T A N A K A K Y O K U S H O

Tanaka Kyokusho began his career devoted to custom and legacy.

Freshly graduated from the Advanced Training Center for Bamboo

Studies in Beppu, he built his pieces from the bottom up, in the

traditional way, with designs influenced by the basketmaking of his

ancestors. In each, he was tempted to demonstrate all the techniques

he had mastered.

But quickly he recognized in himself the need for perpetual

change. Over time, his baskets have evolved into sleek, minimal

objects of great refinement, constructed of thinly sliced, stacked, and

threaded rattan and bamboo, a crisscross technique of his own inven-

tion. While his work pays homage to the traditions of his grandfather

and father, both bamboo artisans, his signature is the integration of

his own unique concepts and methods.

An admirer of architects Tadao Ando and Osamu Ishiyama, as

well as movements that juxtapose modern and age-old designs and

materials, Tanaka’s process, which occasionally incorporates smoked

bamboo from the rafters of 200 year-old houses, bears a relationship

to architecture. He might begin with an idea sketched on a napkin.

From there, plans of greater and greater complexity develop until

eventually every dimension is meticulously conceived. His baskets

are assembled like buildings, composed of 30 parts or more, each

individually fabricated.

Gourd 1990, 11 x 8 x 22 in.

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For the artist, bamboo’s complexity is articulated as a set of

seeming opposites – thin but sturdy, tense but flexible, muscular, yet

capable of communicating great sensitivity – which he strives to evoke

in his designs. Two decades ago, he created an open, airy method

of transparent weaving, or sukashi-ami, that allows his baskets, as he

puts it, to “breathe”. He is constantly experimenting with warp and

weft, playing with endless combinations of thicknesses and spacing

between strands to craft the most textured, eloquent pieces.

This innovation has been recognized by Japan’s Traditional Craft

Arts Association, which has admitted him into its annual juried shows

in both the Eastern Division and nationwide nearly every year for

more than a quarter-century and awarded him top prizes, including a

Chairman’s Award, some half -dozen times. He has served as a judge

for the prestigious exhibition for four years and one of his baskets, a

black tray with open sides and a thin ribbon of red, was purchased

by Japan’s Imperial government as a gift for visiting dignitaries.

In his Tokyo studio, adjacent to the bamboo shop his family has

owned for 97 years, Tanaka ekes out a tiny workspace from a jumble

of tools, gadgets, and projects in various states of completion. Slender

beige bamboo culms hang from the ceiling and lean against walls,

awaiting their remarkable transformation. He works with self-assurance

and repose, oblivious to the crashes of breaking glass from the recycling

center next door. The results are pieces that embody the Japanese

notion of hin – conveyors of quiet beauty. – Dottie Indyke

Two in One 2005, 6 x 3 x 28 in.

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A R T I S T ’ S S T A T E M E N T

More than thirty years have passed since I embraced bamboo art

as a career. When I started out, I was simply following in my grand-

father’s footsteps. But winning an award at the Dento -Kogei exhibition

drastically altered my perceptions. All of a sudden, I saw how bamboo

could be used in fresh, innovative ways, outside the boundaries of

popular craft.

In Japan, the cultivation and preparation of bamboo has great

personal and cultural significance. The material itself is complex and

can take many forms and each characteristic is important. One finds

madake, bamboo with an enamel-like hardness that is also flexible;

kurotake, bamboo with a moist, lustrous quality; nemagaridake, bam-

boo that survives in the cold mountains; and susutake, bamboo found

under a thatched roof which has been smoked for hundreds of years

by the flames from a hearth.

For a decade, I have made my pieces with an open weave. For

me, this technique reflects the Japanese aesthetic, emphasizes the

beauty of space, and elicits the essential character of bamboo. My

designs and methods are carefully conceived and I hope that viewers

get a sense of my ideas as they look at my artwork.

The seeds sown by Robert Coffland, a wonderful supporter and

patron of Japanese bamboo art, seem to be growing, not only in the

United States, but worldwide. I am greatly honored to exhibit at TAI

Gallery and to have my art seen by Americans. This support will cer-

tainly inspire me to continue to grow as an artist. –Tanaka Kyokusho

Flower Basket 2003,9 x 61/2 x 261/2 in.

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Shining Through the Trees 1989,14 x 6 x 91/2 in. Private Collection (above)

Noh Drum 2003, 61/2 in. diam. x 18 in. (right)

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Morning Wave 2001, 24 x 101/2 x 71/2 in. (left)

Flowing Water Pattern Offering Tray 1992, 14 x 7 x 5 in. (below)

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Untitled 2004, 91/2 x 61/2 x 231/2 in. (left)

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Untitled 1982, 10 in. diam. x 61/2 in. (left)

Untitled 1983, 13 x 8 x 51/2 in. (below)

Offering Tray 2005, 131/2 x 12 x 7 in. Private Collection (right)

Untitled 2005, 221/2 x 7 x 3 in. (below)

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T A N A K A K Y O K U S H O

1947 Born in Tokyo1972 Graduated from Waseda University1976 Graduated from Oita Prefecture Advanced Technology Training Center

for Bamboo Studies1979 Admitted to 19th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Eastern Division

for the first time (thereafter every year)1980 Admitted to 27th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition for the first time

(thereafter many times)1984 Winner of Tokyo Educational Committee Award at 24th Japan Traditional

Craft Arts Exhibition, Eastern Division1985 Served as judge at 25th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition,

Eastern Division (thereafter four times)1989 Winner of Mitsukoshi Department Store Award at 29th Japan Traditional

Craft Arts Exhibition, Eastern Division1990 Winner of Tokyo Educational Committee Award at 4th Japan Traditional

Craft Arts, Wood and Bamboo ExhibitionWinner of Japan Craft Arts Association Chairman’s Award at 37th

Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition1992 Served as judge at 5th Japan Traditional Craft Arts, Wood and Bamboo

Exhibition (and once thereafter)1994 Winner of Japan Craft Art Association Award at 6th Japan Traditional

Craft Arts, Wood and Bamboo Exhibition2002 Exhibited in ”The Next Generation”, University of Arkansas

Exhibited at International Art & Design Fair, New YorkExhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New YorkServed as judge at 45th Japan Traditional Craft Art Association

2003 Exhibited in “The Classic Japanese Basket”, Tai Gallery, Santa FeExhibited at SOFA New York and ChicagoExhibited at Antiques ChicagoExhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New YorkExhibited at International Art & Design Fair, New York

2004 Winner of Prince Takamatsu Award at 51st Japan Traditional Craft ArtsExhibition, piece purchased by agency of the Imperial Household

Exhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New YorkExhibited at Antiques ChicagoExhibited at SOFA Chicago

2005 Exhibited at Palm Beach!, FloridaExhibited at International Asian Art Fair, New York

Phoenix Wing 2005, 5 x 3 x 43 in. (right)

Dew Drop 1998, 91/2 x 71/2 x 18 in. (covers)

Photography by Carolyn Wright

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Santa Fe, NM 87501

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