Shibunkaku will present Hosokawa Morihiro: Recent Works hosted at OGATA Paris.
We are delighted to present the works of Hosokawa Morihiro, whose lineage dates to the Muromachi period (14th century) samurai lord, Hosokawa Yoriari (d.1391), and who has served as the 79th Prime Minister of Japan. Over the course of the quarter century since his retirement from politics, Hosokawa has explored and refined his creative pursuits engaging in a wide range of mediums from ceramics, calligraphy, various types of painting (ink painting, Nihonga, and oil painting) to lacquer work and bamboo crafts, garnering high acclaim as an artist. This exhibition will introduce his latest notable lacquer and ceramic work.
Lacquer has long been synonymous with Japan and has been a lasting tradition since ancient times. Lacquer works are considered to embody the Japanese aesthetic sense of beauty and spirit of craftsmanship. Hosokawa, who began working in lacquer after starting with kintsugi (the process of joining ceramics with gold), developed a distinct style which radiates an elegant beauty, after diligently surmounting the challenges inherent to this intricate material. Informed by the surroundings of his private atelier, Hosokawa’s ceramic works have been shaped by the sounds of insects, nurtured by a life in harmony with nature, and thus have only deepened in their freedom, profundity, and refinement over the years.
It is our immense joy to feature the world of this outstanding contemporary literati artist, Hosokawa Morihiro, with OGATA Paris, a bastion of Japanese culture. Hosokawa’s diverse body of works are connected by a common thread of exceptional sensibility, beauty, and refined elegance, while rooted in his deep well of cultural history and dialogues with nature. Visitors are sure to feel the rich cultural history of Japan that has been nurtured throughout the centuries.
Hosokawa Morihiro
Born in Tokyo in 1938. He served as the 79th Prime Minister of Japan in 1993. Upon reaching the age of 60, he retired from politics and began working with ceramics at Futōan, his atelier in Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. In addition to making pottery, he also practices calligraphy, painting, lacquerware, and carving of bamboo tea scoops, among other art forms. Since 2001, Hosokawa has held solo exhibitions in Tokyo and Kyoto, among other cities in Japan, in addition to Paris and New York.
Former Chairman of the Eisei-Bunko Museum, a nonprofit organization that exhibits the Hosokawa family collection.
Temples where his works have been dedicated:
Shoden-Eigenin Temple, Kyoto http://www.shoden-eigenin.com/
Kenninji Temple, Kyoto https://www.kenninji.jp/
Yakushiji Temple, Nara https://yakushiji.or.jp/
Todaiji Temple, Nara https://www.todaiji.or.jp/
Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto http://www.ryoanji.jp/smph/
Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto https://www.nanzenji.or.jp/
Hosokawa Morihiro: Recent Works
October 18th -31st, 2023
OGATA Paris
16 rue Debelleyme 75003 Paris ＜Google Maps＞
