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Nagakura Kenichi (born 1952), Curve, 2001. Bamboo
(madake), 10" x 10" x 9" (25.4 x 25.4 x 22.9 cm). Philadelphia
Museum of Art. © 2016 Nagakura Kenichi. (PMA-6743) |
Bamboo (“take” or
“dake” in Japanese), the fastest-growing woody plant on Earth, has been a
cultural underpinning in Japan since forever. It has been used there to make
everything from cups and tea whisks, to timbers for the roofs of houses. Bamboo
sprouts (“dakenoko”) have also been used in cooking. It is variously a symbol
of strength, because of its sturdiness, and also purity and innocence, because
it is simple and unadorned. There were a lot more master bamboo artists in the
past, but plastic has overtaken bamboo in the department of utilitarian arts.
Nonetheless, there are estimated to be about 100 master bamboo artists, and we
were lucky enough to get some of their gorgeous works for our digital
image collection from the Philadelphia
Museum of Art. These works are proof that the art form is definitely alive
and well! In the past, some bamboo master artists have been named National
Treasures in Japan.
Bamboo grows all over Japan because of the humid, warm
climate. There are roughly 1000 recorded species of the plant. Some bamboo species
are amazingly fast growing, some as fast as 47 5/8" (121 cm) a day! That seems
amazing, but it must account for the fact why bamboo is so relied upon in Japan
as a lumber stock.
Bamboo is often included in arrangements with pine boughs at
New Year because of its auspicious nature. Pine stands for longevity and
endurance, while bamboo is strength and flexibility. Along with plum branches
(representing a young spirit), they symbolize the cardinal qualities of long
life, hardiness and vitality.
The artists represented here have created objects, both
utilitarian and sculpture, of amazing grace and complexity, showing the
versatility of bamboo. As is evident with these artworks, the most common way
to use bamboo in Japan is to split it into strips to use in basket arts. It is
quite literally a “green” art form, because bamboo is a sustainable crop. How
wonderful that such a venerable, ancient art form can come into the 21st
century in exciting new forms.
Some of the bamboos seen here are:
- Madake, timber bamboo—the most common type
- Nemagari, a short, mounting form common in Nagano
Prefecture (sasa senanensis)
- Menyadake, a form in which three branches grow out of each
node on the main stalk
- Susudake, the most prized, smoked bamboo 100 years or
older taken from old roof timbers, usually from the late Edo Period (1615–1868)
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Honma Hideaki (born
1959), Graceful Figure, 1997. Bamboo
(menyadake and nemagaridake), 30" x 15" x 10" (76.2 × 38.1 ×
25.4 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art. © 2016 Honma Hideaki. (PMA-6727)
|
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Morigami Jin (born
1955), Untitled, 2001. Bamboo (madake) and rattan, 18" x 10 1/2" x 14"
(45.7 x 26.7 x 35.6 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art. © 2016 Morigami Jin.
(PMA-6740) |
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Mimura Chikuho (born
1973), Cloud on the Peak, 2005. Bamboo
(madake), 7 1/2" x 17" (19.1 x 43.2 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art.
© 2016 Mimura Chikuho. (PMA-6738) |
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Kawashima Shigeo (born 1958), Cosmic Ring II, 2002.
Bamboo (madake) and cotton thread, 16" x 16 1/2" x 7 1/2" (40.6
× 41.9 × 19.1 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art. © 2016 Kawashima Shigeo. (PMA-6732) |
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Nakatomi Hajime (born
1974), Fragrant Wind II, 2003. Bamboo
(madake) and rattan, 14" x 8 1/2" (35.6 x 21.6 cm). Philadelphia
Museum of Art. © 2016 Nakatomi Hajime. (PMA-6745) |
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Honda Syōryū (born 1951), Dance,
2001. Bamboo (madake) and rattan, 11 3/4" x 14" x 11 1/2" (29.8
x 35.6 x 29.2 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art. © 2016 Honda Syōryū. (PMA-6725) |
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Kosuge Hōunsai Kōgetsu (born 1932), Hanging
flower basket with comb pattern (“kushime”), 2005. Bamboo (Susudake,
sadodake and nemagaridake) and rattan, 9 1/2" x 5" x 3 1/2" (24.1
x 12.7 x 8.9 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art. © 2016 Kosuge Hōunsai Kōgetsu.
(PMA-6736) |
Correlations to Davis
Programs: Explorations in Art Grade
4: 6.35; Explorations in Art Grade 6: 4.studio23-24, 5.25; A Personal Journey:
3.1, 3.4, 3.5; A Community Connection: 3.2, 5.2; A Global Pursuit: 7.5; Beginning
Sculpture: 6; Exploring Visual Design: 6, 11; The Visual Experience: 7.2, 10.2,
12.4, 13.5, 16.8; Discovering Art History: 2.2, 4.4
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