Collection Exhibition Part 2 - Kenkichi Tomimoto + Kanjiro Kawai

The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park

Finished

Artists

Kenkichi Tomimoto, Kanjiro Kawai

In the modern ceramics and crafts world, amid the rapid modernization of culture and economy during the Meiji era, traditional handcrafted regional cultures were in decline due to the spread of mass production through mechanization. Additionally, with the zeitgeist of humanitarianism and respect for individuality as a backdrop, the era saw the emergence of "individual" artists alongside various thoughts and theories surrounding the redefinition of East and West and the relationship between fine art and crafts.

In 1924, in Kyoto, an encounter and exchange between key figures of the Mingei (Folk Craft) movement- Soetsu Yanagi, Kanjiro Kawai, and Shoji Hamada- began. They evaluated the beauty inherent in everyday objects crafted by unknown artisans and the common people as "folk crafts," giving rise to the concept of "Mingei." Alongside conducting surveys and collections of folk crafts from various regions of Japan, they aimed to promote their beauty. In 1926, Soetsu Yanagi, Kanjiro Kawai, Shoji Hamada, and Kenkichi Tomimoto jointly published the "Declaration of Establishment of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum." However, as they developed the Mingei movement, differences in values regarding "creation" as individual artists caused them to part ways. Each of them then established their unique style and left significant marks as masters of modern ceramics.

This exhibition is a project to introduce modern ceramics, which saw a wide range of expressions, in two parts from the exceptional items recently donated to our museum. Part 2, the focus of this exhibition, sheds light on the Kyoto period of Kanjiro Kawai and Kenkichi Tomimoto, prominent ceramic artists representing the modern era, and their deep connection with Shigaraki, re-examining the flourishing modern era.

Venue: Ceramics Museum Gallery

Schedule

Apr 27 (Sat) 2024-May 26 (Sun) 2024