U.S.A.
August 7, 2017
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7
Met exhibit looks at Japan’s fine craft of bamboo basketry
BAMBOO BASKETRY. “The Gate,” a piece
by Tanabe Chikuunsay IV, is seen at The Metropolitan
Museum of Art. The artwork is part of an exhibit called
“Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection,” which
is on view through February 4, 2018 at the New York
museum. (Photo/The Metropolitan Museum of Art via
AP)
By Katherine Roth
The Associated Press
EW YORK — Bamboo is getting
attention these days as a versatile
and sustainable material for
housewares, so the timing is good for a
Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit that
explores Japan’s ancient craft of basketry.
“Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey
Collection” is devoted to masterworks,
including a half dozen works by two artists
designated as Living National Treasures
in Japan. To highlight the works’
virtuosity and context, they have been
displayed alongside paintings, ceramics,
bronzes, kimono, and other pieces from
different genres.
The exhibit also explores other
traditional Japanese arts that are
entwined with bamboo basketry, such as
ikebana flower arranging and the tea
ceremony. Bamboo is so central to
Japanese culture that the Japanese and
Chinese character for bamboo is part of
over a thousand other characters,
including
those
for
many
items
traditionally made of bamboo, such as
flutes, writing brushes, boxes, and
baskets.
The Met’s show, organized by Monika
Bincsik, assistant curator in the
department of Asian art, tells the story of
bamboo through almost 100 works dating
from the late 19th century to the present.
It focuses on the refined beauty and
technical
complexity
of
Japanese
basketry. The exhibit will remain on view
through February 4, 2018.
Although the oldest Japanese baskets
date to the 700s and were mainly used as
offering trays and holders for lotus petals,
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there was little focus on Japanese bamboo
art in the western world until relatively
recently, Bincsik says. Most of the works
featured in this show are taken from the
Diane and Arthur Abbey Collection, and
most have never before been shown to the
public. More than 70 of the works on
exhibit were recently promised as gifts to
the Met.
The show opens with a dramatically
curvaceous floor-to-ceiling sculpture by
master craftsman Tanabe Chikuunsay IV.
With its voluptuous shape, the site-specific
piece is woven out of rare tiger bamboo,
which is mottled with dark spots.
The introductory section shows how
bamboo was used for hundreds of years for
everyday utensils as well as refined
containers. It was a craft generally honed
by specific families, with expertise handed
down from one generation to the next.
Some leading bamboo artisans created
their own schools, many still active today.
But it was not until the late 19th
century, the exhibit explains, that bamboo
craftsmanship began to be recognized as,
first, a veritable Japanese decorative art
and, later, as a bona fide art form. Later
masters such as Iizuka Rokansai created
innovative works that were the foundation
for contemporary bamboo art.
The show includes textiles passed from
bamboo basketry mentors to their
students as a sort of diploma, or
graduation gift, signalling an apprentice’s
elevation to the rank of skilled craftsman.
These precious textiles were passed down
time and again over generations.
Most of the exhibit is organized
geographically into three major Japanese
regions; Kansai (mainly Kyoto and
Osaka), Kanto (mainly Tokyo), and the
southern area of Kyushu.
Highlights include “Basket for Trans-
porting Tea Ceremony Utensils,” made in
the late 1800s by Hayawaka Shokosai I.
He is believed to be the first bamboo
craftsman to sign his work, paving the way
for increased recognition of the works of
individual masters.
“Moon Reflected on Water” was made in
1929 by Sakaguchi Sounsai. It was the
first bamboo work accepted into a
government-sponsored art exhibition, that
year.
Another major work is “Offering or Fruit
Tray with Intersecting Circles Design,”
made in about 1947 from smoked timber
bamboo by Shono Shounsai, who in 1967
become the first Living National Treasure
of bamboo art.
There are baskets that incorporate
ancient arrows, still revealing their red or
black lacquer. A vase called “Dragon in
Clouds” by Iizuka Shokansai is twisted out
of a single stick of bamboo. Another work,
“Woman,” made in 2004 by Nagakura
Ken’ichi, is also formed from a single stick
of bamboo, and resembles a sculpture by
Giacometti.
One takeaway from the show is that the
possibilities of bamboo may turn out to be
as vast and limitless as the form is ancient.
The exhibit will not travel beyond New
York, but is accompanied by a slim but
detailed publication, Japanese Bamboo
Art: The Abbey Collection, with text by
Bincsik
and
photos
(Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Bulletin, Spring 2017).
Hawai‘i prepares for ‘unlikely’ North Korea missile threat
EMERGENCY PREPARATION. Jeffrey Wong, the Hawai‘i Emer-
gency Management Agency’s current operations officer, shows computer
screens monitoring hazards at the agency’s headquarters in Honolulu.
