ZEN: TANABESHOCHIKU&WAKAMIYATAKASHI

Elegance, 2014,10.25 × 28 × 8.5 inches

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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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Grapevine (Fruit), 2014, 22.75 × 9 × 8 inches

Galaxy, 2014, 28 × 32 × 8 inches

Rising Dragon, 2013, 23.25 × 6 × 5.5 inches 1111

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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

Clouds at Dusk, 1996, 3 × 9.5 ×12 inches

Left: Aun, 2014, 10 × 18 ×18 inches

Right: Aun, 2014,10 ×18 ×18 inches

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Enso (Reincarnation), 2014, 5.5 × 21 ×15.75 inches

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Surging Sea, 2014, 7× 28.75 × 5.5 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

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Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

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