JAPAN HOUSE

Welcome Spring with Ikebana!

Welcome spring with your own Ikebana arrangement!

Our next Cultural Enrichment meeting will be on Wednesday, April 2nd at 5:30 and as always will be open to all.  This month there will be a short demonstration of Ikebana (Japanese floral arranging) by Professor Kimiko Gunji and Jeanne Holey of the Illinois Prairie Chapter of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society.

Afterwards, if you want to try your hand we will provide a vase and choice of flowers for only $7 and you will be able to take it home with you!  If there are enough vases, the second one with flowers will only be $5.  This will be a great way to celebrate spring finally arriving! 

If you definitely plan to come please let me know at cvoelkl@uiuc.edu by Sunday, March 30th, 2008.  Feel free to come even if you don’t respond though----vases will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis to those that don’t RSVP.

We hope you join us!

An Evening Of SHAKUHACHI

The evening of March 5, 2008 was a very special one at Japan House.  We were honored to have Koji Matsunobu perform for a mix of students and Japan House Cultural Enrichment Group members.

The shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) was traditionally played by members of the Fuke sect of Japanese Zen for meditation practice, with the goal of achieving personal and spiritual maturity through the realization of the “ultimate tone” (tettei-on).  Today, the shakuhachi can be played by all and is enjoying a renaissance.

Koji Matsunobu received a Ph.D. in music education from Tokyo Gakugei University.  He is currently pursuing a second Ph.D. in aesthetic education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana.

Japan House Celebrates 10th Anniversary!

Japan House celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year!  Yes, it was a decade ago that this unique facility opened its doors and the gardens were planted.  What a lot we have to celebrate! We have many special events planned to thank all of you that have supported Japan House through the years----following are just a few of the highlights.  Please mark the dates of October 20-26, 2008 on your calendar and plan to join us!

Noh, one of the most time-honored theater arts of Japan, will be presented at Krannert Center in the afternoon of October 25, 2008. Shozo Sato, Professor Emeritus of the UIUC Art & Design faculty will be back on the Krannert Center stage to graciously share his expertise on Japanese traditional theater by giving a brief introduction to the Noh performances.

Kyoko Ibe, the renowned washi artist, will enhance the Noh performance stage with an installation of her artwork. She will also be the subject of an exhibition, The World of Yugen: Japanese Paper Artworks by Kyoko Ibe at Krannert Art Museum from August 29, 2008 through January 4, 2009.   

 

Niwa Zenkyu, kokoro artist, will conduct painting workshops while sharing with us his warm kokoro messages during the week of October 20-24, 2008. Kokoro is a Japanese term translated to mind, heart or spirit.

Masaji Terasawa performs the ancient art of amezaiku, a method of sculpting hot taffy-like candy into fantastic shapes of animals and other creatures. He has been creating his artwork for the last 30 years throughout the US and Canada and he will perform at Japan House in the afternoon of October 26, 2008.

A celebration banquet is planned for the evening of October 25, 2008. Look for more information here on the blog or the Japan House website. With these events and programs, we hope to express our sincerest gratitude to all of you for your kind and generous support and to renew our friendship for years to come.

Listening to the koh....

Spring Open House at Japan House
Saturday, April 12, 2008
10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
2000 South Lincoln Avenue
Urbana, IL 61802

Japan House is delighted to announce a very special presentation on KODO, the art of  traditional Japanese incense by our distinguished visitors, Mr. Gyosetsu Maruyama and Ms. Nobue Irako from Nippon Kodo, Inc. of Tokyo.

Breathing in and appreciating the different varieties of incense is called “listening to the koh.”  Join us in listening to the koh in the serenity of Japan House. Presentations at 11:00 and 2:00.

Tour the gardens with James Bier, Designer and Builder of the Japan House gardens, at 1:00 and 3:00.

Tea ceremonies will be performed throughout the day by the Urbana-Champaign Association of Chado Urasenke Tankokai. Ikebana by Art 108 students will be on display.

Free admission, all are welcome!

Senchado presentation

Professor Emeritus Doyle Moore demonstrated the Senchado tradition of tea on a January evening at Japan House:

Senchado: The Way of Brewed Green Tea in the Chinese Tradition

Happy New Year!  I hope the New Year has started out well.  Things are busy as always at Japan House---we had hoped to arrange a cultural enrichment meeting for the month of January but our plans did not work out.  So our first meeting for the year will be on Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Senchado:  The Way of Brewed Green Tea in the Chinese Tradition
Presentation by A. Doyle Moore
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
5:30 p.m.
Japan House

A Doyle Moore, Professor, Emeritus, School of Art & Design, UIUC, is a graphic designer whose specialty is hand set type and hand printed books.  He holds teaching certificates in Japanese Flower Arranging and Japanese Tea Ceremony.  He has also studied special Japanese weaving techniques and has given numerous lectures on this subject for weavers’ guilds throughout the United States. During his forty-year tenure at the University, he taught courses in graphic design and Japanese aesthetics. 

