Dynamic
Tradition

There are two categories of works
that articulate bamboo in the practice of
fourth-generation Tanabe Chiku'unsai.

四代田辺竹雲斎
CHIKUUNSAI IV
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01 Profile　IV

Profile　IV

Tanabe Chiku’unsai IV

Tanabe Chikunsai IV was born in 1973 in Sakai, Osaka, as the second son of Tanabe Chikunsai III. He graduated from the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, and studied bamboo craftsmanship under his father, Tanabe Chikunsai III.

He was invited to exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show in the United States, and his work was subsequently acquired by the museum. He was selected for the national project “Japanese Artists Active Globally: Promoting ‘Japan’” and gave demonstrations at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York. He also created works at the French State Guest House and became the first Japanese artist to present a bamboo installation at the Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet in Paris.

In 2017, he succeeded to the name Tanabe Chikunsai IV. That same year, he created bamboo installations at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Japan House São Paulo, and Takashimaya department stores in Tokyo and Osaka. He subsequently created a bamboo installation for the opening exhibition of the Odunpazarı Modern Museum in Turkey and presented an installation at the G20 Osaka Summit. He has also held a solo exhibition featuring installations at Japan House Los Angeles and presented installations at the G7 Osaka-Sakai Trade Ministers’ Meeting and the Osaka-Kansai Expo. His activities continue both in Japan and internationally, including the creation of a large-scale installation at Terminal 1 of Narita International Airport.

Guided by the family motto “Tradition is a Challenge,” he develops three bodies of work based on the philosophy of Shu-Ha-Ri. “Shu” encompasses traditional craftworks, including flower baskets and tea utensils, that carry forward the spirit and techniques passed down through generations. “Ha” explores contemporary forms of expression through bamboo sculptures and collaborative works created with artists from other disciplines. “Ri” comprises bamboo installations centred on the theme of the “fusion of nature and humanity,” expressing contrasting concepts such as “past, present, and future” and “life and death.”

After each exhibition, the installations are dismantled, and the bamboo is taken apart and reconfigured in a new location. In this way, the works continue to evolve around the world as a form of “cyclical art.” This cyclical creative process symbolises the cycle of life, death, and renewal, as well as sustainability, while opening up new possibilities for bamboo art.

In recent years, Chikunsai has continued to expand his practice beyond the conventional boundaries of traditional craft, exploring works that integrate bamboo with earth and incorporate digital technologies. Guided by his philosophy that “Tradition is a Challenge,” he continues to pursue new forms of creative expression.

[Major Awards]
2016: 63rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition – Japan Crafts Association Encouragement Award
2018: Japan Spatial Design Award – Silver Prize
2019: 11th Tradition in Creation Award (Japan Foundation for Arts and Culture)
2021: 41st Pola Prize for Traditional Culture – Encouragement Award (Pola Foundation for the Promotion of Traditional Culture)
2021: 1st MINGEI BAMBOO PRIZE – Grand Prize (Galerie Mingei and the Guimet Museum of Asian Art, France)
2022: Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s New Artist Award (Arts Selection Award) and Osaka Culture Award
2025: Japan Spatial Design Award – Bronze Prize
2026: 73rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition – Japan Crafts Association Encouragement Award

[Major Collections]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA), The British Museum (UK), The Philadelphia Museum of Art (USA), The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (USA), The Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), École nationale des arts orientaux-Guimet (France), Musée du Quai Branly (France), the Imperial Household Agency, Yakushiji Temple

Education

  • 1973
    Born in Sakai city Osaka, Japan
  • 1999
    Graduated from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo University of the Art
  • 2000
    Graduated from Oita Prefecture Bamboo Craft Training Center

Awards

  • 2016
    63rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition – Japan Crafts Association Encouragement Award
  • 2018
    Japan Spatial Design Award – Silver Prize
  • 2019
    11th Tradition in Creation Award (Japan Foundation for Arts and Culture)
  • 2021
    41st Pola Prize for Traditional Culture – Encouragement Award (Pola Foundation for the Promotion of Traditional Culture)
  • 2021
    1st MINGEI BAMBOO PRIZE – Grand Prize (Galerie Mingei and the Guimet Museum of Asian Art, France)
  • 2022
    Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s New Artist Award (Arts Selection Award) and Osaka Culture Award
  • 2025
    Japan Spatial Design Award – Bronze Prize
  • 2026
    73rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition – Japan Crafts Association Encouragement Award

