An exhibition titled "Kogei Crossroads" is being held at Seiko House Hall in Wako, Ginza. The space, which displays works by four craft artists active in the fields of glass, kirikane, metalwork, and lacquerware, is filled with energy that speaks to each piece. We bring you our impressions of the exhibition, including interviews with the artists who continue to engage in sincere creative activities while facing the materials.

Soft lines of blue and gold decorate the endlessly soft milky white glass ──Part de Verre by Tomofumi Ishida──

A milky mass with a refreshing yet warm color that reminds you of something nostalgic. When you encounter Tomofumi Ishida's work, the first thing that catches your eye is the soft milky color. The glass technique "pas de verre" is very different from the conventional image of glass, which has a hard transparency. It is said to have originated in ancient Mesopotamia.

The milky white box is decorated with straight lines and graceful curves in gold and blue, and the patterns stand out more vividly against the milky white background.

"This time, in addition to familiar shapes such as boxes and incense containers, I also tried making pieces with sharp, objets d'art forms that are not often seen in traditional pâte de verre.

I believe that crafts come into existence when something flat becomes three-dimensional and then has a pattern added to it. So, I gave a lot of thought to how to add a pattern to this type of polyhedral form.

I also want to learn about pottery patterns and use them in my pâte de verre ware in the future."

The blue and gold lines appear to be straight lines of the same thickness, but their thickness varies subtly depending on where they are drawn and the angle of the surface. These differences give the polyhedron a more complex appearance.

In recent years, Ishida's works have increasingly featured vivid cobalt blue lines.

"Whenever I have some free time, I travel abroad, especially to Central Asia and the Middle East. There I encounter the deep blue skies and the blue tiles often seen in Islamic architecture. I think I may have been influenced by these things."

Ishida's work has long been called "Japanese pâte de verre" for its softness. From that "Japanese" concept, he has begun his journey to reach even greater heights.

A lovely and infinite universe created by the application of extremely fine gold leaf ──Kirikane Eri Tomoko──

If you get close to the piece and don't look closely, the pattern sometimes appears as a golden haze, but if you look closely, the beautiful pattern created by the extremely fine golden lines emerges.

The golden lines cut from several layers of gold leaf using a bamboo sword are about 0.1 mm in thickness, thinner than a hair. The craft of "Kirikane" is born from the mind-boggling work of pasting the lines with an adhesive made from a mixture of glue and nori seaweed.

Eri Tomoko's mother, Eri Sayoko, was a leading expert in Kirikane art and was recognized as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure).

Having grown up watching her mother at work from a young age, Eri's work naturally bears resemblance to her mother's work.

However, this exhibition also includes a new challenge: a series of works entitled "Kirikane Silk."

"Silk" means silk. When you look closely at the thin silk with Kirikane on both sides, you can see that the delicate Kirikane patterns and the fabric grain are combined, creating a unique world that is different from the previous Kirikane works on paulownia wood.

"I framed a series of works, including "Kirikane Thread," in which silk was decorated with kirikane, and a work that alternates between thin cylinders covered with kirikane and glass rods. The expressions change from moment to moment depending on the amount of light, the angle from which you view them, and the time you look at them. Since they are framed, I hope you will hang them on the wall and enjoy the changes every day."

Kirikane is a technique for decorating Buddhist statues that has been handed down since ancient times, mainly in Kyoto. Many of the craftsmen who make the wooden boxes and incense holders are from Kyoto.

"My works are only possible thanks to the incredible skills of the craftsmen who make the wood and frames. I am grateful to these craftsmen every day."

Eri, who continues to perform meticulous work every day, has a deep sense of gratitude towards the craftsmen.

 Mysterious patterns are created by repeatedly cutting and hammering overlapping metal pieces ──Mokumegane by Saka Ryuhei──

Although it is a hard metal, the organic and complex patterns reminiscent of marble patterns decorate the entire surface of the edgy shapes of the vases and incense holders.

