Please introduce yourself.
I’m from the Zuan Museum. I primarily help run a facility in Osaka’s Naniwa district that collects and displays collections of woodblock printing designs from the Meiji Era.
What would you like people to focus on when looking at the works?
I’d like everyone to focus on the sense of abstract and sense of colors that are deeply rooted in Japan. There are many works being displayed that are tied to Kyoto especially. It’d be great if they kept that in mind while looking at them.
What made you want to start collecting woodblock prints?
I’d already been collecting a lot of old chiyogami(*1) designs of woodblock prints, but the ones from the Meiji Era especially stood out to me. I looked more into them and before I knew it, I became interested in collecting prints from that era.
(*1) Chiyogami refers to highly decorative paper made with hand-printed traditional Japanese designs. The bright colors and diverse patterns are its special characteristics, and the paper is used for origami, wrapping, and handicrafts.
Is there anything you’d like to convey through the work of the Zuan Museum?
These woodblock prints are called collaborative woodcuts and were only possible through the cooperation of specialty craftsmen such as designers, sculptors, and woodblock printers. I’d like to show the beauty of handsculpted works.
Is there anything you focused on or worked especially hard on for this exhibit?
Many of the collected prints are like books, so I focused on making sure that there’s an explanation about their history and the artist’s background. That way, I can relate the information to guests’ interests as they flip through the pages.
What are the abstract aspects of Japan and peculiar senses of color that you focus on?
This is just my own personal understanding, but I feel like the design features a sensory fusion of culture that abstracts the myriad phenomena of nature like family crests and the rich colors of nature that change with the seasons. I think there is also a historic sense that incorporates foreign culture after Japan ended its national isolation policy.
[Entrance Window, Gallery 3]
Movie: 北村佳子 Keiko Kitamura / DV Director: 筒井一隆 Kazutaka Tsutsui
2025