Public Collections

  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA)
  • The British Museum (UK)
  • The Philadelphia Museum of Art (USA)
  • The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (USA)
  • The Victoria and Albert Museum (UK)
  • École nationale des arts orientaux-Guimet (France)
  • Musée du Quai Branly (France)
  • the Imperial Household Agency
  • Yakushiji Temple

Solo Exhibition

  • 2002
    "Connection" Cortland Jessup Gallery, NY, USA
  • 2003
    "Connection" Wacol Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2005
    "Connection Ⅱ" Wacol Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2007
    Art Interactive Tokyo, Japan
  • 2008
    "Celebration of becoming Tanabe Shouchiku Ⅲ" Takashimaya Art Gallery, Osaka, Japan
  • 2010
    "Connection −∞−" Takashimaya Art Gallery X, Nihombashi Tokyo, Japan
  • 2011
    "Tanabe Shouchiku Ⅲ" Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nagoya and Osaka, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Japan "The World of Bamboo Artist Tanabe Shochiku" Sakai Municipal Machiya Historical Museum Yamaguchi Residence, Important Cultural Property, Osaka, Japan
  • 2012
    Masaki Museum Osaka, Japan
  • 2014
    "ZEN" Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery Brussels, Belgium
  • 2015
    "Tanabe Shouchiku Ⅲ" Galerie Mingei Japanese Arts Gallery, Paris, France
  • 2016
    "GODAI" Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts, Paris, France
  • 2017
    "Celebration of becoming Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ" Takashimaya Art Gallery, Osaka, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nihombashi Tokyo, Japan "GODAI" Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery Brussels, Belgium
  • 2018
    "Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ Bamboo Masters vol. 4" Galerie Mingei Japanese Arts Gallery, Paris, France
  • 2019
    "Tanabe Chikuunsa Ⅳ" TAI Modern, Santa Fe, USA
  • 2020
    "CHIKUUNSAI Ⅳ INFINITY" TSUTAYA BOOKS in GINZA SIX, Tokyo, Japan "CHIKUUNSAI Ⅳ Tradition is a challenge" Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko, Osaka, Japan "CHIKUUNSAI Ⅳ Shu" Yumekoubou Gallery, Kyoto, Japan "CHIKUUNSAI Ⅳ Ha" Antique Fair In Kyoto, Kyoto Pulse Plaza, Japan "CHIKUUNSAI Ⅳ Ri" art KYOTO 2020, Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan
  • 2021
    "CHIKUUNSAI Ⅳ Shu－Ha－Ri" Art Fair Tokyo 2021, Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan "Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ Exhibition - Possibilities of Bamboo art -" MAYU Gallery、The Okura Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan "Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ LIFE CYCLES"　Yumekoubou gallery, HongKong, Kyoto
  • 2022
    "Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ LIFE CYCLES" Art Fair TOKYO 2022, Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo "Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ Solo exhibition" Galerie Mingei Japanese Arts, Paris, France "Gucci Namiki 1st Anniversary" Gucci Namiki, Tokyo Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan "LIFE CYCLES | A Bamboo Exploration with Tanabe Chikuunsai IV" JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, CA

