Setouchi Triennale art festival opens in western Japan
The spring session of the Setouchi Triennale, a contemporary art festival held every three years on the islands and other areas of Kagawa and Okayama prefectures, opened on April 18.
This year's event, with venues expanded to include some coastal areas in Kagawa, features about 190 artworks in the spring session, in which domestic and overseas artists delved into local history and culture.
Blessed with a blue sky and fine weather, art fans gathered at the various venues on the opening day to enjoy the island-hopping journey in the Seto Inland Sea.
During the opening ceremony at Anabuki Arena Kagawa in Takamatsu, attended by about 600 participants, Kagawa Gov. Toyohito Ikeda said, "The power of art goes beyond just a single event and is connected to the creation of a sustainable future. I hope you will immerse in the charms of Kagawa and the Seto Inland Sea, and enjoy the journey of encounters and excitement."
This was followed by the festival's General Director Fram Kitagawa introducing participating artists by venue. Three trumpet players who hail from Kagawa then played a fanfare, and then a giant balloon performance was put on.
At Takamatsu Port, visitors boarded vessels bound for Naoshima and Oshima islands as the festival's staff members and volunteers saw them off.
At the various venues, festival participants, with the guidebook in hand, were seen poring over the artworks, each at their own pace.
The 107-day art festival, held for a sixth time, takes place in three periods through the year -- the spring session lasting through May 25, the summer session to be held Aug. 1 to Aug. 31, and the fall session Oct. 3 to Nov. 9. It comprises of 17 venues in total, including the Seto Ohashi Bridge area in spring, the Shido-Tsuda and Hiketa areas in summer, and the Utazu area in autumn, in addition to the various Seto Inland Sea islands.
A record total of 256 artworks will come from 218 artists and projects from 37 countries and regions. In particular, organizers have put extra effort into showcasing exhibits from Asia, as the event aims to become a major festival in Asian culture and art.
Welcoming events and opening ceremonies were also held on Naoshima and in the Seicho district in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture, the following day.
The Shikoku Shimbun
More Shikoku Shimbun stories:
Kids at island in Kagawa learns to make sushi from former sushi chef
Dog lovers gather at canine-friendly shrine event in Kagawa
Chilled noodles shimmer in Shikoku winter sun as production peaks
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
3 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Yamagata ‘dojo' a winter retreat that lets Asian filmmakers shine
A scene from the 'rangeiko' workshop held as part of the Yamagata Documentary Dojo filmmaking residency program in 2022, with some participants remotely joining the session due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Provided by the Yamagata Documentary Dojo) While Yamagata Prefecture is famed for its snow-deep spa resorts, Asian filmmakers head to the mountains there to hone their documentary skills at a 'dojo.' The Yamagata Documentary Dojo is an artist-in-residence program set up in 2018 to create an environment that encourages directors to produce material worthy of international attention. The area is also known for its biennial international documentary film festival. Five or so directors are invited to stay in the Hijiori or Zao onsen resorts for at least several days or up to a month in or around each winter. While they are encouraged to immerse themselves in editing projects, there are also opportunities for them to improve their craft. For instance, during a 'rangeiko' free-style sparring presentation and discussion session, a director pitches a project idea and faces a barrage of questions over two hours from the others present. The idea is to help the filmmakers realize their vision more clearly. Another appeal of the program is that experienced cineasts serve as instructors for one-on-one tutoring sessions. They include Kazuhiro Soda, a regular attendee at the Berlin International Film Festival known for 'Mental,' and other documentary filmmakers who are critically acclaimed both at home and overseas. About 20 documentaries covering a wide range of styles and subjects have come out of the Dojo. They include 'Cenote' by Kaori Oda, the winner of the first Oshima Prize named after director Nagisa Oshima; 'What Should We Have Done?' a long-running film in which director Tomoaki Fujino chronicles the struggles of his older sister, who suffers from schizophrenia; and 'After the Snowmelt' by Lo Yi-shan, which was nominated for a Golden Horse Award, Taiwan's most prestigious film honor. Some offerings are edgy and provocative, while others delve into social issues. YAMAGATA AS BRAND The Dojo is now widely known outside Japan and attracts around 80 projects from Asia each year for consideration. It is also on the radar of film buffs in Tokyo. For example, special screenings of documentaries produced by directors who stayed at the Dojo were held in the capital in June. A rangeiko session was also shown to the public. Asako Fujioka, who founded the Dojo program, said one of the reasons Yamagata was chosen over Tokyo was 'to create a brand among professional documentary filmmakers in Asia.' The late Shinsuke Ogawa, a director who created many masterpieces, set up his production base in the prefecture. He played an active role in establishing the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, which has been held once every two years for more than 30 years. Fujioka has been involved with the festival since 1993 when the third installment was held, by managing the program for the Asia section. She also worked at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea for 10 years, selecting documentary projects eligible for subsidies. Fujioka eventually founded the Dojo program to provide a venue for filmmakers to inspire each other to gain global recognition, much in the same vein as the French movie magazine Cahiers du Cinema, where Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard began their film careers. 'Some instructors help participants to create their works even after the Dojo is over,' Fujioka continued. 'I'm happy if the circle of exchange is expanded through the Dojo.'
