- Iga, Rouzan Sakamoto & his son Toshihito Ceramic Exhibition Rouzan was born in 1926, and graduated from Waseda University in 1950. He then succeeded to the ceramic studio of Nishiyama. He pursues mastering the Iga tea ceremony ceramic ware, one of the traditional styles of Japanese ceramic. His sun Toshihito was born in 1960 and studied under Kanji Atarashi. A total of 80 vessels and various types of ceramic bowls used at the Japanese tea ceremony are on display. -Yuzo Yagisawa Bamboo Craft Exhibition

It has been 10 years since the opening of his workshop in Nerima, Tokyo. More than just a workspace and atelier, though, Yashima combined his living quarters with his ceramic practice in a single space. The reason for this is Yashima's gourmandizing tendencies, which feed off of and in turn stimulate his work, inspiring him to create beautiful vessels to serve food on. This exhibition, held in a book gallery, is Yashima's attempt at creating a certain impression of a work from a story. It was a much more enjoyable experience than he anticipated. Bit by bit, his work began to take on a whiff of the narrative, surrounded by all these wonderful stories arrayed on shelves standing alongside his pottery.

For this exhibition, Uchida is showing around 25 mixed media works of acrylic, stone implements and pastels on paper, including some from a series entitled "Kaminariiwa Song Series". Sugawara will show around 150 pieces including Shigaraki ash-glazed earthenware pipes, ceramic vessels and flower vases.

The title "Toukon" roughly translates into "small but motivated soul." This exhibition features a variety of works that are tiny but surely light up your heart. All the works are smaller than the size of a matchbox.

Since the prewar periods, many people from Okinawa have lived in Kawasaki City and played an important role in its industrial development. The Society of Okinawan People was founded in Kawasaki City 84 years ago and has greatly contributed in preserving Okinawan performing arts. It is also a well-known fact that Kawasaki-born figures, such as a ceramicist Shoji Hamada and a poet Sonosuke Sato, became deeply involved with Okinawan culture upon their artistic activities. Moreover, Okinawan culture made an enormous impact on the artist Taro Okamoto as he visited their place. With the theme "the connection of two places -Okinawa and Kawasaki", this exhibition introduces documents, arts, and crafts, which represent traditional art and culture of Okinawa. Location: Event Exhibition Room 1 Related Event (Please see website for details.) -Okinawa Performing Arts Date & Time: April 27th (Sun) & May 11th (Sun), 14:00-15:00 on both days. Location: Shoyo Exhibition Space Fee: Free -Film Screening 1. "A Child of the Sun Thedanopha" (1980) Director: Kirio Urayama 2. "The Sea is Alive" (1958) Director: Susumu Hani 3. "Untamagiru" (1989) Director: Go Takamine 4. "Hotel Hibiscus" (2002) Director: Yuji Nakae Date & Time: 1 & 2 May 24th (Sat) 3 & 4 May 25th (Sun) 1. 13:30- 2. 16:30- 3. 13:30- 4. 16:00- Location: Screening Hall Fee: Adults ¥600, University & High School Students, 65 and above ¥500, Junior High School Students & Below ¥400 [Image: "Bowl with Red Apricot Tree" (Naha City Tsuboya Pottery Museum Collection)]

This exhibition examines, from a cultural history perspective, how the culture of using elegant Western tableware took root and progressed in Japan, from the Meiji era to the prewar Showa period. Around 200 pieces of Western tableware are on display, with a particular focus on the Moriya collection. Western cutlery in Japan got started following a government policy to promote the development of new industries, as well as a general vogue for imitating and emulating European fashions. Through this process, "Old Noritake" soon became a brand name in porcelain for export purposes. Soon, Noritake began to apply Japanese preferences for certain ornamental techniques to their products in order to come up with designs that fused both Japanese and Western sensibilities, ushering in a unique tradition of Japanese "Western" tableware. In addition to highlighting the export aspect of Noritake porcelain from the Meiji through Taisho periods, this exhibition also takes a retrospective look at "Taisho Roman" and "Showa Modern" aesthetics in the tableware that developed towards a Japanese decorative sensibility. [Image: "Omodaka-mon Flower Vase" Morimura group (1891-1921) Moriya Collection]