Group Exhibition

  • 2001
    "The Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show" Philadelphia, USA (by invitation)
  • 2002
    "Bridge Exhibition" Florence Lynch Gallery, NY, USA "Bamboo Works Exhibition" Osaka Modern Art Center, Japan
  • 2003
    "Bridge Exhibition" St James Theater, New Zealand "Bambus im alten Japan" Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (by invitation) museum university of Zurich, Switzerland "Japan – Holland cultural Exhibition" Laikus National Museum/ Laiden University, Holland "Expo culture Japan – Quebec" Quebec, Canada
  • 2004
    "San Francisco International Art Exposition (2004-2007) " San Francisco, USA "Palm Beach Classic (2004-2006) " West Palm Beach, FL, USA "Japanese Bamboo Exhibition" Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, FL, USA "Two Person Exhibition" Seiundou gallery, Zurich, Switzerland "NY SOFA (2004-2012)" NY, USA "Chicago SOFA (2004 - 2016)" Chicago, USA
  • 2006
    "The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Bamboo Art" Grinnell College, USA/ Faulconer galley, IA, USA "Golden Week Lectures on Japanese Art" Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA (by invitation) "The Tanabe Family: Four Generations of Bamboo Artists" Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art at the Clark Center, Hanford, USA "Beyond Basketry: Japanese Bamboo Art" Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
  • 2007
    Lecture and Demonstration, Boston museum/ Peabody Essex Museum ,USA "COTSEN bamboo prize" San Francisco, USA "Celebration of The Next Generation Exhibition" Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USA "East Weaves West: Basketry from Japan & Britain" Collins Gallery, Glasgow, UK/ Hove Museum and Art gallery, Brighton, UK
  • 2008
    "The Tanabe Lineage: Four Generations" TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, USA "Art Fair Tokyo 2008" Tokyo International Forum , Tokyo, Japan "New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters" Japan Society, New York City, USA "Japan Foundation Arts and Cultural Exchange Program" led lectures and workshops in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador
  • 2009
    "The Tanabe Lineage: Four Generations" TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, USA "Art Fair Tokyo 2008" Tokyo International Forum , Tokyo, Japan "New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters" Japan Society, New York City, USA "Japan Foundation Arts and Cultural Exchange Program" led lectures and workshops in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador
  • 2010
    "International Trade Fair 2010 The special exhibition 'Modern Masters' " Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany "Oberbayern States Prize" Munich, Germany "Exhibition of Beppu city Bamboo Craft Arts Exhibition" Thailand Creative and Design Center, Thailand
  • 2011
    "Gallery of Prizewinner" Gallery Handwork, Munich ,Germany
  • 2012
    Demonstration "Japan Next" the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA "Brussels oriental art fair" Galerie Marc Heiremans Galerie, Brussels, Belgium "Design Basel" Basel, Switzerland "Japanese Bamboo Masters" MINGEI Japanese arts gallery, Paris, France　　　 "Permanent Beauty in Japanese Art" MINGEI Japanesearts gallery, Paris, France　 "Activities in the world" Election and recognition by the National Strategy Office of the Cabinet Secretariat "The 59th Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition" Imperial Palace purchase
  • 2013
    "Tanabe Shouchiku III and the Hikoju Makie Workshop - Bamboo X Urushi: Jakuchu from the Price Collection" Takashimaya Art Gallery, Osaka and Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nihombashi Tokyo, Japan "Contemporary Ko-gei Styles in Japan" Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, USA
  • 2014
    "Enku prize" The Museum Fine Arts, Gifu, JapanFine Art Gifu, Japan "ZEN Bamboo × Lacquer　Takashi Wakamiya Shouchiku Tanabe" TAI MODERN gallery, Santa Fe, USA "Makie: The Beauty of Gold Japanese Lacquer" Bahrain National Museum, Manama, Bahrain "Beauty of KOGEI: Art Crafts in Japan" Japan Creative Centre, Embassy of Japan, Singapore Kudzuamibako, Purveyors to the Imperial Household Agency, Japan "Generations of Tanabe Chikuunsa" Takashimaya Art Gallery, Osaka, Japan
  • 2015
    "Traditional Japanese Crafts Kinki Prize" The 44th Japan Traditional Crafts Kinki Exhibition, Japan "Shouchiku III Tanabe and Takashi Wakamiya － Bamboo × Urushi: Kukai and 1200 Years of Koyasan, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Osaka / Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nihombashi Tokyo, Japan "Modern Twist: Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art" Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. Travelled to 12 other venues, 2012–2017 "AHAF Asian Hotel Art Fair Hong Kong 2015" The Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel, Hong Kong　 Installation "Beyond connection"/ French guest house, La Celle-Saint-Cloud, France "The 26th Takashimaya Art Award" The Takashimaya Culture Foundation, Japan
  • 2016
    "Craft Arts: Innovation of 'Tradition and Avant-Garde', and the Present Day" The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan Installation "GODAI" Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts, Paris, France "Paris Biennale des Antiquaires" Paris, France "Japan Crafts Association Encouragement Prize" The 63rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Japan
  • 2017
    "Bamboo - Fiber Built Japan" Japan House, Sao Paulo, Brazil "Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection" The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, USA "Treasures of the Heisei Era: 83 Selections" Yakushiji Temple, Nara, Japan
  • 2018
    "2018 Art season" Le Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France Installation "Connection－From the Past to the Present and to the Future－, Musée Tomo, Tokyo, Japan "Beyond Boundaries: A tomorrow of Traditional decorative Arts" Ginza WAKO Tokyo, Japan "Fendre L'air: L'art du Bambou au Japon" Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris, France "DSA DESIGN AWARD SILVER PRIZE 2018" Nihombashi Takashimaya S.C., Japan
  • 2019
    Installation "CONNECTION" Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA Installation "CONNECTION －GODAI－" Odunpazari Modern Art Museum, Eskişehir, Turkey Installation "CONNECTION" in Tea-ceremony house, G20 OSAKA SUMMIT 2019 for first Lady, The Garden Oriental Osaka, Japan Installation "Beyond Connection" Yumekoubou Gallery, Hong Kong "Japanese Bamboo Art from New York: The Abbey Collection－Gifts to The Metropolitan Museum" Oita Prefectural Art Museum/ Travelled to The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo/ The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, Japan "Creative Tradition Prize" The 11th Creative Tradition Prize, Japan Arts Foundation, Japan
  • 2021
    GUCCI centenary commemoration "Gucci Bamboo House" Former Kawasaki Residence, Kyoto ”ELOGE DE LA LUMIÈRE - IN PRAISE OF LIGHT Pierre Soulages - Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ” Baur Foundation, Museum of Far Eastern Art, Geneva, Switzerland "THE first MINGEI BAMBOO PRIZE" Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts, Paris, France ”Encouragement Award” The 41th Traditional Culture Paula Award
  • 2022
    Agency for Cultural Affairs sponsorship folkcraft exhibition which deepens, and expands, Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Tokyo The 72nd "Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists of Fine Arts" The Osaka Culture Prize, fiscal year 2021, Osaka Prefecture Government
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02 Profile　III

