Masters of Bamboo Art

The exhibition features more than 25 items, including works by two representatives of the Iizuka line which has played such a dominant role in bamboo art in the eastern half of Honshu: Iizuka Rokansai and Iizuka Shokansai, named a Living National Treasure in 1982. Only six bamboo artists have received this high honor.  We are proud to feature four of the six Living National Treasures in the present exhibition: Iizuka Shokansai, Maeda Chikubosai II, Katsushiro Soho, and Fujinuma Noboru, who was named in 2012. 

Our selection covers a wide range of the art as it has evolved over the last century, with several examples by leading members of the basket-maker dynasties Maeda Chikubosai and Tanabe Chikuunsai, based in Osaka.  Both are pioneers and guardians of the classic Kansai style, and the leadership of the Tanabe line has now passed to Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, formerly known as Shouchiku. 

In addition to the great Iizuka, Chikubosai, and Tanabe lines, we celebrate the achievements of other groundbreaking individuals who continue to take Japanese bamboo in exciting and creative directions, such as Morigami Jin, Honma Hideaki, and Mimura Chikuho.