photo: SAIKI Taku

Cathedral

ArtistNAKAMURA Shinkyo
Year2012
Material/ Techniquewood
Size/ DurationH65 × W28 × D20cm
Copyright Notice© NAKAMURA Shinkyo
Year of acquisition/ donation2012(作品購入年月日:2012/10/15)
DescriptionBorn in Fukuoka, Japan in 1957. Lives and works there.

Born the oldest son of 2nd-generation doll maker NAKAMURA Engai, a Fukuoka Prefectural Intangible Cultural Property, Nakamura Shinkyo trained in doll making in Kyoto. In 1980, he returned to Fukuoka to succeed to the family business as a Hakata doll maker, studying at that time under HAYASHI Komao, a Living National Treasure. In 1989, he became a full member of the Japan Kogei Association. Although Nakamura primarily exhibits in traditional craft exhibitions, his style is a contemporary hybrid that crosses the strong points of Japanese sculpture with those of Western. In recent years, he has also undertaken large-scale outdoor sculptures and installations.

These are works of a series entitled “Tensho Embassy.” Each was created to embody the symbolic meaning of the ocean, sun, or moon. The Tensho Embassy was a mission of four youths dispatched to Rome in 1582 by three Japanese Christian feudal lords, OTOMO Sorin, OMURA Sumitada, and ARIMA Harunobu. Their visit served to inform Europe about the existence of Japan. This series of beautiful works expresses that story with a romantic air. While conveying the atmosphere of those times through costumes and hair styling, Nakamura has added imaginative touches in creating each doll’s facial features and posture. The dolls are works of narrative history illustrating a tale of passage across oceans to encounter foreign civilizations.

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