Profile　III

Tanabe Chiku’unsai III

Tanabe Chikunsai Ⅲ was born in 1940 (Shōwa 15) in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, as the eldest son of the second-generation Chikunsaï. He studied metalwork at the Municipal School of Arts and Crafts (now Osaka Prefectural High School) and design at Musashino Art University, where he cultivated a multifaceted perspective that viewed bamboo craftsmanship not merely as functional ‘vessels’ but as ‘sculptures’ that constitute a space. Although he mastered traditional techniques by studying under Naotakesai Okubo—a leading disciple of the First Generation—and his own father, he continued to explore how to establish a unique style distinct from that of his predecessors. Through a process of trial and error, he focused on the inherent beauty of the ‘yatake’ bamboo and made it the cornerstone of his artistic expression.
His works, characterised by their unique composition, gained widespread recognition: his ‘Naohana Basket’, his first work to be selected for the Nitten in 1965, was acquired by Sakai City; his representative work ‘Rinsō’ was acquired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and his later work ‘Hō’ was acquired by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
In 1969 (Shōwa 44), he was granted the artist name ‘Kotake’ by his father, the second-generation Chikun-sai, and in 1991 (Heisei 3), he succeeded to the name of the third-generation Chikun-sai. After assuming this name, he deepened the fusion of traditional heritage and contemporary design, whilst also energetically organising exhibitions and exchange programmes overseas in countries such as the United States, Thailand and New Zealand. Throughout his life, he continued his efforts to showcase new possibilities for bamboo art on the international stage.

[A Unique Style Based on Arrow Bamboo]
Whilst seeking his own style, distinct from that of the first and second generations, the third-generation Chikun-sai turned his attention once more to the beauty of arrow bamboo—with which he had become familiar during his childhood evacuation—and to the unique sense of tension inherent in the material. He perceived the tip of the arrow-bamboo as a ‘point’ and the shaft as a ‘line’; not content merely to arrange these vertically and horizontally, he also bent the resilient arrow-bamboo into circular shapes, thereby establishing a three-dimensional architectural structure that creates ‘surfaces’ through the composition of points and lines.
Unbound by the conventional practice of using thinly split bamboo, his fresh sensibility—as symbolised by his masterpiece *Rinshō*—which made full use of whole, un split arrow bamboo, pointed the way towards a new direction in the world of crafts at that time. Whilst inheriting the techniques passed down through generations, he continued to pursue this form of artistic expression, which drew out the inherent qualities of the material to the fullest, throughout his life.

