A Living National Treasure Kitamura Takeshi regarded as one of Japan's leading textile artists

Title A Living National Treasure Kitamura Takeshi
Master of Contemporary Weaving
Publication year 2011

This is a rare exhibition catalogue of Kitamuar Takeshi,known as A Living National Treasure.

Foreword
We are delighted to mount this exhibition of the work of Kitamura Takeshi, who has created new horizons in weaving through his superb skills and contemporary sensibility.

Kitamura Takeshi was born in Kyoto in 1935 and began his career in weaving, in 1951, in Nishijin. That Kyoto district, where craftsmen transmit weaving techniques that have been a key part of the traditional culture of the city since it became the imperial capital twelve centuries ago, occupies a vitally important position in the history of Japanese weaving and dyeing as it has responded to changing tastes over the ages. Having trained in Nishijin, Kitamura was equipped with highly sophisticated weaving skills and a wealth of knowledge with which to begin his independent career.

In 1965, his abilities were attested to in the form of the prestigious Chairman of Japan Art Crafts Association Prize in 1965, which he received upon first entering work in the 2nd Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition of Japanese Textiles. In 1995, he was designated the holder of an important intangible cultural property, ra, or complex gauze weaving; in 2000, he was also designed the holder of another important intangible cultural property, tate-nishiki, or warp-faced brocade. Today Kitamura Takeshi is, without a doubt, regarded as one of Japan's leading textile artists.

What fascinates people about Kitamura's work, with its innovative, endlessly fresh revelations, is the quality that arises, despite his solid grounding in tradition, from his refusal to rest on conventional values, his exploration of the fundamentals of weaving, and his stance of addressing our own age, our day, with his demanding problematic and inspiring new propositions. His kawari-ori or fancy embody a perspective that addresses new themes through a combination of diverse weaves and materials. His ra or complex gauze uses a complicated twist structure (intertwined warp yarns, with weft yarns passed through the interstices) to create richly translucent fabric. Kitamura has gone beyond reviving this ancient technique, which had nearly died out after the middle ages, to weave a new type of ra, transparent figured complex gauze or "tomon-ra". In it, through bold new manipulations of the warp yarns, he constructs patterns and shading in ways never seen before. Similarly, in setting himself the task of mastering the weaving of tatenishiki or warp-faced brocade, another classic textile, Kitamura's goal was not mere replication. By integrating contemporary materials, techniques, colors, and motifs, he has elevated his fresh new patterns to an unparalleled level of elegance.

This exhibition presents about 130 works in which the artist's thinking in his search for the formative beauty born of necessity from the art of weaving is expressed in rich textures. We hope that you will enjoy this opportunity to experience the possibilities and the beauty of weaving brought about through the ultimate in weaving skills.

In conclusion, we would be remiss not to express our profound gratitude to the many collectors who have graciously lent their valued works for this exhibition, the many others whose cooperation has helped make it possible, and, above all, to Kitamura Takeshi himself for his unstinting assistance.
The Organizers

2016 Suzuki Kiitsu Exhibition Standard-bearer of the Edo Rimpa School Hoitsu's most prominent pupil

Title Suzuki Kiitsu Exhibition
Sub Title Standard-bearer of the Edo Rimpa School
Publication year 2016

This is a very rare exhibition catalogue of Suzuki Kiitsu,known as a a painter of the Edo Rimpa school and Hoitsu's most prominent pupil.More than 200 exceptional works are contained.All are shown in full color.Approx 7 pages and the list of plates are written in English.There are 340 pages in this catalogue.Relatively thick one.Recommended one!

The English foreword to this book says"
Suzuki Kiitsu (1796-1858) is a painter of the Edo Rimpa school, who was active in the late Edo period.
Rimpa was established in Kyoto by Hon'ami Koetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu in the early Edo period and Ogata Korin, Ogata Kenzan, and others in the mid-Edo period.

In the late Edo period, Sakai Höitsu revived the Rimpa style in Edo. Adding new tastes and refinement,he created a new style called “Edo Rimpa.” Kiitsu was known as Hoitsu's most prominent pupil.

While inheriting the ornate tradition of Rimpa, Kiitsu's artistic style was characterized by vivid coloring, bold compositions, and opulent designs and was overflowing with a novelty that is still recognized to this day. He brought his versatililty into full play painting a variety of subjects including bird-and-flower paintings, landscape paintings, narrative paintings, genre paintings, Buddhist paintings, and seasonal festival paintings, and also working on hanging scrolls of painted mountings, fans, kites, battledores, and votive wooden tablets. Furthermore, Kiitsu trained his own son Suzuki Shuitsu and many other pupils, encouraging them to hand down the Rimpa style that continues to the present. Indeed, Kitsu played a spectacular role as a standard-bearer for Edo Rimpa.

The exhibition "SUZUKI KIITSU : Standard-bearer of the Edo Rimpa School”, held at Suntory Museum of Art, Himeji City Museum of Art, Hosomi Museum, and the Yomiuri Shimbun, brings together masterworks by Kiitsu on a scale unrivaled by earlier exhibitions both inside and outside Japan, offering visitors a rare opportunity to encounter the full range of his not-to-be-missed paintings.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the owners of the works for their understanding and agreement to exhibit their precious works and all others concerned for their cooperation in realizing this exhibition.