Please help us celebrate on the eve of the Chinese New Year with this special presentation!

More Trunk Show artwork.....

Here are a few examples of some of the artwork you will find at the Japan House Designer Trunk Show 2: Simple Elegance.  Exhibiting artists include Lisa Alan, Laurel Campbell, Mindy Gardner, Melissa Huff, Kyoko Ibe, Laurie Jacobi, Masako Onodera and Jo Yoshimura.  Things may go quickly....call in advance for a reservation and  your admission will only be $10 instead of $12 at the door!

Champaign artist Lisa Alan creates felted wool clothing and accessories:

Champaign artist Laurel Campbell creates gemstone and glass bead jewelry and felted accessories:

Champaign artist Melissa Huff is known for her one of a kind sculptural jewelry, based on botanical forms and made of enamel, electroformed copper and fine silver.

Japanese artist Kyoko Ibe will be the subject of an exhibition at Krannert Art Museum next fall but you will have the chance to purchase some of her artwork at the trunk show.  She will have washi art, lighting and jewelry available.

Minneapolis artist Laurie  Jacobi creates garments made from 100% wool fabric she has designed herself.  The designs are inspired by Scandinavian legends about nature.

Urbana artist Masako Onodera  works with both metal and glass in creating her jewelry and sculptural items.

Japanese artist Jo Yoshimura creates beautiful one of a kind weavings.

Such a busy semester....and now a Trunk Show

It has been such a busy semester here at Japan House that we have neglected keeping this blog up to date!  I will start with letting you know about an exciting event coming up soon.  Japan House Designer Trunk Show 2: Simple Elegance will take place on Saturday November 10, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Local, national and international artists will offer wearable art, ranging from jewelry to textiles to washi (Japanese paper) art for sale. The artists have agreed to generously donate a portion of their sales to Japan House.  The event will take place in the homes of two Japan House supporters, at 2404 and 2428 Prairie Ridge Place in Champaign.  Admission to both homes is $12 at the door or $10 if paid in advance.

Funds raised by this event will support the continuing programs of Japan House----so it's a wonderful way to support the things we do here AND have a chance to meet artists and buy some wonderful works of art! Kimonos will also be available for sale.  Please contact Japan House for more information, or to make a reservation, at 217-244-9934.

In addition to the items for sale there will be a silent auction.  Local artist Mindy Garder has created--and generously donated---a beautiful work of art specifically for this event and it will be available by silent auction.  The beautiful steel artwork of gingko leaves is accompanied by the framed original drawing Mindy did.  Bidding started at $500---you can stop by Japan House to see the work (call to check times) or call to place a bid.  The final bids for this stunning work of art will be on the day of the trunk show---results will be announced at 2:00 p.m.

We hope you join us---it will be a very special day....

Lover's Exile Film Screening at Japan House

AEMS & Japan House Film Screening
The Lover's Exile: Bunraku Puppet Theatre of Japan

In Japanese with English subtitles
Wednesday, September 19, 2007, 5:30 p.m.
Japan House, 2000 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana
Introduction by Professor Elizabeth Oyler
FREE        

Join us for an evening of bunraku, Japan's classical tradition of puppet theatre, in the serene surroundings of U of I's Japan House.  This film by Marty Gross is the only filmed adaptation of a full bunraku performance.  Professor Elizabeth Oyler, a specialist in medieval Japanese narrative and performance in the Dept. of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC), will provide an introduction.  The Lovers' Exile is an adaptation of Meido No Hikyaku (The Courier for Hell), a major work of classic Japanese dramatist Monzaemon Chikamatsu (1673-1724). Set in early eighteenth-century Japan, it tells the story of Chubei, a young messenger in love with a low-class prostitute at a local tea-house. He uses his clients' money in order to free her and the two flee the town, but are only able to briefly delay their tragic fate. Performed by the celebrated Bunraku Ensemble of Osaka. Thanks to the Asian Educational Media Service for bringing this film to us.

This will also be the first meeting of our Cultural Enrichment/Volunteer Group this year, so you will have a chance to hear about upcoming events at Japan House and ways in which you can volunteer.  We hope to see you!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

photo: Charles Hannon