Tanabe Chiku’unsai III

Education

  • 1940
    Born in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, as the eldest son of Tanabe Chikunsai Ⅱ. Real name: Hisao
  • 1956
    Studied under the second-generation Chikunsaï
  • 1959
    Graduated from the Metal Crafts Department of Osaka Municipal High School of Arts and Crafts
    Studied under Naotakesai Okubo, a disciple of his grandfather (the first-generation Takekun-sai)
  • 1965
    Graduated from the Department of Crafts and Industrial Design at Musashino Art University
  • 1969
    Awarded the artistic name ‘Kotake’ by his father, the second-generation Takekun-sai
  • 2014
    Died (aged 73)

Solo Exhibition

  • 1968
    ‘Father and Son Exhibition’ at Sakai Takashimaya (Second-generation Chikun-sai and Third-generation Chikun-sai)
  • 1970
    ‘Father and Son Exhibition’ at Osaka Takashimaya (celebrating Kotake’s succession to the name)
  • 1971
    ‘Three Generations of Chikun-sai Bamboo Art Exhibition’ at Osaka Takashimaya (organised by the Mainichi Shimbun)
  • 1975
    ‘Father and Sons Trio Exhibition’ at Osaka Takashimaya (2nd-generation Chikun-sai, 3rd-generation Chikun-sai, and younger brother Yōta)
  • 1980
    ‘Solo Exhibition’ at Osaka Takashimaya
  • 1982
    ‘Solo Exhibition’ at Asahi Gallery (selected by the Asahi Shimbun)
  • 1991
    Assumed the name ‘Third-Generation Chikun-sai’
    ‘Name-Assumption Exhibition’ at Osaka Takashimaya
    ‘Father and Sons Trio Exhibition’ at Itami City Craft Centre (Second-Generation Chikun-sai, Third-Generation Chikun-sai, and younger brother Yota)
  • 1992
    ‘Solo Exhibition’ at Osaka Takashimaya (held annually from then until 2005)
  • 1997
    ‘Solo Exhibition’ at Yonago Takashimaya
  • 1998
    ‘Asian Games Bamboo Art Exhibition’ at Thammasat University (organised by the Thai Ministry of Education)
    ‘Solo Exhibition’ at JR Nagoya Takashimaya
  • 2003
    ‘Solo Exhibition’ at JR Nagoya Takashimaya

Group Exhibition

  • 1965
    First selected for the Nitten with ‘Naoka-ran’ (selected every year thereafter). This work was purchased by Sakai City.
  • 1966
    First selected for the 5th Japan Contemporary Crafts and Fine Arts Exhibition.
    The work ‘Rinzo’, exhibited at the Nitten, was purchased by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • 1967
    ‘Kokun Exhibition’ (group exhibition of bamboo craft artists) at Osaka Daimaru (held until 1971)
  • 1968
    Work exhibited at the Japan Contemporary Crafts and Fine Arts Exhibition acquired by the Takamatsunomiya Family
  • 1971
    Exhibited at the Nordic Exhibition within the Japan Contemporary Crafts and Fine Arts Exhibition; awarded the Yomiuri Shimbun Prize
  • 1972
    Work exhibited at the Canada–USA Exhibition, Japan Contemporary Crafts and Fine Arts Exhibition
  • 1973
    Work exhibited at the Turkey Exhibition, Japan Contemporary Crafts and Fine Arts Exhibition
  • 1974
    Work ‘Hō’ exhibited at the Nitten Exhibition; purchased by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
  • 1977
    Received the Governor’s Special Award at the ‘Osaka Crafts Exhibition’
  • 1984
    Exhibited at the ‘Exhibition of Japanese Design: Tradition and Modernity’ in Moscow (organised by the Seibu Museum of Art)
  • 1985
    ‘Bamboo Crafts: Developments in the Modern Era’ at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Crafts Gallery
  • 1986
    ‘Crafts: Standard-Bearers of the 21st Century’ (organised by the Suntory Museum of Art)
  • 1989
    ‘Utensils for Daily Life’ Exhibition, Sun Park Art Museum
  • 1993
    Exhibited at ‘Bamboo Crafts—Exhibition of Contemporary Master Craftsmen’, Beppu Bamboo Craft Traditional Industry Hall
  • 1998
    ‘Asian Games Bamboo Art Exhibition’, Thammasat University (organised by the Thai Ministry of Education)
  • 2000
    ‘Japanese Bamboo Art Exhibition’, Asia Society, New York
  • 2002
    ‘BRIDGE Exhibition’, Florence Lynch Gallery (New York)
  • 2003
    ‘BRIDGE Exhibition’, Wellington, New Zealand
  • 2004
    ‘BRIDGE Exhibition’, South Korea
03 Profile　II