Because porcelain firing originated at the hands of Korean ceramicists, early Imari ware was produced using Korean porcelain-making techniques. However, it was the cobalt blue and white porcelain from China's Jingdezhen kilns that was in demand in Japan at the time. The gosu needed for sometsuke was imported mainly from China, and although much of early Imari ware was decorated with Chinese-style designs featuring dragons, phoenixes and motifs from ink paintings, as well as geometric patterns copied from shonzui (Ming-dynasty cobalt blue and white) ware, these latter renditions differed from the perfectly executed designs seen on Chinese porcelain; they had a certain free-spirited and serene quality that was distinct from their predecessors. This exhibition presents a body of work from the pioneering days of Imari-yaki that reveals its Korean and Chinese influences, its distinctively Japanese characteristics, its transformations accompanying advances in porcelain-making techniques, as well as its historical context. [Image: "Mizusashi, decorated with pine tree, bamboo and plum design in underglaze blue" (Edo period, Early 17th century) Imari ware Height: 13.8cm Diameter of mouth: 20.1×17.3cm]

This exhibition introduces the daily lives of the Ainu people by focusing on their tools for weaving, hunting and fishing in addition to their daily clothes and wooden vessels. The Ainu people inhabited the harsh and forbidding northern territory of Hokkaido Island and surrounding islands. They revered nature as gods and by making their livelihoods through hunting, gathering, fishing, and farming were able to co-exist with nature. They wove their own fabrics; producing uniquely styled garments that were decorated with a rich variety of embroidery. Using arrows and spears with poison-tipped points (poison was made by each household according to its own formula), they hunted brown bears, Hokkaido Sika deer, hares, foxes, raccoon dogs, White-tailed eagles and Steller's sea eagles. Eagle feathers were considered precious goods for trade.

Works by emerging artists are on display. vol.145 April 28th (Mon) - May 11th (Sun) Chisato Fujita (Ceramic) vol.146 March 13th (Tue) - March 25th (Sun) Iracu (Bag, small works) vol.147 March 26th (Mon) - June 8th (Sun) Tomomi Kawakami (Glass) vol.148 June 9th (Mon) - June 22nd (Sun) Salon de Pink (Bag) vol.149 June 23rd (Mon) - July 6th (Sun) Miki Inoue (Glass) vol.150 July 7th (Mon) - July 21st (Sun) Kazumi Yoshimura (Ceramic)

Korean tea bowls are ceramic bowls made in Korea and used as tea bowls in Japan, and it was here that they became an especially admired form of ceramic ware. Originally mass produced in provincial Korean kilns for everyday use, they caught the attention of Japanese tea masters for their rustic simplicity. They embody the aesthetic principles of the wabi style of tea ceremony, and so became highly prized during the Tensho era (1573-92) when this was perfected. They continued to gain popularity and tea masters began to specially order their favorite style bowls. Despite being adopted into Japanese culture and the fond appreciation the Korean tea bowls received here, it is undeniable that their unique beauty was created by the potters from the privately owned kilns during the Joseon dynasty. Therefore, in recent years scholars have begun working to define the place of Korean tea bowls within the history of the ceramics and international exchanges of the Joseon dynasty. The research has included aesthetic appreciation and the study of documentary evidence, as well as the study of material evidence from excavations of kiln sites and Japanese historic sites, and has made significant progress over the last 20 years. This thematic display features Korean tea bowls from the Museum's collection, many of which were donated by Messrs. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon (1875-1971) and Hirota Matsushige (1897-1973). It includes many excellent works and a wide variety of pottery types such as Ido, Totoya, and Hori-Mishima. Korean Tea Bowls Imported to Japan Room 14, Honkan April 8, 2008, 14:00 Speaker: Imai Atsushi, Curator of Chinese Ceramics (In Japanese) [Image: Tea Bowl, Oido type, Known as Uraku, Joseon dynasty, 15-16th century, Korea(Important Art Object, Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon)]

The Hakone Open-Air Museum’s Picasso Collection consists of a substantial number of Picasso’s ceramic creations, purchased from his eldest daughter Maya Picasso, as well as his paintings, prints, sculptures, gold objets d’art. They are permanently exhibited to the public. The photographs of David Douglas Duncan, who documented the artist’s last 17years, also play a vital role in this collection.

This is a small but permanent program of the Crafts Gallery to present works of Bearers of Important Intangible Cultural Assets (living national treasures) and other leading artists and designers at home and abroad. Masterpieces to be shown include ceramics, glassworks, lacquerware, wood and bamboo works, textiles, dolls, metal works and designs.

Works, studies, sketches, ceramics, kimonos, artworks by friends, letters, bamboo crafts, and other belongings of Yokoyama Taikan are on display. Exhibits will change every three months. Closed during summer, winter, and rain season. May be closed in heavy snow or hurricane.