Vivinavi : World : () World

Dates ： April 22 （ Friday ） - June 2 （ Thursday ）
Location ： Nihon Club WEB Gallery （ URL ： https://nippongallery.nipponclub.org/ ）

Many lanterns （ and lanterns ） assembled in yagura were introduced at the opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics last July 23. The Nippon Club Web Gallery will feature chochin, one of the traditional crafts representing Japanese culture, as its 10th special project.

The Mito clan, the seat of the three Edo families, encouraged the manufacture of chochin, which were a necessity at the time, as one of the industries supporting the clan's economy. Since then, Mito has become one of Japan's three major production centers of chochin, along with Gifu and Yame City in Fukuoka Prefecture. Mizu-fu chochin （ and Suifu chochin ） made by the Mito clan are known for their sturdiness, and are made using the "ippon-kake" method, in which the skeleton bamboo strips are looped one by one and tied together with thread. Today, without changing the method of construction, votive lanterns ・ and festival lanterns ・ made of Japanese paper are still made.

This exhibition features Mizufu chochin and introduces the history and manufacturing process of chochin, which have been used as an indispensable lighting fixture in our daily lives. Ibaraki Prefecture is home to strong, high-quality washi paper (西ノ内和紙\, which is indispensable for making chochin), and is surrounded by water sources and nature that can supply other materials.

Ryutaro Suzuki, the seventh generation head of Mohei Suzuki Shoten, a long-established shop that has been in business for 150 years, has maintained the traditional craft of making chochin while being at the mercy of the times, while also being a contemporary artist and graphic designer whose work is permanently preserved at the MoMA Museum of Modern Art in New York. The inspiration of Mick ・ Itaya, a graphic designer whose work has been permanently preserved at the MoMA Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the incorporation of cutting-edge technology by young designers have given birth to the Suzumo Chochin, a lighting fixture that maximizes the special qualities of the chochin while adding modern functionality.

This exhibition focuses on the "Suifu Chochin" which has been passed down from generation to generation and the "Suzumo Chochin" which is like a chrysalis that has become a butterfly and fluttered its wings around the world.

Organizer ： The Japan Club
Sponsor ： J.C.C. Fund (The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York Foundation)》
Cooperation ： Seki Shoji Co.