Profile　II

Tanabe Chiku’unsai II

Tanabe Chikunsai Ⅱ was born in Sakai in 1910 (Meiji 43) as the eldest son of the first-generation master, and began learning the art of bamboo craftsmanship under his father’s guidance from an early age. He demonstrated his talent from a very young age, even performing live demonstrations of his craft at the age of just five. Guided by his father’s educational philosophy—that ‘an artist requires a broad range of cultural knowledge’—he began studying calligraphy under the Sinologist Tsuchida Kōnan at the age of nine, and later cultivated the cultural refinement of a man of letters by familiarising himself with Nanga painting, Chinese poetry, Noh chanting and haiku.
In 1925 (Taishō 14), he was bestowed the artist name ‘Kotake Unsai’ by the first-generation master, and at the tender age of 21, he was selected for the first time for the 12th Imperial Art Exhibition with his work ‘Basryū-zu Bon’ (Basryū-motif Tray). This work is a flat tray on which a dragon motif is made to stand out through meticulous ajiro (woven rattan) work; it was an ambitious piece that he wove without sleep or rest whilst holed up in the bathroom for a week, and it became a work he would never forget, as it was the first time he had been praised by his strict father. In 1937 (Shōwa 12), following the sudden death of the first-generation artist, he assumed the name of the second-generation Chikun-sai. The ‘Father and Son Exhibition’ held that same year marked a significant turning point, signalling to the world his determination to carry on the family legacy.
Thereafter, he continued to exhibit year after year at the Teiten (Imperial Art Academy Exhibition), the Shin-Bunten (Ministry of Education Art Exhibition), and the Nitten (Japan Art Exhibition), which was organised by the Ministry of Education at the time; in 1952 (Shōwa 27), his work ‘Spiral-Patterned Flower Basket’ won the Special Selection Asakura Prize at the Nitten. Taking this as an opportunity, he went on to serve as a judge and councillor for the Kansai General Art Exhibition and the Nitten, amongst others, becoming a figure who shouldered significant responsibilities within the world of bamboo art.
Drawing on his profound cultural cultivation as a scholar-artist, he inherited the Tang-style tradition established by the first-generation master whilst discovering a unique artistic quality in bamboo craftsmanship, developing it into a modern aesthetic.


[Openwork Weaving and Coarse Weaving]
Whilst inheriting the elegant artistic style established by the first-generation master, the second-generation master elevated this expression to two contrasting techniques. One is ‘openwork weaving’, which utilises tortoise-shell and scale patterns. Believing that ‘the beauty of bamboo lies in its openwork’, he utilised advanced techniques to perfect the delicate spatial beauty woven from light and shadow.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is ‘coarse weaving’, which employs soot-stained Hōbi bamboo. This technique, which deliberately weaves the bamboo in a rough manner whilst making the most of its natural texture, directly links the vitality of the material with the artist’s sensibility.
The delicate ‘stillness’ of openwork weaving and the powerful ‘movement’ of coarse weaving. His body of work, which sublimates these two forms of expression and fuses contemporary sculptural qualities with tradition, is still held in the collections of numerous museums in Japan and abroad, including the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.

