「日本伝統工芸展」開催継続へのご支援を～工芸の技と美を次世代へ～

 

Festival of Beauty: The Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition

 

Thank you for viewing our crowdfunding challenge. We are the Japan Kōgei Association.

 

The Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition, held by the Japan Kōgei Association, brings together the finest techniques and beauty in traditional crafts. Artists from throughout Japan work hard to be selected for this exhibition. The first exhibition was held in 1954, and since the 7th exhibition it has been held as an annual event that is open to applicants nationwide.

This exhibition has been responsible for the succession and development of the culture of traditional crafts in postwar Japan and the development of the next generation of artists, and it now serves as a place for artists to study the craft techniques and present their own works.

 

The 68 th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition the Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store inTokyo(Septenber last Year)

 

The exhibition opens at the Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store in Tokyo in September every year, after which regional exhibitions are throughout Japan. About 600 works, including 16 award-winning pieces, are selected from approximately 1,200 works in seven categories: Ceramics, Textiles, Urushi Work, Metal Work, Woodwork & Bamboo Work, Dolls, and Various Works. The 69th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition will also open in Tokyo this year on Wednesday September 14, followed by regional exhibitions at 11 venues nationwide.

Before the pandemic, about 300,000 people from all over Japan came to the exhibition every year, making it one of Japan's leading art festivals. Even during the pandemic, about 150,000 visited last year.

 

 

 

 

 

Ongoing Crisis

 

As we prepare to celebrate the 70th exhibition in 2023, we are facing a financial crisis that threatens the continuation of this festival.

There have been major changes in the social and economic situation surrounding traditional crafts and the Japan Kōgei Association, such as changes in Japanese lifestyles after the war. The severity of the situation has increased and accelerated due to the pandemic of the past few years, making it difficult to continue the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition. Holding an open call exhibition incurs a wide variety of costs, such as accepting the works that are submitted for the exhibition, inspecting and judging the works, and transportation costs related to moving the exhibits in and out of the exhibition sites. We are also recently faced with another major issue: the screening venue where we inspect and judge the entries for the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition has been generously lent to us free of charge for many years, but that arrangement comes to an end this year.

Our Board of Directors is currently considering all possible measures to secure a screening venue for the next fiscal year and beyond. About 1,000 square meters is required to perform screening for the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition, and normally a space that size would cost more than 20 million yen annually in addition to our other expenses. Our current financial situation makes it very difficult for us to continue paying this amount every year; even if we tried to hold out for a few years, we would quickly run out of funds.

 

｜Fewer Exhibitors and Members

 

Until now, the operating costs for the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition have mainly consisted of exhibition fees, which have been covered by contributions from our co-sponsors, cooperation from supporting and sponsoring companies, and expenditures from the Japan Kōgei Association, which is the main organizer. The Japan Kōgei Association’s primary source of income is the annual fee collected from our members. However, both the number of exhibitors and the number of members have been decreasing every year, making it difficult to secure financial resources.

As shown in the figure below, the number of exhibitors at the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition has decreased by about 900 from a peak of 2,098 during the 37th exhibition in 1990. There were only 1,163 exhibitors during the 68th exhibition in 2021, which was about half the number from our peak years. Similarly, membership in the Japan Kōgei Association has dropped by nearly 500, from a peak of 2,548 in 2003 to 2,065 in 2021, due primarily to the advanced age of some of our members.

 

Number of entries and winning status

 

We regard the continuation of the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition as a way to pass on the skills and beauty of traditional craft techniques (intangible cultural properties) to the next generation and to the future. Artists view this exhibition as a place of friendly rivalry and an important opportunity to present their own works to the world. It is also a place where visitors can experience art and encounter new works.

 

The loss of this exhibition, which connects artists and visitors, means that it will be difficult for the culture of Japanese crafts, has been shared across generations for over 1,300 years, to be passed on to the next generation. We decided to launch this project in order to connect the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition to the future.

 

We need your help to keep this exhibition going.

 

We would appreciate your support so much.

 

Iwao Shinno（Executive Director of Japan Kōgei Association）

 

 

 How We Will Use Your Pledges

 

Holding the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition involves a wide variety of expenses, such as transportation costs for works, compensation costs, and costs for appraisals. A portion of your pledges to this campaign will be used to cover such expenses.

 

 

 

Notes about Returns

 

We will mail the 69^th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition Catalogue to the address that you registered for this crowdfunding campaign.

(We will also mail them to overseas addresses.)

 

We are not planning to mail “Donation Deduction Receipts” to overseas addresses. However, if you would like to receive one, please contact the Office of the Japan Kōgei Association for more information.

 

Please note that the “Special Gallery Talk” event held in Japan will be provided in Japanese only.

For the online “Special Gallery Talk” event, English will also be available.

If you wish to participate in English, please select “Participate in the Online Event”.

 

The “Special Viewing & Tea Party” event held in Japan will be provided in Japanese only. This event will not be made available online.

 

The 69th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition Catalogue

 

＞＞＞How to Support by Credit Card（English）