The Moon Sleeps on the Shoulder

Title	The Moon Sleeps on the Shoulder
Artist	舟越桂　FUNAKOSHI Katsura
Date	1996
Medium	sculpted and painted camphor wood and marble
Dimensions	88.5×37.0×67.0
Classification	Sculptures
Accession Number	JS199700007000
Summary	This work was the subject of the 1996 Hirakushi Denchu Prize and while it makes use of the year rings in the wood, its surface has been polychromed. A stable sense of volume can be seen in the line from chest to torso which is then fitted with a relatively small head and subsidiary house and mountain motifs. The face leans diagonally and the expression of the marble eyes inset into the eye sockets, give this figure which resembles the artist himself a dream-like expression. The most distinctive aspect of the work is the face of a child attached to the side of the head. This kind of combination in which an additional face is attached to the head can also be seen in The Moon Runs work of 1995, and judging from their related titles and the placement of the houses and mountains on the shoulders, we can interpret this child’s face as a personification of the moon.Thus, in addition to the specific image of a contemporary person, Funakoshi has slipped in a narrative quality as he takes major steps towards a new realm of representational sculpture.

1．Public domain images on the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art collection search

　Digital images labeled as "Public Domain" or "CC0" on the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art collection search service may be freely downloaded, reproduced, and redistributed without permission from the museum. This includes all uses for profit or not-for-profit, including posting in publications or online, projecting during lectures and the like, broadcasting during television programs, or printing on commercial items. Please note, however, the museum’s following four requests pertaining to the use of images in the public domain.

1. Indicate the owner of the collection
Please indicate the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art as the owner of the collection. For pieces that are part of the Kimura Teizo Collection, credit “Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art (Kimura Teizo Collection)”, and for pieces from the Fujii Tatsukichi Collection, credit “Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art (Fujii Tatsukichi Collection)”.

2. Indicate any cropping or modifications
If you used a cropped version of the image, indicate that it is partial image. If you make any other modifications, please indicate that as well.

3. Get permission from third-party copyright holders
Even images that are marked as "Public Domain" or "CC0" may be copyrighted by a third party or subject to other rights. It is your sole responsibility as the user of these images to secure permission from any copyright holders. The museum will bear no responsibility for any violations resulting from image user actions.

4. Use of high-resolution images
If you would like to use high-resolution images then please contact Image usage representative.

2．Request non–public domain images

　Those who wish to use the types of images listed in (1)–(2) below must fill out a Image Usage Request after reviewing the Guidelines on the Use of Images and send it via email to our image usage representative (contact information provided below. For further information, please see "Image licensing").

(1). Images NOT labeled as "Public Domain" or "CC0" on the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art collection search
*This includes images that are within the term of copyright protection and for which permission to transmit to the public has been obtained from the copyright owner, as well as images within the extent considered to be necessary (32,400 pixels or less) in the Article 47 of the Copyright Act.

(2). Images not publicly available via the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art collection search

3．Request regarding deliverables

　We ask that you provide the museum with a copy of any deliverables (e.g. printed materials) created using images from our collection so that we can keep them for reference. Please send them to our image usage representative (contact information provided below).

Image usage representative, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
1-13-2 Higashisakura, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi
461-8525
apma-webmaster@aac.pref.aichi.jp

PageTop

Native place	Morioka, Iwate, JPN
Birth	1951
Died	2024
Biography	Born in Morioka, Iwate prefecture. Son of the sculptor Funakoshi Yasutake. After graduating from Tokyo Zokei University in 1975, completed the sculpture department's graduate program at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1977. From 1986 to 1987 spent one year in London on a Japanese Ministry of Education study abroad research fellowship. In 1988 entered works in the Venice Biennale. In 1995 received the 26th Nakahara Teijiro Prize and in 1996 was awarded the Hirakushi Denchu Prize. Funakoshi made his debut in the 1980s when his new directions in representational sculpture was accorded high acclaim both in Japan and overseas. Funakoshi's sculptures use the traditional Japanese sculpture material of camphor wood, and are portraits of contemporary people made of polychromed camphor wood. The unique combination of the old and the new, combined with his recent addition of small subsidiary motifs, such as mountains and houses, creates a magical, narrative feel that pervades the works.

The Moon Sleeps on the Shoulder

FUNAKOSHI Katsura