Tanabe Chiku’unsai II

Education

  • 1910
    Born in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. Eldest son of Tanabe Chikunsai I. Real name: Toshio.
  • 1919
    At the age of nine, on the advice of his father, he began studying calligraphy under the Confucian scholar Tsuchida Emura.
  • 1925
    At the age of fifteen, he was granted the artist name ‘Kōchikun-sai’ and held his first solo exhibition.
  • 1937
    Following the death of his father, the first-generation Chikunsaï, he succeeded to the name of the second-generation Chikunsaï.
  • 1953
    Appointed as a judge for the Kansai General Art Exhibition.
  • 1959
    Awarded the Osaka Prefecture Art Prize.
  • 1960
    Appointed as a judge for the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition).
  • 1962
    Appointed as a juror for the Japan Contemporary Crafts and Fine Arts Exhibition
  • 1963
    Appeared in ‘Living Arts Japan’, a cultural film produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for overseas audiences
  • 1973
    Awarded the Medal of Merit by Sakai City
  • 1976
    Appointed as a councillor for the Nitten
  • 1979
    Participated as a General Affairs Committee member in the founding of the Japan New Crafts and Arts Artists’ Federation
  • 1980
    Founded the ‘Chikujinkai’ with 11 fellow bamboo artists
  • 1981
    Awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class
  • 1983
    Awarded the Medal with Blue Ribbon
  • 2000
    Died (aged 89)

Solo Exhibition

  • 1925
    At the age of 15, he was granted the artist name ‘Kotake Unsai’ and held his first solo exhibition
  • 1937
    Ceremony to mark the succession of the name: ‘Father and Son Exhibition’ at Takashimaya in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto
  • 1968
    ‘Father and Son Exhibition’ at Sakai Takashimaya (second-generation Chikunsai and third-generation Chikunsai)
  • 1970
    ‘Father and Son Exhibition’ at Takashimaya, Osaka (celebrating the third-generation Kotake’s succession to the name)
  • 1972
    ‘Third-Generation Chikunsai Bamboo Art Exhibition’ at Takashimaya, Osaka (organised by the Mainichi Shimbun)
  • 1976
    ‘Fifty Years of Bamboo Art Commemorative Exhibition (Retrospective)’ at Takashimaya, Osaka (organised by the Mainichi Shimbun)

Group Exhibition

  • 1931
    First selected for the 12th Teiten (Imperial Art Academy Exhibition) with ‘Dragon Soaring over the Plains’ (on a tray)
  • 1937
    Works exhibited at the Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Art in New York and the Berlin International Crafts Exhibition, amongst others
  • 1952
    8th Nitten (Japan Art Exhibition): ‘Flower Basket with Spiral Pattern’ awarded the Special Selection Asakura Prize
  • 1963
    Works exhibited at the Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Crafts and Fine Arts in Mexico and a European touring exhibition
  • 1964
    Exhibited at the Japanese Arts and Crafts Exhibition (US touring exhibition)
  • 1965
    Exhibited at the Berlin Arts Festival
  • 1966
    Exhibited at the New York Japanese Arts Festival
  • 1967
    Exhibited at the 2nd Japanese Arts Festival (various locations across the US)
    Appointed as a member of the Nitten Council
  • 1976
    ‘Fifty Years of Bamboo Art Commemorative Exhibition (Retrospective)’, Osaka Takashimaya (organised by the Mainichi Shimbun)
  • 1980
    Awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for ‘Shinka-ran’ at the 2nd Japan New Crafts Exhibition
  • 1985
    ‘Bamboo Crafts: Developments in the Modern Era’, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
04 Profile　I

Profile　I

Tanabe Chiku’unsai I

Tanabe Chikunsai I was born in 1877 (Meiji 10) in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, into the family of a samurai (court physician) of the Amagasaki Domain. At the age of 12, he became a pupil of the first Wada Waichisai, a master craftsman from Sumiyoshi in Osaka. After 11 years of apprenticeship, he inherited the artistic name ‘Chikun-sai’ at the tender age of 24. Beginning with his entry in the Meiji 36 National Industrial Exposition, he won numerous awards at various expositions, thereby establishing his reputation as a master craftsman. Whilst employing numerous apprentices and craftsmen and energetically engaging in industrial-scale production and exports to Europe, he held his first solo exhibition as a bamboo craftsman in Taishō 4, thereby cementing his status as an artist.
He was also a man who deeply cultivated his literary and artistic talents across a wide range of disciplines. In the art of sencha tea ceremony, he studied under Sakata Shukken and Tominaga Junsen of the Kagetsuan school, receiving full transmission of their teachings; in the art of flower arrangement, he succeeded as head of the Seifū Aoyama school under Hattori Shōunsai. Furthermore, he studied calligraphy under Kimura Tetsuyō and painting under Kondo Suiseki; his profound mastery of these various arts endowed his works with unparalleled dignity and style.
Towards the end of the Meiji period, inspired by the ‘Flower Basket’ painting by the literati painter Ryūri Kyō (Yanagisawa Kichiri), he established his own unique ‘Ryūri Kyō-style’. Through his presentation of works to Emperor Taishō and the award won for his ‘Ryūri Kyō Flower Basket’ at the 1925 Paris Exposition, he dramatically elevated the social status of bamboo craftsmanship whilst paving the way for the sublimation of bamboo from mere ‘baskets’ to ‘art’.