Japan Today
06-08-2025
- Japan Today
Foreign resident starts work as Kanazawa's first ever non-Japanese rickshaw puller
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 The first chapters of Joris De Bievre's life in Japan aren't all that unusual. Born in France but interested in the Asian nation from a young age, he moved to Tokyo in his 20s, working in the IT field and taking trips around the country in his spare time. Of the many places he visited, De Bievre was especially fond of Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture. The city is famous for its Higashi Chaya teahouse district with rows of preserved historical buildings and for Kenrokuen, considered one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. Charms such as those had De Bievre so enamored with the place that in 2022, after eight years of living in Tokyo, he moved to Kanazawa, continuing to work in systems engineering via a remote work arrangement. However, he's now picked up a second job in Kanazawa, and one that's much less common for foreigners in Japan. In the fall of last year, De Bievre was introduced via a mutual acquaintance to the owner of Kanazawa Ichirikisha, a rickshaw tour company that pulls customers around the city's historical sightseeing quarters. 'Why don't you try working with us?' the owner asked De Bievre, who'd previously worked as a guide for Japanese tourists in France, and so he decided to take the rickshaw boss up on his offer. Being a rickshaw puller in the modern era is job with two sides to it, though. Customers don't just expect a ride, they also want to know about the local history and significance of places they pass along the route. So while De Bievre, who's 39 years old, already enjoyed physical activity and talking with people, he needed to spend time apprenticing at Kanazawa Ichirikisha before he'd be ready to start serving actual customers. He kept at it though, running routes with the Kanazawa Ichirikisha staff one day a week in the Higashiyama and Kannonmachi neighborhoods of the city. Finally, on July 21, he made his official debut, pulling paying customers for the first time on a blisteringly hot day. De Bievre is Kanazawa's first foreign rickshaw puller, but that doesn't mean that Kanazawa Ichirikisha is going to have him pulling foreign customers exclusively, as he's able to communicate in Japanese. In fact, two of his first customers were a pair of Japanese women, one of whom remarked that 'Hearing explanations about this part of Kanazawa from the perspective of a foreign person has rekindled my interest and appreciation for my hometown.' Kanazawa Ichirikisha does realize, though, that De Bievre's ability to converse in his native French, as well as English, gives them a way to accommodate inbound foreign tourists who don't speak Japanese. The current plan is for him to pull rickshaws primarily on weekends while continuing to work his regular job, and if you're interested in booking a tour with Kanazawa Ichirikisha, their website can be found here. Source: Hokuriku Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan News Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- No train, no hotel – How to do an overnight bus trip to Kanazawa from Tokyo – Part 1【Photos】 -- Tokyo rickshaw puller tells us why he isn't staying home from work during coronavirus outbreak -- What's the best way to spend 1,000 yen at Don Quijote in Japan? External Link © SoraNews24
Japan Times
04-08-2025
- Japan Times
The international artists supporting Japan's craft legacy
Japanese crafts are in high demand around the world. Both domestic and international consumers value these quality goods made by meticulous methods and infused with distinctive regional aesthetics. While this seems promising for Japanese craftspeople, one looming question remains: Will there be enough of them in the future to meet growing demand? As Japan grapples with a declining population, its craft heritage has been hit especially hard. The number of traditional artisans has dropped significantly due to discontinuities in family-owned businesses and the migration of younger generations from rural to urban areas. This has resulted in an uncertain future for certain crafting disciplines, such as urushi lacquerware, textile weaving and dyeing and woodturning. However, a new generation of international artists has been training in Japanese traditions with aspirations to help carry the legacy forward. Rabea Ferber, 27, is part of this wave. When her then-fiance enrolled in an MFA in ceramics at Tokyo University of the Arts, Ferber decided to take the leap and join him, traveling from her home country of Germany to Japan on a working holiday visa in 2020. Ferber had initially begun woodworking as a hobby while studying product design at university. Determined to continue her passion, she completed a two-year course at the Ishikawa Prefectural Institute for Yamanaka Lacquerware in Yamanaka Onsen. Ferber and her husband, Ido, eventually made a full-time home in Ishikawa, where they have their own studio to sell her wood and lacquer tableware and his ceramic pieces. Hailing from Germany, Rabea Ferber (center) and her husband live and work in Ishikawa Prefecture, not only selling their own crafts but highlighting local artisans through their website, Sentomono. | Courtesy of Rabea Ferber 'What we like about Yamanaka, the reason we decided to stay, is that it's a really small community and everyone knows each other,' Ferber says. Her dedication to Japanese crafts earns her bonus points from local residents. 'Whenever I tell them I came here to study craft, they respond, 'Wow, you're really dedicated! It's wonderful that you came here!' There's a lot of pride there.' In Ferber's view, schools and artisan communities that offer training are concerned that students, whether domestic or international, won't stick around. 