The National Crafts Museum, the first national museum on the Western coast of Japan side, was relocated and opened in Ishikawa Prefecture on Sunday, October 25th. 70 people, including government officials from the national, prefectural and municipal governments as well as people involved in the art world, celebrated the relocation and opening of the museum in Dewa-machi, Kanazawa on Saturday, October 24.
The National Crafts Museum was opened in the Honda Forest next to Kenrokuen. The building is a relocated building of the old army’s 9th division headquarters building and the old army’s Kanazawa Kaikousha, and the architecture you can feel the history of both the exterior and the inside of the building is a highlight.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the museum. (Image courtesy of the National Craft Museum)
In addition to the three exhibition rooms in the two-story building, which is a former army building, the museum also houses the workshop of Gonroku Matsuda, a lacquer artist from Kanazawa who was known as the “Sage of Lacquer”. It has been relocated. The National Crafts Museum, opened in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is known as the “Kingdom of Arts and Crafts,” is looking forward to becoming a base for transmitting artisan skills and sensibilities to the world.
Former Japanese soccer player Hidetoshi Nakata, who was appointed honorary director of the museum at the opening ceremony and preview on October 24. (Image courtesy of the National Crafts Museum)
Hazan Itaya Hozan “Ice Flower Vase”.
Chapter 1: Factorization of Materials and Techniques is a project to deepen our understanding of crafts works in terms of their materials and techniques, focusing on the names of craft works that are difficult to understand using only Chinese characters.
Gonroku Matsuda “Box with bamboo forest design in maki-e”
This work was created by Gonroku Matsuda, a maki-e artist and living national treasure, who was called “Shissei,” meaning “the god of lacquer. On the top of the surface, we can see a lush bamboo forest, and a sparrow perched on a branch. Different decorating techniques are used to create a sense of depth.
The room where Gonroku Matsuda, a lacquer artist from Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, worked has been relocated and exhibited.
The first act of the relocation and reopening of the museum is the special exhibition “Japanese Crafts－Materials, Techniques and Regionalities”, which displays 130 masterpieces of modern Japanese craft works, showcasing the beauty of techniques nurtured in harmony with nature. The exhibition is divided into three sections: Chapter 1: Factorization of Materials and Techniques, Chapter 2: Renewing the Image of “Nature”, and Chapter 3: Climate: Development of Places and Climate. The first semester will be October 25-November 29, and the second semester will be December 1-January 11, with some of the works scheduled to change exhibits. The works on display can be viewed and listened to for commentary using a smartphone app, and can be used to reflect on the works when you get home.
Chokichi Suzuki “Twelve Hawks”
Three of the twelve hawks in the copper figurines on display at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair are on display in this exhibition. The colors of the metals themselves, mainly copper, but also gold, silver, red copper, and shibuichi, are used to create a richly colored, lively representation.
“Vase with Flowering Doves and Cherry Blossoms in High Relief”, by Miyagawa Kozan I
A pair of vases with three-dimensional decorations depicting a pigeon peering into a shrike’s nest and a chick facing an intruder many times larger than herself.
This is one of the exhibitions of the new work project by twelve craftsmen and artists. Both the tea room made of bamboo and the work inside were created in this project.
Exhibiting artists: Koichi Uchida, Hitoshi Wada, Saki Mizuguchi, Naoki Sakai, Yoshihiro Suda, Morihei Matsuzaki, Masayasu Mitsuke, and Hitomu Tsugane Reference exhibit: Munemaro Ishiguro, Shigeru Uchida
This is another new project by 12 craftsmen and artists, in which tea ceremony utensils are displayed in a “Ryurei” style.
Exhibiting artists: Saki Mizuguchi, Tsuyoshi Imaizumi, Akio Niinzato, Genichiro Ando, Koichi Uchida, Shunsai Hata 3rd Reference exhibit: Shimoo Design
Venue: National Craft Center
October 25 (Sun), 2020 – January 11 (Mon), 2021 (Mon) *There will be a partial change in the exhibition schedule during this period
Hours: 9:30-17:30 *Entry is until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays (except Oct. 26, Nov. 23 and Jan. 11), Nov. 24 and year-end and New Year’s holidays (Dec. 28 – Jan. 1)
Admission: 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for university students
Tickets: Advanced booking required to prevent new coronavirus(COVID-19) infection
