George Nakashima.
2009年05月19日
Who was George Nakashima?
Well, as I have mentioned previously I do like to make things from wood which means that finding things that are made of wood and exhibit something interesting to me as a woodworker makes me a happy chappy.
George Nakashima was a woodworker, and one of the better known woodworkers of the mid to late 20th century. Maybe not the most well known, but his personal style of furniture is probably familiar to many more people than they themselves may realize.
If you have seen tables with the natural wood edge left 'as is' rather than cut off and made smooth, then that is his signature style. Not to remove and hide natural 'defects' in the wood, but to enhance and display them as being part of the tree that the piece of wood came from.
This style is often copied, but rarely as well executed as Mr. Nakashima was able to do it.
For a very brief biography, please see George Nakashima's wikipedia entry.
I say very brief, because there are massive swathes of information missing from it. Especially one part that strikes very, very close to home for me living here in Kagawa, Japan.
From 1950 to 1974 the governor of Kagawa was a man named Masanori Kaneko who managed to earn the name 'The design governor' with stylish public works and attracting some famous artisans to the Kagawa area. But don't take my word for it, Time magazine has an archival article about him.
One of the people that Mr. Kaneko was able to attract was George Nakashima.
As a result, Mr. Nakashima joined a local group of artisans that were instrumental in making Kagawa what it is today, a place where style and flair are common place, enough that you don't really notice it unless it is pointed out to you. Maybe it's just me, because I have been living here for 7 years now, and I am only just finding these things out for myself.
But we are getting away from the subject here...
George Nakashima was a woodworker who managed to combine traditional Japanese woodworking skills (learned in a WWII internment camp) with an eye for style and great sympathy for the material he used and it's natural beauty into furniture that is unmistakably his own and difficult to replicate by anyone else.
By why I am I mentioning all this?
Because today I visited the George Nakashima memorial gallery.
At this point I would love to post dozens of photographs from inside the museum showing the wonderful furniture, but there were no photographs allowed of the exhibits. This is rare, as nearly all museums I have been to in Japan not only allow photography, but some actually seem to encourage it.
So even though I went there, saw everything, I got nothing to show for it except these few thoughts...
Mr. Nakashima as a woodworker was technically excellent in both execution and design. The pieces show delicacy and brutishness combined into furniture that just begs to be looked at, touched (but don't touch the exhibits!) and used for their intended purpose. Being able to combine all these things to a woodworker is almost like the holy grail, unobtainable. He did it again and again and again. I don't think anyone can be compared to him or his work now, or ever.
Mr. Kaneko is someone who I deeply indebted to. Before today I was largely unaware of who he was and what he accomplished. It has changed my perception of Kagawa from a place where I just happen to live to a place where I am truly thankful for living. What he accomplished during his tenure as governor will stand forever as testament to his vision and drive to make Kagawa truly special in the world. He did it, and we humble denizens owe him a debt of gratitude.
Today, my life changed undoubtedly for the better. Before today I took little notice of my surroundings. I passed them by without giving them much more than a passing glance and a second of thought. Now, I will most certainly pay more attention to what is 'out there' and seek it out whenever I can.
And lastly, if you find yourself in Japan at some point in the future or if you are here right now, to not come to Kagawa and see it for yourself, you would be doing a great disservice not only to Kagawa, but to yourself.
Maybe these things are not for everyone and that's fine.
But I can't think of any human being who could come here and not be moved by some of the things on offer in this tiny little pocket of the world.
An amazing day for me, and all it took was a quick stop at a small gallery that I had passed by dozens of times without a thought...
Stu.
Well, as I have mentioned previously I do like to make things from wood which means that finding things that are made of wood and exhibit something interesting to me as a woodworker makes me a happy chappy.
George Nakashima was a woodworker, and one of the better known woodworkers of the mid to late 20th century. Maybe not the most well known, but his personal style of furniture is probably familiar to many more people than they themselves may realize.
