Latest news with #Nabeshima
Asahi Shimbun
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Craftmanship fused with expo mascot proves a popular mix
A lacquerware doll of the official Myaku-Myaku mascot of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo. A pair of these dolls cost 1.65 million yen ($11,300). (Provided by Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten) The bizarre appearance of Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo, has turned heads. Now, the multiple-eyeballed creature is helping a crafts maker turn a profit. Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, a long-established sundry designer and vendor headquartered in Nara, has created several products themed on Myaku-Myaku for the international event. The company primarily handles practical crafts, so its artisans faced as challenge using Myaku-Myaku as a 'model.' Its unexpected strong sales at the expo have provided encouragement for artisans of old-style craftworks. All formally licensed products of the expo have been developed under the concept of 'Myaku-Myaku meets craftsmanship.' Measuring 25 centimeters tall, a Myaku-Myaku statue made of Nabeshima porcelain from Imari city, Saga Prefecture, carries a price tag of 550,000 yen ($3,790), including tax. Brisk sales of the sculpture since the expo opened on April 13 led to Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten's decision to ramp up production. A public relations representative of the company said the statue's detailed pattern was drawn carefully stroke by stroke. 'Our customers may find the creation not only cute but also novel and attractive,' the official said. A pair of 25-cm-tall lacquerware dolls of Myaku-Myaku are available for a tax-inclusive 1.65 million yen. One of the limited-edition items was bought within a week of its release. The other is expected to be sold through a lottery by the end of May. The many eyes of the lacquer-processed doll are inlayed with mother-of-pearl and have undergone 'rankaku-bari,' a skill in which finely crushed eggshells are applied to the surface before being coated with another layer of lacquer. The doll's body sections were finished through different painting techniques, such as colorful 'kawari-nuri' and blacking 'shin-nuri,' giving the creation a luster and unique presence, according to the company. Tiny plates of renowned Arita ware porcelain, characterized by subtle Myaku-Myaku designs, have also been popular. They cost a tax-inclusive 2,750 yen each. A small 'o-mikuji' oracle statue, crafted from famed Seto ware and priced at 1,650 yen after tax, is named O-myaku-ji. It dispenses random fortunes on strips of paper when the string at its bottom is pulled. These goods have drawn crowds at the official souvenir store on the expo's venue, according to the company. 'Our artisans are delighted that the international fair offered them an opportunity to not only take advantage of their skills but also refine their techniques,' a publicity official of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten said. For details of the crafts, visit the Japanese website of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten at (
Japan Times
31-03-2025
- Japan Times
Cherry blossom-themed art to see this weekend in Tokyo
Cherry blossom season holds cultural significance in Japan and heralds new beginnings. Taking the Somei-Yoshino variety as a benchmark, the Meteorological Agency officially declared Tokyo's sakura season to have started on Monday . Full bloom is expected this weekend, but it's forecasted to be cloudy and rainy, interfering with plans for outdoor hanami (flower viewing) picnics. The blossoms' ephemeral beauty has been immortalized in art and literature for centuries, so particularly on rainy days, there's still plenty of sakura (cherry blossom) art to gaze upon inside. Here are a few Tokyo museums that display cherry blossom-themed artworks this spring. Tokyo National Museum Since early March, the Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward has been showcasing a variety of artworks in anticipation of the blooms. Most works on view are from the Edo Period (1603-1868) — including paintings, scrolls, kimono and ceramics featuring cherry blossoms. Spread around the rooms of the Japanese gallery in the honkan (main building), the works are displayed for different lengths of time. In the designated ukiyo-e room, for example, prints by Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Hiroshige from the 'Thirty-Six Views of the Eastern Capital' series are on view through April 13, among other artworks from the period. Tableware from the 18th and 19th centuries will be on view the longest, with cups depicting full sakura trees in bloom on display through May 18, while Nabeshima ware dishes made for samurai lords are on view through June 1. The museum will also open its garden during the bloom time of the cherry trees. It's free to enter with a regular museum admission ticket. National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Located among a flurry of cherry trees next to the Imperial Palace grounds, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) displays various masterpieces and national treasures in spring. This year's exhibition, under the title 'Spring Comes to the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo: Blossoms in Japanese Art,' runs through to April 6. One particular highlight is 'Parting Spring' (1916) by Kawai Gyokudo, which has been designated a National Important Cultural Property. The grandiose pair of six-fold screens depicts falling sakura petals flowing down the Nagatoro Gorge in Saitama, a scene visited by the painter more than 100 years ago. "Parting Spring" by Kawai Gyokudo, consisting of a pair of six-fold screens depicting sakura along the Nagatoro Gorge in Saitama, was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1971. | Public domain MOMAT has also opened its front yard to visitors for hanami picnics, with takeout seasonal bentos and drinks available from the museum's restaurant L'art et Mikuni. Yamatane Museum of Art The first museum dedicated to nihonga (Japanese-style painting), Yamatane Museum of Art holds annual exhibitions featuring cherry blossom-themed artworks, many of which are not displayed the rest of the year, adding to the ephemerality of this popular motif. This year's special exhibition, titled 'Sakura, Sakura, Sakura 2025: Flower Viewing at the Museum!' takes place through May 11. It displays about 60 artworks in five sections, from sakura in poems and tales to yozakura (nighttime viewing of cherry blossoms). The artworks range from 19th-century paintings on silk and woodblock prints to works by contemporary nihonga artists, most notably Hiroshi Senju. One highlight is Togyu Okumura's "Daigo," depicting the renowned cherry blossom tree at Daigoji Temple in Kyoto that is believed to be around 170 years old. Sato Sakura Museum Specializing in contemporary nihonga, Sato Sakura Museum is located near the banks of the Meguro River, a beloved and busy cherry blossom viewing spot. Inside the museum are a bevy of blooms to gaze upon, including those painted by emerging nihonga artists commissioned by the institution. The annual cherry-blossom-themed 'Oka-Sho Award Exhibition,' featuring the work of 30 artists from around the country, takes place for the 12th year this spring and is open through May 11. The banks of the Meguro River are one of the most popular spots for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, both by day and night when they are lit up by lanterns. | Getty images In addition to the award exhibition, there is a concurrent showing of '100 Views of Sakura vol. 39,' which features paintings and folding screens from the museum's permanent collection. Digital hanami at teamLab TeamLab — the most-visited museum of the world as certified by the Guinness World Record — is partial to floral themes, whether via projections of colorful blooms that burst and spiral on the walls of the exhibition rooms or living orchids hanging from a mirrored ceiling. The digital art museum reflects the changing seasons in its exhibits, so until the end of April, the room titled 'Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers' in teamLab Planets in Koto Ward will feature enlarged cherry blossoms opening, scattering and blooming again, depicting the flowers' natural cycle in a loop. Other spots for indoor digital hanami in Tokyo include the 'Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition Tokyo' at Warehouse Terrada in Shinagawa Ward, open through March 31, and "Tokyo Tower City Light Fantasia: Spring Concerto 2025" on the Tokyo Tower Main Deck in Minato Ward through May 6.