The mysteriously beautiful patterns that characterize Saka Ryuhei's work are the result of a technique called "Mokumegane." Around 25 to 35 sheets of metal, such as silver, copper, or a copper-gold alloy, are layered together to make a single sheet, which is then repeatedly carved and hammered into shape.

By repeating this process, the multiple metal layers emerge on the same surface, and the individual colors of the metals create a marbled pattern, forming a single metal plate.The plate is then hammered, stretched, and squeezed again to create the intended form.

The "Mokumegane" technique, which involves these steps, was invented in the Edo period to decorate the tsuba (guards) of swords. At first glance, it looks like a coincidental pattern created by nature, reminiscent of kiln changes...

“The patterns are almost entirely calculated. Depending on which metals are layered in what order, and how they are carved and hammered, the colors and patterns that emerge can be roughly predicted.

With many decorative techniques, the decoration is applied after the vessel has been shaped. But with Mokumegane, the pattern is created first. Then, in the process of hammering the metal to give it a three-dimensional shape, the pattern takes on a new look and undergoes transformation. The close relationship between the process of creating the pattern and the vessel's shape is one of the distinctive features of Mokumegane.

Each piece appears to be made from a single piece of metal, rather than the 25 or more pieces that have been layered and hammered together over and over again.

The mysterious patterns and deep colors resemble the entrance to a labyrinth. When you stare at them closely, you get the illusion that you are being drawn into the labyrinth.

Delicate, swaying maki-e patterns on intricately crafted pieces ──Lacquer artist Tomoya Murose──

Lacquer artists often focus on applying the lacquer or decorating with maki-e or raden, and leave the woodworking to specialized woodcrafters. This is because lacquer art, which requires countless steps and time, requires them to focus solely on working with lacquer.

However, Murose Tomoya's works begin with creating a shape using dry lacquer.

"Urushi works, due in part to their color tone, first and foremost assert their presence as shapes.

Because the shape jumps out at you, I want to pay attention to the shape and form first. With that in mind, I first create the sculpture using dry lacquer. The majority of the works on display this time were created using dry lacquer.

As Murose's words suggest, the works, dominated by an all-absorbing dark brown color, have a powerful presence even in their smallest form.

Furthermore, the patterns applied with lacquer further accentuate its presence.

The pattern appears to be swaying. Of course, this is an optical illusion, but the finely scattered Maki-e patterns, sometimes resembling droplets of water, can be seen to be swaying slightly.

"I believe everything changes, even my work.

So rather than using a fixed, continuous pattern, I would like to use maki-e to create a random, scattered pattern, and by having the pattern fluctuate, I hope to make the entire piece appear to be constantly changing."

Although his father, Murose Kazumi, is a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for lacquerware, Murose did not pursue a career in crafts from an early age. Instead, after graduating from university, he entered the Wajima Lacquerware Technical Training Center and learned lacquerware from the basics, taking an unusual path.

Currently, the father and son are involved in the steady work of restoring cultural properties, while continuing to take on the challenge of creating their own unique shapes and patterns.

Four intersecting personalities. Mutual respect and mutual encouragement create the future of crafts

The four artists' works, which differ in materials and techniques, share a common thread: a passion for infusing traditional techniques with a modern sensibility and their own individuality, and the tireless effort required to make this a reality.

This enthusiasm and effort became a great source of energy, filling the venue with a refreshing atmosphere.

In between the delivery and installation of their works, all four artists spoke passionately about their own work. At the same time, they also looked intently at the works of other artists, and sometimes even had deep discussions with each other. It was a wonderful sight to see four intersecting personalities respecting and trying to improve each other.

◆Art exploration diary ~ Exhibition information

Kogei Crossroads ──Past, present, and future──

Date: November 2024, 11 (Thursday) - December 28, 2024 (Sunday)

Time: 11:00 – 19:00 until 17:00 on the last day