Hawai‘i is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballis-
tic missile strike from North Korea. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)
By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
The Associated Press
ONOLULU — Hawai‘i is the first U.S. state to
prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic
missile strike from North Korea.
The state’s Emergency Management Agency has
announced a public education campaign about what to do.
Hawai‘i lawmakers have been urging emergency
management officials to update Cold War-era plans for
coping with a nuclear attack as North Korea develops
nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that can reach the
islands.
Starting in November, Hawai‘i will begin monthly tests
of an “attack-warning” siren the state hasn’t heard since
the end of the Cold War in the 1980s. The wailing siren
will be tested on the first working day of each month, after
a test of an “attention-alert” steady tone siren with which
residents are already familiar.
Informational brochures, along with TV, radio, and
internet announcements will help educate the public
about the new siren sound and provide preparedness
guidance. “If they’re not educated, they could actually be
frightened by it,” agency executive director Toby Clair-
mont said of needing several months to introduce the new
siren.
Because it would take a missile 15 minutes — maybe 20
minutes — to arrive, the instructions to the public are
simple: “Get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned,” said
Vern Miyagi, agency administrator. “You will not have
time to pick up your family and go to a shelter and all that
kind of stuff. ... It has to be automatic.”
He stressed that his agency is simply trying to stay
ahead of a “very unlikely” scenario, but it’s a possibility
that Hawai‘i can’t ignore.
Hawai‘i is an important strategic outpost for the U.S.
military. The island of Oahu is home to the U.S. Pacific
Command, the military’s headquarters for the Asia-
Pacific region. It also hosts dozens of Navy ships at Pearl
Harbor and is a key base for the Air Force, Army, and
Marine Corps.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority supports preparing for
H
With that in mind, Miyagi reiterated, “Hawai‘i is still
safe.”
Hawai‘i residents, who already face hazards including
from tsunami and hurricanes, are familiar with disaster
preparedness. Because it’s currently hurricane season,
residents should already have an emergency kit that
includes 14 days of food and water.
“It also works for this type of scenario,” said Lt. Col.
Charles Anthony, spokesman for the Hawai‘i State
Department of Defense.
Hawai‘i officials surveyed 28 U.S. states and cities
about what they’re doing for the North Korea threat.
“They think it’s too soon,” Clairmont said.
But counterparts in California have contacted him
asking for guidance now that they are starting to look at a
similar effort, Clairmont said.
AP writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report.
disasters, but it is concerned that misinformation about
bracing for a North Korea attack could scare travellers
from visiting the islands, spokeswoman Charlene Chan
said in a statement. “The effect of such a downturn would
ultimately be felt by residents who rely on tourism’s
success for their livelihood,” she said.
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Airbnb host who cancelled reservation over race fined $5,000
By Michael Balsamo
The Associated Press
OS ANGELES — An Airbnb host who cancelled a
reservation and told the guest, “One word says it
all. Asian,” has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and
attend a college course in Asian-American studies,
officials with the California Department of Fair
Employment and Housing say.
The guest, Dyne Suh, had booked the home as part of a
ski trip with her fiancé and friends in Big Bear in
February. When she was close to the house, Suh messaged
host Tami Barker through the Airbnb app, but the host
cancelled the reservation after a dispute over additional
guests.
Barker told Suh in a series of messages that she
wouldn’t rent to her if she were the last person on earth.
“One word says it all. Asian,” one of the messages said.
When Suh told Barker that she would complain to
Airbnb, Barker wrote, “It’s why we have Trump ... I will
not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners.”
Suh, who posted an emotional video about the incident
on YouTube, said she’d agreed to pay $250 per night to
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rent the home and later asked Barker if two other friends
could also stay at the house, which Barker agreed to. Suh
sent Barker screenshots of text messages where she
agreed to the additional guests, but Barker cancelled the
reservation.
As part of an agreement with state officials, Barker also
agreed to personally apologize to Suh and perform
community service at a civil-rights organization.
A message left at a number listed for Barker was not
immediately returned. Her attorney, Edward Lee, said
his client was “regretful for her impetuous actions and
comments” and is pleased to have resolved the matter.
Suh said in a statement posted on Facebook that she
was pleased the settlement included Barker’s agreement
to attend an Asian-American studies course and hoped
the settlement would encourage others to report discrimi-
nation.
“I hope that more victims of discrimination will feel
encouraged to come forward with their own stories,” Suh
wrote. “Your pain is not insignificant and you are not
alone.”
Associated Press writer Janie Har in San
Francisco contributed to this report.