First International Triennale of Kogei Kanaawa Opening Ceremony
in the center Ohi Chozaemon,mayor Yamade Tamotsu
KA-KU-AN Tea Room
Gold Leaf Tea Table
panel discussion by 5 curators( Mr Ito Junji,Mr Kaneko Kenji who is an art commentator,
Mr. Akimoto Yuji is Kanazawa the 21st century art museum director,
Mr Cang Ching Yuen (Taiwan) is clay artist, and myself) at Kanazawa 21st Century Museum
in the friend who sleeps from participant to attend (lough)
after dinner with special guest Mr Nakada Hidetoshi and Mr ito Junji

Kanazawa 21st century museum director AkimotoYuji became the producer and appointed curator of five people.

Mr Ito Junji,Mr Kaneko Kenji who is an art commentator,
Mr. Akimoto Yuji is Kanazawa the 21st century art museum director,
Mr Cang Ching Yuen (Taiwan) is clay artist, and myself.
Each curator chooses approximately ten artists, and tenkan does one point of best work (5/8-16) in the
Kanazawa 21st century art museum and announce the work of artists chosen in rifare (5/8-6/20) which is the other
exhibition place by direction of each curator.
The notable thing was rifare exhibition place, but the space that was a bookstore became vacant for two years,
and it was accompanied with the activation of a new town to utilize the space.
NENDO which was space designer designed it in the space that became the gallery, but, in five curator,
the suggestion to direct the space given was interesting while installing five big greenhouses.
I assumed that I held an imaginary tea ceremony in an aerial tea-ceremony room between the given space.
The following sentences are extracts from an exhibition catalogue.

Thoughts on the Chakai-Ki and our 10 Selected Artists
Ohi Toshio
For centuries, the tradition of “chakai-ki” (tea ceremony records) has been practiced in Japan.
Written therein are the date and time, place, tea wares used, cuisine served,
and the persons attending a certain tea ceremony. In the days of old,
an encounter between persons was an “ichigo-ichie” (one lifetime, one meeting) experience,
and a “shosoku” or written letter mounted on a hanging scroll would be displayed in a tea ceremony
room in order to convey the host’s message. The people of the past, unlike us today,
did not have airplanes or bullet trains to meet one another, and had no way to audio-record or
video-tape what had actually transpired. Yet because our forefathers lived in an age without such media,
it was only natural that they wished to leave a written record for memory’s sake. While revering these
fleeting encounters, the knowledge and understanding of the proverb “onko-chishin”
(reviewing the past to understand the new) may teach us the reason why a sense of spirituality
was instilled in the tea bowl and other forms of tea wares.
To welcome important guests who have traveled from afar, the “host” of a “tea ceremony” would,
through much trial and error, attempt to give his or her guests the utmost in “hospitality.” It was unquestionably
an innovative act, then, for a host to commission “tea wares” from “craftsmen” to newly impress upon his guests,
as was the act of “selecting” utilitarian vessels for daily life from Korea, China and Southern Asia and using
them as tea bowls and fresh water jars for use in the tea ceremony. And if the tea ceremony provided the
opportunity for a host to express one’s thoughts and ideals, this meant that deeply important was a host’s
“spirituality” that could help support one’s aesthetics. In this light, the teachings of Buddhism,
Taoism and Confucianism as learned from China would be adopted into Japanese feng shui,
and would ultimately be used to build the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. Our deep reverence towards
these religious attitudes would lead to the birth of the Way of Tea, and it could be said that such is a foundation
for the Japanese culture we have today.

From Japanese gardens to the various aspects of a tea room, there is deep and peculiar meaning
behind their respective vocabularies. The “toro” (lantern), “kekkai” (partition), and the “toko” (alcove) all contain
elements of installation-type functionality. And it is said that the hosts of old would draw water from mountain
streams thought to be spiritually close to Shinto gods or Buddhist deities for use in such tea ceremony vessels
as “tsukubai” (squat jar), “mizusashi” (fresh water jar) and “kama” (iron kettle).

Today, where are we Japanese going? We conveniently travel with ease on useful public transportation systems,
yet fail to express our gratitude towards and leave behind the people we just met. And the Way of Tea?
Tradition? Crafts? Have we forgotten the original meaning behind these things?

Often, we easily cast away these notions with the word “old.” In the world of fine art and crafts, it seems as if the
word is used as a form of prejudice towards things we have become bored of seeing. However,
traditional craft art should be something that tries to overcome this world of prejudice.
The proverb “onko-chishin” can teach us this.

What do we mean by the word “new?” It seems as if it is often said in praise of a reform-minded person,
but is this really so? Isn’t the word just an easy excuse for those who cannot understand the meaning of “old?”
Is it not that only those who fully understand the truth that lies in the past can have their actions considered as
“new?” By striving for the “new,” we can pass on the traditions of learning the old, as represented by “onko-chishin,”
to future generations who will build the future foundations of Japanese culture.