The “Kōgei Creativity: Living National Treasures Exhibition,” now in its 8th year, will be held at SEIKO HOUSE GINZA Hall (formerly known as WAKO Hall) from April 6 to 23, 2023. The “Important Intangible Cultural Property holders,” widely known as “Living National Treasures,” are the leading figures in their respective fields, having spent many years honing their craft and creating their original styles. This time, around 100 works by 37 artists will be on display, featuring 6 different craft fields such as ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, metalwork, wood and bamboo crafts, and dolls. These works, which showcase the artists’ high level of skills and attention to detail developed through many years of artistic practice, all stand out with their effective use of materials, practical functionality and beautiful forms. This is a rare opportunity to view the works of these prominent artists all in one place. Visitors are encouraged to take their time and fully appreciate each piece.

■ Artists

Ceramics
Jun Isezaki (Bizen ware)
Sekisui Ito (Mumyoi ware)
Manji Inoue (White porcelain)
Imaemon Imaizumi (Iro-e)
Kozo Kato (Seto-guro)
Osamu Suzuki (Shino)
Kiyoshi Hara (Iron-glazed ceramics)
Zenzo Fukushima (Koishiwara ware)
Akihiro Maeta (White porcelain)
Minori Yoshita (Yuri-kinsai)

Textiles
Yasumasa Komiya (Edo-komon)
Shigeto Suzuta (Woodblock printing and stencil dyeing chintz)
Yoshinori Tsuchiya (Monsha)
Osao Futatsuka (Yuzen)
Ryoko Murakami (Tsumugi-ori)
Fukumi Shimura (Tsumugi-ori) “Special exhibit”

Lacquerware
Hayato Otani (Kinma)
Isao Onishi (Kyushitsu)
Shosai Kitamura (Raden)
Kunie Komori (Kyushitsu)
Fumio Mae (Chinkin)
Kiichiro Masumura (Kyushitsu)
Kazumi Murose (Makie)
Kazuo Yamagishi (Chinkin)
Yoshito Yamashita (Kinma)

Metalwork
Yukie Osumi (Tankin)
Hoseki Okuyama (Tankin)
Morihito Katsura (Chokin)
Norio Tamagawa (Tankin)
Mamoru Nakagawa (Chokin)

Wood and bamboo crafts
Soho Katsushiro (Bamboo craft)
Ryozo Kawagita (Woodwork)
Kenji Suda (Woodwork)
Noboru Fujinuma (Bamboo craft)
Akira Murayama (Woodwork)

Dolls
Nobuko Akiyama (Costume doll)
Komao Hayashi (Toso doll)

■ General information
“Kōgei Creativity: Living National Treasures Exhibition”
Dates: April 6 to 23, 2023
Venue: SEIKO HOUSE GINZA Hall (6F, 4-5-11, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Hours: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (Last day closed at 5:00 pm)
* Opens 7 days a week including holidays
* Free admission
Contact: +81-3-3562-2111
Website: https://www.wako.co.jp/