Ginza Tsutaya Books (6th floor, GINZA SIX, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) will be holding an exhibition titled "Heaven and Earth Move in Sequential Direction: Kawachi Kunihira and Yanobe Kenji, a Supreme Co-Creation by Master Craftsmen" at the store's FOAM CONTEMPORARY from Saturday, November 23rd to Tuesday, December 10th, 2024.
Message for the event
Ginza Tsutaya Books will be holding a sword exhibition titled "Tenchiijundo" by swordsmith Kawachi Kunihira and contemporary artist Yanobe Kenji.
Currently, the number of swordsmiths who can make genuine swords, as well as the materials and forges required for making them, is decreasing. This means that we are losing a culture that was introduced from the continent and refined in Japan over a thousand years ago, and we are losing the ability to deeply appreciate the techniques of famous swordsmen of the past.
This exhibition is an attempt to convey that the skills of swordsmiths still inspire people's souls today, and was planned as an initiative to preserve such excellent Japanese skills and spirituality. Having encountered the swordsmith Kunihira Kawachi, who holds the highest level of skill, Kenji Yanobe has come up with a grand concept and will present a collaborative work that brings together the skills of the master swordsmiths.
"Heaven and earth move in order" is a passage from the Book of Changes. Just as the sun, moon, and seasons cycle, if sages also act in accordance with reason, all people will be pleased.
The swords made by these two masters connect heaven and earth, past and present, and are imbued with the wish to ward off disasters from the world. Please enjoy the genuine skill and beauty of these masters living today.
About the work
●Tachi《Tenchi Ijundo》 (2024)
Long sword "Tenchi i Jundou" (2024) * (All designs are concept designs)
Detail of the sword "Heaven and Earth Move in Shundo" (2024). The inscribed handle is inlaid with meteoric iron.
Kunihira Kawachi and Kenji Yanobe have expressed the worldview of their huge installation BIG CAT BANG, which is being held at GINZA SIX, through swords and lacquer crafts, based on the "SHIP'S CAT" series, which travels and brings good fortune, and the "panspermia theory," which says that the "seeds of life (sperma)" contained in the DNA and RNA of living organisms came to Earth from meteorites and other objects. The blade of the sword seems to be bathed in light, resembling a sea of clouds rising from the mountains. It is also like the clouds and morning sun that appear in Higashiyoshino Village, Nara Prefecture, where Kawachi has his swordsmithing workshop. The blade is carved by Shigemitsu Kashiwagi, a metalwork artist who is said to be the best in the millennium of sword making, and features a "space cat" that landed on Earth, bestowed the "seeds of life," and watched over the birth of humanity.
● Short sword "God of Cats" (2024)
Short sword "God of Cats" (2024) *
Handle of the short sword "God of Cats" (2024)
It is written in The Tale of Genji, The Pillow Book, and Kanpei-goki that cats have been loved as pets since the Heian period. It is believed that they were probably carried on the ships of Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty to protect the scriptures and treasures from rats. This can also be considered a "SHIP'S CAT". Since ancient times, swords have not only been tools of battle, but also offered as a place for gods to reside, and they also played a spiritual role in warding off evil spirits and protecting the human body. Cats also lived with people, playing the role of "guardian deities" that protected houses and ships from harmful animals such as rats. The handle of the "God of Cats" sword is engraved with a silver cat made by a Kyoto craftsman, and the vermilion-painted scabbard used to ward off evil is decorated with mother-of-pearl and lacquer work of "SHIP'S CAT".
● Short sword "Bagua Link" series
Tanto “Eight Trigram Chain” (2024)*
This short sword expresses the world view of "Heaven and Earth in Motion." The eight trigrams are the eight concepts in I Ching, from Tai Chi to Liang Yi (Yin and Yang), the four symbols, and the eight trigrams. In terms of natural phenomena, they correspond to "Heaven, Swamp, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, Earth." The fittings of the eight swords feature lacquer art by Kenji Yanobe. The handles are all 3D sculptures of the head of a "Space Cat." The "Heaven" features a dragon roaring on the glowing sphere of "Star Anger," and the blade is engraved with the Big Dipper. The "Swale" features "Anger from the Bottom" from "Miido Shrine," "Fire" features "Giant Torayan," "Thunder" features "Ultra – Black Sun," "Wind" features "Tower of the Wind God," "Water" features "Lucky Dragon," "Mountain" features "Flora," and "Earth" features "Sun Child."
The blades are made by Kawachi Kunihira and four other swordsmiths who have been trained by Kawachi. Takami Taro Kuniichi is Kawachi's top disciple, and in 2018 he was selected as the recipient of the Takamatsunomiya Memorial Award (highest award) at the "Contemporary Sword Craftsmen Exhibition" (sponsored by the Japanese Art Sword Preservation Association), making him the youngest person to be certified as an "unexamined swordsmith," the highest rank in the sword world. Following him, Komiya Rokuro Kuniten and Kaneda Shichiro Kunima have also won numerous awards at the "Contemporary Sword Craftsmen Exhibition." Furthermore, Kawachi Ippei won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award (highest award) at the "New Japanese Sword Polishing, Exterior, Sword Craftsmanship Exhibition" (sponsored by the Japanese Sword Culture Promotion Association), and each of them is known as a swordsmith who inherits Kawachi's techniques and spirit.
