Comments on the Special Prizes

Ohnishi : Following the selection of award winners, each jury member selected his own special prize winner. I would like Mr. Ekuan to explain the winner of the Ekuan Prize, titled REST AFTER RAIN by Xiao Na Feng.

Ekuan : I find REST AFTER RAIN by Xiao Na Feng to be particularly humorous. This work reminds me of the work by Ito Jakuchu who was an artist in the Edo Period. The imagery of the green leaf and bird is a scene out of a fairytale.
Lacquer ware done in a bright green color is extremely rare, and I think the color combination of the green leaf and the black bird enhances the humorous quality in this work. I can only hope that this particular piece will influence the direction the artist will take in the future.
The fairytale aspect of this work can eas ily be incorporated into the field of Urushi. In selecting this particular piece I hope the artist broadens the range of her work in the future. It is quite different from other works exhibited because the viewer focuses on the story first. The concept of this work is similar to that of the Grand Prize Winner. Both works were submitted from China, perhaps both artists share a common craft of depicting stories.

Komatsu : The winner of my Prize is a pair of Urushi bowls with lids titled, SOU. The artist, Tetsuo Kobayashi, comments that his design was based on his imagination of “skunk cabbage.” For those of you unfamiliar with “skunk cabbage” it is a type of large-leafed plant that grows in the wet lands. He also designed the lids with a tiny handle or knob for functionality. The actual plant is green and white but this work only uses the color black.
If one focuses enough, the black begins to look smoother and white. The inside of the bowls are also functional and I can envision it being used as a vase for flowers as well. The inside is a chestnut brown color. The use of color combinations both inside and outside the bowls creates an imaginative scene. The lid stopper is also carefully crafted to fit inside the bowl. This work is both artistic and functional. The bottom of the bowl also has a Nashiji pattern. Upon viewing the set of bowls together one can see that it has a well-balanced contemporary design and function.

Mae : For the winner of the Mae Prize, I selected the big dishes or platters, titled Shunju Ozara by Takahito Zenko. This work is a pair of dishes, 50 centimeters in diameter. One dish has cherry blossom patterns around its edges and the other has Japanese maple leave patterns around its edges. They are ordinary Wajima lacquer ware dishes that portray intricate patterns around its edges. The cherry blossom patterns are engraved with a chisel using the Chinkin carving technique. The Japanese maple leave patterns are depicted by using the Maki-e technique. These dishes are functional in several different ways. The design of these dishes makes it incredibly easy and efficient for one to use.

Ohnishi : This work was submitted from Wajima and just as Mr. Mae mentioned, I also think this is an excellent work.