16.5 ×10 × 9.75 inches (detail)
WAKAMIYA TAKASHI
1964 Born in Wajima City, Japan
1984 Worked for a local workshop learning basics of urushi lacquer techniques
1988 Studied maki-e technique with Kiso Seizan
1990 Started planting urushi trees for his own supply of lacquer
1998 Studied various urushi lacquer techniques from Hirasawa Michikazu
2002 Became the 30th Chairman of Wajima Young Lacquer Craftsmen’s Association
2005 Organized and exhibited in a group show at the Pola Museum Annex,Tokyo
2006 Group Exhibition, Austria
2008 Solo Exhibition, Kakitsubata, Tokyo
Group Exhibition and Workshop, Asian Art in London, UK
2009 Group Exhibition, Embassy of Japan, London, UK
2010 Helped lacquer a Buddhist Pagoda in Chiang Rai,Thailand
Co-organized and exhibited in a group show, Embassy of Japan, London, UK
2012 Group Exhibition, Asian Art in London, UK
2014 Group Exhibition, Bahrain National Museum
Museum Collections:
Museum of Ethnology, Hamburg,Germany
Museum of Lacquer Art, Münster, Germany
Victoria and Albert Museum, London,UK