[Yanagisato Kyō and Furuya Take]
In the late Meiji period, he encountered the flower basket paintings by the literati painter Yanagisato Kyō and was deeply impressed by their spiritual quality and free creativity. By fusing his unique sensibility, honed through his deep understanding of the art of flower arrangement, with Ryuri Kyō’s painting style, he created his own distinctive ‘Ryuri Kyō-style’, which he realised as tangible bamboo crafts. Pursuing elegance and refinement in flower arrangement, he elevated bamboo baskets to the realm of art.
Alongside this Ryuri Kyō-style, it was his works using ‘Koyatake’ that greatly expanded his creative horizons. ‘Koyatake’ refers to old bamboo arrows, a material imbued with a profound sense of history, in which he discovered new artistic value. The founder focused on the inherent beauty of the material; rather than using it as ‘higo’—thinly split bamboo strips—he employed a unique technique whereby the split material was used in straight lines as it was, or whole bamboo poles were assembled whilst utilising their natural curves, thereby constructing a world imbued with the material’s inherent decorative quality and a sense of gravitas.

Tanabe Chiku’unsai I

Education

  • 1877
    Born in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture. Real name: Tsuneo.
    He became interested in the craft after noticing a basket-maker working near his home.
  • 1890
    Studied under the first-generation Wada Waichisai in Sumiyoshi, Osaka; apprenticed to him for 11 years.
  • 1901
    Upon establishing his own practice, he was granted and inherited his master’s alternative name, ‘Chikun-sai’. He set up shop on Hachiman-suji in Osaka.
    He later moved to Nishihama-suji, Ichinomachi, Sakai City, and subsequently to Nishihama-suji Nishi, Ichinomachi, Sakai City.
  • 1903
    Studied the Kagetsuan-ryū style of sencha under Sakata Shūken, later achieving full mastery (kaiden).
    Studied flower arrangement in the Seifū Aoyama-ryū style under Hattori Shōun-sai, succeeding him as head of the school.
    Studied calligraphy under Kimura Tetsuyō and painting under Kondo Suisei.
  • 1914
    Following the outbreak of the First World War, His Majesty Emperor Taishō paid a royal visit to the Settsu-Kawa-Izumi Kinki Army Special Grand Manoeuvres, where he was presented with an exhibition of his works and expressed his approval.
  • 1932
    He was recommended by Sakai City to the Ministry of the Interior as a master craftsman.
  • 1937
    Died (aged 60)

Solo Exhibition

  • 1915
    Held his first solo exhibition at Osaka Mitsukoshi, marking a pioneering endeavour as a bamboo craftsman
  • 1922
    Co-organised the first exhibition at the Nagahori Takashimaya Art Department with Tetsusai Tomioka, a master of literati painting
  • 1928
    Beginning with a solo exhibition at Osaka Takashimaya, he held exhibitions annually thereafter
  • 1937
    Father-and-Son Exhibition, Tokyo Mitsukoshi

Group Exhibition

  • 1903
    Exhibited at the National Industrial Exposition (organised by the Ministry of the Interior); first selection
  • 1921
    ‘Hanakago’ Four-Artist Exhibition, organised by Osaka Sogo and the Shōsetsu-kai (Osaka Daimaru)
  • 1922
    Held the first exhibition of the Nagahori Takashimaya Art Department together with Tetsusai Tomioka, a master of literati painting
  • 1925
    Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, Paris: Awarded the Bronze Prize for ‘Yanagisato Kyō’s Flower Basket’, made from Furu-ya bamboo
  • 1928
    Organised the Sakai Art Society and held exhibitions of Japanese painting and crafts
  • 1934
    Grand Ceremony Commemorative Art Exhibition, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art