Of the eight works, this exhibition will feature Eight Trigrams Linked to Heaven.
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Kunihira Kawachi
Photo: Masahiko Miyata
He was born in 1941 (Showa 16) in Miyakojima, Osaka as the second son of the 14th swordsmith, Kawachinokami Kunisuke.
He was so moved by reading "A Swordsmith's Life" by Miyairi Shohei, a Living National Treasure who would later become his teacher, that he became Miyairi's disciple and took him as his life mentor. He inherited the "Sagami-den" sword school, one of the five traditions, from Miyairi, and in 1972 (Showa 47) established a swordsmith workshop in Hirano, Higashiyoshino Village, Nara Prefecture. He has received numerous awards, including the Sato Eisaku Honorary Chairman's Award, the Takamatsunomiya Award, and the All Japan Swordsmith Association Chairman's Award. He then studied the "Bizen-den" sword school under Living National Treasure Sumiya Masamine, becoming a swordsmith who mastered two different schools of swordsmithing techniques. In 1988 (Showa 63), he was certified as a swordsmith without examination. In 1995 (Heisei 7), he mastered the Yamato-den sword school.
He also worked hard to restore ancient swords together with Masao Suenaga, an archaeologist who discovered the Takamatsuzuka Tomb and became director of the Nara Prefectural Kashihara Archaeological Institute, under whom he studied at Kansai University. In 2005, he was recognized as a holder of the Nara Prefecture Intangible Cultural Property for restoring the Seven-branched Sword that was dedicated to Isonokami Shrine. In 2014, he exhibited Kunihira Kawachinokami Kunisuke at the New Masterpiece Sword Exhibition, which is a show of swordsmiths who have not been screened. He reproduced the "random reflection" characteristic of old swords, which was said to be impossible to achieve with modern tamahagane steel, and won the Masamune Award, the highest award in the sword world. As a pioneer in the sword world, he is also known for taking on various new initiatives.
Kenji Yanobe
Photo by Kosei Nozaki
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1965. Contemporary artist. Having played at the demolition site of the Osaka Expo as a child, he dreamed of creating something new from scratch in the ruins of the future. In 1990, he made his debut with Tanking Machine, an experiential piece that involved meditating in an isolation tank. With the theme of "survival," he creates mechanical sculptures to help people survive in today's chaotic society. In 1994, he moved his base of operations to Berlin. In 1997, he began the Atom Suit Project, in which he wore a radiation-detecting protective suit he had made himself and explored Chernobyl and other areas after the nuclear accident. In 2001, at the beginning of the 21st century, he shifted his theme to "revival." In 2003, he held a solo exhibition, Megalomania, at the National Museum of Art, Osaka. In 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, he created Sun Child, a monument of hope, which toured both domestically and internationally. One of the three sculptures will be permanently installed in Ibaraki City, Osaka. In 2013, he collaborated with Beat Takeshi to create the allegorical sculpture Anger from the Bottom, themed on environmental pollution, which was exhibited at the Setouchi Triennale. In 2017, he began working on the SHIP'S CAT series, a guardian deity of travel that brings good fortune. In 2021, SHIP'S CAT (Muse) will be permanently installed at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka. In 2024, he will exhibit the giant installation BIG CAT BANG, themed on the journey of life, in the central atrium of GINZA SIX. He creates works that question the origins and meaning of art, and bring about interaction with the environment.
Exhibition Information
"Heaven and Earth Move in Sequential Way" Kunihira Kawachi and Kenji Yanobe, Master Craftsmen's Supreme Co-Creation Period: Saturday, November 23, 2024 – Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Time | 11:00-19:00
*The final day will close at 18:00. *Due to a reception, the first day, Saturday, November 23rd, will close at 17:00. Venue: FOAM CONTEMPORARY
Organized by: Ginza Tsutaya Bookstore Cooperation: Studio Shikumi Co., Ltd. Admission: Free
Ginza Tsutaya Bookstore
We connect art, Japanese culture, and life through books, and propose "life with art."
Address: 6F GINZA SIX, 6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Phone number: 03-3575-7755
Business hours: Please check the store's website.
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CCC Art Lab
CCC Art Lab is a planning group within the planning company Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. that proposes "a life with art." Through proposing "a life with art," we hope to bring art closer to people, make people's lives happier, and contribute to creating a better society. Based on the knowledge we have gained through many years of business experience in store planning, art media, product development, event production, and more, we propose plans with an approach that only we can take.
https://www.ccc-artlab.jp/
[Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. (CCC ART LAB)] Press release
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