PRESS RELEASE June 18, 2015

No. 2015-012-1/2

Raku: The Cosmos in a Tea Bowl
Exhibition to be held at the two major Russian museums
The State Hermitage Museum and The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts from July.
The Japan Foundation and the Raku Museum jointly organize Raku: The Cosmos in a Tea Bowl at two major Russian museums, theHermitage Museum and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts from July. The exhibition has received many good reviews while being
held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art held between March and June this year.
At the exhibitions in Russia, Important Cultural Properties, including Chōjirō’s Two-colour glazed lion sculpture (Raku Museum), BlackRaku tea bowl named Mukiguri (Agency for Cultural Affairs) and Red Raku tea bowl named Muichibutsu (Egawa Museum of Art) areshown. Featuring work by past Raku masters and by the brilliant Hon’ami Kōetsu, a close associate, as well as the wide-ranging
activities (not limited to ceramics) of the current master Raku Kichizaemon XV and pieces by his son Atsundo, the future family head,
this exhibition is a comprehensive survey of the unique aesthetic and philosophical realm of Raku ware, providing fascinating glimpses
into each of the eras it covers. In addition, finely decorative paintings, including Scenes in and around Kyoto, are shown, to present theperiod background of founding Raku ware.
This exhibition presents approximately 170 works, from the serene, monochromatic tea bowls of founder Chōjirō, which most directlyreflect the wabi tea ceremony ideals of legendary tea master Sen no Rikyū, to the strikingly original innovations of the current Raku
master as well as the paintings from the same period. We are confident that this first full-fledged show of Raku ceramics in the Russia
will draw much attention and acclaim.

Chōjirō, Black Raku tea bowl named Mukiguri(Important Cultural Property of Japan)
Agency for Cultural Affairs[Venue/Dates]

Kichizaemon XV, Black Raku tea bowl, Yakinuki type
Private collection
Photo：Takashi Hatakeyama

The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg: July 11 – September 6, 2015
The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow: September 22 – November 15, 2015

[Exhibition Advisory Committee]
Sezo Hayashiya (Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Egawa Museum of Art)
Taka Akanuma (Advisor, Mitsui Memorial Museum)
Yoshiaki Ito (Deputy Director, Kyoto National Museum)
Raku Kichizaemon (Current head and 15th generation of the Raku family, Raku Museum Director)[Curators]
Ryuichi Matsubara (Chief Curator, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
Tatiana Arapova (Curator, The State Hermitage Museum)
Ainura Yusupova (Curator, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts)[Organized by][Co-organized by][In cooperation with][Assisted by]

The Japan Foundation, Raku Museum, The State Hermitage Museum, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Embassy of Japan in Russia, Consulate-General of Japan in Saint-Petersburg
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Finnair, Finnair Cargo, Japan Airlines〒160-0004

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No. 2015-012-2/2
Statement by Raku Kichizaemon XV
Raku ware holds a unique place in the culture of Japanese ceramics, and remains as vital as ever today, 450 years after its foundation.
The spirit of its tradition, handed down by successive generations starting with the founder Chōjirō, lies in each generation’s creativeengagement with its own contemporary era. Within the confines of a small tea bowl that fits in the palm of the hand, Raku artists havecarried out profound explorations of nature, human awareness, and philosophical issues such as artifice versus nature, randomness
versus inevitability, parts and the whole, fulfillment versus lack, and the complete versus the incomplete. Indeed, the interior of a piece ofRaku ware shows us “the cosmos in a tea bowl,” evoking everything from a black hole in the infinite vastness of space to the faint trickleof a tiny brook. The essence of Raku lies not in simply carrying on old traditions, but in a constantly evolving avant-garde spirit. Raku tea
bowls are imbued with a philosophical significance that resonates with contemporary thought, and I am sure they will strike a powerfulchord with viewers in Russia and elsewhere in the world.
Raku: The Cosmos in a Tea Bowl features historic works by past generations, including those designated by the Japanese government
as Important Cultural Properties and Important Art Objects, as well as works showing the present and future of Raku by myself (thecurrently presiding Raku Kichizaemon XV) and successor Raku Atsundo, who before long will inherit the mantle as the 16th generation
head. The majority of these are on loan from the Raku Museum in Kyoto. This museum was established in 1978 by 14th-generation
master Raku Kakunyū, and the Raku family donated a collection of Raku ware, historical materials, and related tea-ceremony art objects
from throughout its 450-year history. The museum’s collection contains many pieces that have been treasured heirlooms of the Raku
family and have inspired and served as models for successive generations, who studied them, grasped the essence of the Raku tradition,and went on to develop their own original styles that departed from tradition in creative ways. The Raku Museum is truly anencapsulation of the essence of the Raku tradition over its centuries of history.
Works from the Raku Museum’s collection form the core of Raku: The Cosmos in a Tea Bowl, along with important pieces from othermuseums and from the collection of the Omote-senke and Ura-senke Foundation, descendants of tea ceremony forefather Sen noRikyū who are keeping the culture of the tea ceremony thriving today. Many of these works are rarely seen by the public, even in Japan.
The opportunity to present these works and enjoy the deep understanding and appreciation of people in Russia is truly an invaluable onefor me.
Raku Kichizaemon

Chōjirō, Red Raku tea bowl named Muichibutsu(Important Cultural Property of Japan)
Egawa Museum of Art
Photo：Masayuki Miyahara

Chōjirō, Two-colour glazed lion sculpture(Important Cultural Property of Japan)
Raku Museum
Photo：Takashi Hatakeyama●Contact in Japan The Japan Foundation, Arts and Culture Dept. Ohira (Mr.), Mori (Ms.)
Tel: +81-(0)3-5369-6063 / Fax: +81-(0)3-5369-6038 / E-mail: arts2@jpf.go.jp●Press Contact Taira (Ms.) (Taira Masako Press Office)Tel: +81-(0)90-1149-1111 / Fax: +81-(0)3-3468-8367 / E-mail: kikin@tmpress.jp〒160-0004

東京都新宿区四谷 4-4-1
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