If you have seen tables with the natural wood edge left 'as is' rather than cut off and made smooth, then that is his signature style. Not to remove and hide natural 'defects' in the wood, but to enhance and display them as being part of the tree that the piece of wood came from.
This style is often copied, but rarely as well executed as Mr. Nakashima was able to do it.
For a very brief biography, please see George Nakashima's wikipedia entry.
I say very brief, because there are massive swathes of information missing from it. Especially one part that strikes very, very close to home for me living here in Kagawa, Japan.
From 1950 to 1974 the governor of Kagawa was a man named Masanori Kaneko who managed to earn the name 'The design governor' with stylish public works and attracting some famous artisans to the Kagawa area. But don't take my word for it, Time magazine has an archival article about him.
One of the people that Mr. Kaneko was able to attract was George Nakashima.
As a result, Mr. Nakashima joined a local group of artisans that were instrumental in making Kagawa what it is today, a place where style and flair are common place, enough that you don't really notice it unless it is pointed out to you. Maybe it's just me, because I have been living here for 7 years now, and I am only just finding these things out for myself.
But we are getting away from the subject here...
George Nakashima was a woodworker who managed to combine traditional Japanese woodworking skills (learned in a WWII internment camp) with an eye for style and great sympathy for the material he used and it's natural beauty into furniture that is unmistakably his own and difficult to replicate by anyone else.
By why I am I mentioning all this?
Because today I visited the George Nakashima memorial gallery.
At this point I would love to post dozens of photographs from inside the museum showing the wonderful furniture, but there were no photographs allowed of the exhibits. This is rare, as nearly all museums I have been to in Japan not only allow photography, but some actually seem to encourage it.
So even though I went there, saw everything, I got nothing to show for it except these few thoughts...
Mr. Nakashima as a woodworker was technically excellent in both execution and design. The pieces show delicacy and brutishness combined into furniture that just begs to be looked at, touched (but don't touch the exhibits!) and used for their intended purpose. Being able to combine all these things to a woodworker is almost like the holy grail, unobtainable. He did it again and again and again. I don't think anyone can be compared to him or his work now, or ever.
Mr. Kaneko is someone who I deeply indebted to. Before today I was largely unaware of who he was and what he accomplished. It has changed my perception of Kagawa from a place where I just happen to live to a place where I am truly thankful for living. What he accomplished during his tenure as governor will stand forever as testament to his vision and drive to make Kagawa truly special in the world. He did it, and we humble denizens owe him a debt of gratitude.
Today, my life changed undoubtedly for the better. Before today I took little notice of my surroundings. I passed them by without giving them much more than a passing glance and a second of thought. Now, I will most certainly pay more attention to what is 'out there' and seek it out whenever I can.
And lastly, if you find yourself in Japan at some point in the future or if you are here right now, to not come to Kagawa and see it for yourself, you would be doing a great disservice not only to Kagawa, but to yourself.
Maybe these things are not for everyone and that's fine.
But I can't think of any human being who could come here and not be moved by some of the things on offer in this tiny little pocket of the world.
An amazing day for me, and all it took was a quick stop at a small gallery that I had passed by dozens of times without a thought...
Stu.
Posted by Stuart T at 02:28│Comments(2)
この記事へのコメント
You might want to check out Isamu Noguchi's museum as well. It costs something like ２０００円 and I believe you might have to reserve ahead of time over the phone. It's supposed to be good though. You can also see quite a bit of his sculptures outside the museum for free.
And if you want to see more current woodworkers, there's a place called rakuboku(rakuboku.com). It's very close to Nakashima's museum(15mins or less by car). The woodworker there used to work in Nakashima's shop and is continuing in his style.
And if you want to see more current woodworkers, there's a place called rakuboku(rakuboku.com). It's very close to Nakashima's museum(15mins or less by car). The woodworker there used to work in Nakashima's shop and is continuing in his style.
Posted by anon at 2009年09月12日 13:01
Oh, and if you can't find it, the people at Nakashima's museum know who the woodworker is. Just ask for directions to Matsuoka-san's place and they should be able to help。
Posted by anon at 2009年09月12日 13:36
