YAMBARU ART FESTIVAL
2023-2024

ART PROGRAM

Yaeyama no Karii Kuhgani at Kihoin Collection Museum

Located at the western end of the Ryukyu Arc, Yaeyama is also the western edge of Japan.
Many of the cultural relics left here were shared by the Yaeyama community, such as Panari ware, Kaidarji, and Minsa.
Also, as represented by Milk-sama, it is easy to see that it was connected to mainland China and Southeast Asia by sea routes.
When viewed from the mainland of Japan or from the main island of Okinawa, it is an independent region farther west, and it can be seen that it nurtured a unique culture.
There is no doubt that these works are a great source of inspiration for those of us living today, and can serve as examples of artistic resources .
This time, we will be exhibiting materials from the Kihoin Collection Museum on Taketomi Island, which houses the cultural artifacts that Toru Kaseto spent more than half a century collecting.
We hope you will enjoy the rich and fertile world of Yaeyama, including "Tools of Daily Life on Taketomi Island," a nationally registered tangible folk cultural property.

PROFILE

Gofujuu

PROFILE

This unit explores the creative and artistic crafts of the Yaeyama Islands, which, like Yanbaru, are rich in nature and culture. "Gofujuu(Five Winds and Ten Rains)" is a votive character drawn on the flagstaffs that appear at harvest festivals in the Yaeyama Islands. It is said that wind blows every five days and rain falls every ten days, which is good for a good harvest. The members are Eiji Hatanaka (professor at Kyoto City University of Arts), who specializes in ceramic history and archaeology; Takahiro Kaneshima (associate professor at Kanazawa College of Art), director of exhibitions at the Yanbaru Art Festival; Choji Nakahodo (photographer and artist), general director of the Yanbaru Art Festival; and Yufuko Matsushima (editor, president of SUDERU LLC), who has been involved in various projects mainly in Okinawa.