'The worry is that a lot of people come here, they study, and then they leave and don't continue the craft or don't contribute to the area,' she says, 'so there's a big desire to have people stay.' Forging community For the past four years, Canadian-born Jesse Cunningham, 42, has been working as a blacksmith in rural Kochi Prefecture. After training and working as a blacksmith in Canada and Spain, he wanted to transition into toolmaking — and where better than the land that's home to the legendary katana? Cunningham initially came to Japan through the JET Programme, teaching English in Oita Prefecture while keeping an eye out for opportunities. He eventually discovered a forge run by blacksmith Nobuya Hayashi in Kochi that offered short classes. 'I joined one of the workshops and, during that time, I found out there was a longer (class) I could take,' says Cunningham. 'So after I finished my teaching contract, I came back over and did a weeklong workshop.' But a week's training wasn't going to cut it. 'I heard that, in Japan, it's impolite to straight up ask for a position. However, I wasn't above dropping a lot of pretty serious hints about wanting to continue on.' After some discreet back-and-forth communications with Hayashi, Cunningham was formally asked to stay on at the forge. Hayashi supported his visa change paperwork and even helped him and his partner find housing in an akiya (abandoned home) for rent nearby. Over the years, Cunningham and Hayashi have developed a strong working relationship. 'When it started, we didn't know where it was going to go or how it was going to work, because he'd never had an employee before. But I can optimistically say it's going well.' Beyond their local ties, both Ferber and Cunningham have built a wider network through their craft. Ferber and her husband met many colleagues through their training, some of whom they feature on their website, Sentomono, which helps sell their work to global clients. 'We've met many young artists who, compared to us, have little to no internet presence and don't sell abroad at all. We, on the other hand, have a huge interest in our work from foreign customers,' Ferber says. 'Though we're learning Japanese craft from Japanese people, we have an advantage selling because we can better access the international market. We felt this was unfair. At the same time, we want to help the artists that we personally know.' Under Hayashi's tutelage, Cunningham has also collaborated with other craftspeople from across Japan, including those interested in workshop pedagogy. 'We had two other blacksmiths in the workshop the other week: a garden toolmaker from central Honshu ... and one of our neighbor blacksmiths (who) popped in to watch our workshops because he's also thinking of doing them,' he says. 'That was really fun because he's an excellent blacksmith.' Connections beyond nationality As Japan's crafting culture grows in popularity, the study of Japanese craft has traveled well beyond the country's borders. Ceramic artist Virginija Kliseviciute Fujie, 38, first encountered Japanese crafts in a foundation course at Leksand Folk High School in Sweden. 'The school has a very good connection with Japanese craft and a number of Japanese exchange students would visit,' Fujie explains. 'It even had a Japanese (wood-fired) kiln, an anagama, which is rare to see in Sweden.' This experience inspired Fujie to spend close to four months at Tokyo Zokei University in 2013, an exchange program through which she studied classical sculpture. 'I studied a lot of practical sculpture, working with models, and I also tried stone carving, which I loved,' she says. 'I had ... the old guard teaching me, masters who had worked there for 50 to 60 years, and they retired just after I finished — so I was incredibly lucky.' She also happened to meet her husband during this period. Virginija Kliseviciute Fujie first encountered Japanese ceramics as a high school student in Sweden. After several stints studying in Tokyo, she returned to Japan permanently to live and work in the seaside town of Kamakura. | Laura Pollacco Fujie went on to pursue her master's degree in ceramic arts back in Sweden, coming to Japan for another yearlong exchange in 2015. After completing her degree, she resettled in Japan permanently and now lives and works out of her studio in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Thanks to her seaside location, Fujie has taken up surfing, which has the double effect of inspiring her current work in ceramics as well as introducing her to a brand-new audience. 'The biggest surprise has been how that community has responded,' she says. 'They come and support my exhibitions in Kamakura — even people who never had an interest in ceramics.' For Fujie, all art is a form of communication and a chance for connection beyond nationality. 'When I think about all the weird cups I have made and sold, and how there are people, somewhere, drinking their morning coffee out of them and enjoying it, it's mind-boggling to me.' Fujie, Ferber and Cunningham all came to Japan to cultivate a specific skill and join a lineage that was not available in their home countries. But beyond their engagement with their respective crafts, they each found something deeper: community, collaboration and a place of their own in Japan's cultural landscape. Whether they realize it or not, they have joined the narrative of Japanese craftsmanship — and are also shaping its future. Learn more about the artists via their Instagram accounts @ @jessethedeshi and @sculptspace
