Kogei: Traditional Arts and Crafts of Fukushima, Japan
Kogei (工芸) translates to traditional arts and crafts. Arts and crafts include disciplines such as ceramics, textiles, woodworking, lacquerware, papermaking, and other means of artistic expression that involve considerable understanding of traditional methods and techniques. Artisans hone their skills to create objects that are both practical and aesthetically pleasing. Kogei artists and their produced objects are valued for their rich history that reflect intangible cultural heritage spanning hundreds of years, as techniques and processes are passed down from generation to generation. A category of kogei is mingei, (民芸), which translates to “folk crafts,” and is formed from minshu (民衆), meaning common people, and kogei (工芸). Art critic and philosopher Soetsu Yanagi created this term and the mingei movement in the 1920/30s to distinguish the value of everyday items made for ordinary use for the common person.
The Kogei exhibition and programming are supported by the Japan Foundation New York through the U.S.-Japan Community Grassroots Exchange Program. Japan House is proud to highlight the traditional arts and crafts of Fukushima and feature the stories of Fukushima. In April 2025, Japan House will be hosting Seiran Chiba, Akie Hashimoto, and Ayako Hirai as visiting artists-in-residence for a series of workshops and programs for the University of Illinois and local community. In Fall 2025, Japan House will host Seiran Chiba, Shinya Terasawa, Masaji Hashimoto, and Hirohisa Saito as visiting artists-in-residence.
The image above features a calligraphy execution by Seiran Chiba that translates to "Traditional Crafts of Fukushima." The scroll itself is made of Aizu Momen (cotton) and Kamikawasaki Washi (paper) from Fukushima.
Featured above are kokeshi dolls from the Fukushima Kokeshi Craftsmen's Association. Please visit Spurlock Museum's exhibition for detailed information about each artist and their pieces displayed.
Japan House is proud to co-sponsor an exhibition with the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures to feature pieces made by the Fukushima artists and craftspeople. This exhibition will be on display from April through November 2025 on the 2nd Floor in the Asia Gallery, and it is free and open to the public. We express our gratitude to the Fukushima artists and craftspeople who have gifted the pieces to be displayed, to the Fukushima Prefectural Museum for providing descriptions on the history of traditional crafts in Fukushima, and to Japan House Intern Eungi Youn for translating them with edits by Diana Liao, Japan House Education and Engagement Specialist. Japan House and Spurlock Museum acknowledge support from the Illinois Arts Council.
On Saturday, April 19 at Spurlock Museum, there will be an Exhibition Opening, Performance, and Artist Meet & Greet from 1-4pm. At 1pm, there is an opening performance and keynote lecture titled, Stories of Fukushima: The Journey of Seiran Chiba, with musical accompaniment by Ho Etsu Taiko in the Knight Auditorium. Japan House thanks the Center for Advanced Study for supporting Ms. Chiba's opening event through the George A. Miller Visiting Artist Program. Following the performance, there will be a reception and artist meet and greet from 2-4pm in the Charles M. and Barbara. S. Hundley Central Core Gallery. Japan House thanks Spurlock Museum for co-sponsoring this event.
Seiran Chiba has a modern approach to large-scale calligraphy inspired by hope and peace through her performances. In Japan, she taught calligraphy to adults and children living in temporary housing that remained after the 2011 tsunami. Through calligraphy, she teaches the importance of expressing one’s feelings and travels all over Japan with her calligraphy brush to share the beauty and strength of the Fukushima people despite the continued hardships that they still incur. Chiba visited Japan House in 2013 and 2018 for demonstrations and workshops with the local, university, and K-12 communities. She was a featured artist for Japan House’s Matsuri in 2018. In 2023, Japan House received the Education Grant from the Japan Foundation New York to support Chiba for an artist residency to teach calligraphy in Urbana-Champaign and perform at Matsuri. Chiba returned in 2024 to host workshops in Urbana-Champaign and was the featured artist for Gardens for Peace at Japan House. She continues to make visits to the United States to share her story and that of Fukushima through performances and workshops at numerous organizations.
Seiran Chiba is a world-renowned Japanese shodo (calligraphy) artist from Fukushima. Originally born in Tokyo, she is now a Cultural Ambassador for the Fukushima Tourism Exchange. She is active as a traveling calligrapher, embarking on journeys such as the ‘Calligraphy Tour of All 59 Municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture’ and the ‘Japanese Calligraphy Journey.’ Since 2013, she has been conducting large-scale calligraphy demonstrations and workshops at overseas educational institutions. In 2020, she provided calligraphy for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic commemorative monument, and in 2024, she won the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Award at the 2024 National Open Calligraphy Exhibition.
Ayako Hirai is a lacquer craftswoman and kintsugi specialist. She was born in Fukushima, and she completed her degree in Art and Culture of Lacquer Crafting at Tohoku University of Art & Design in 2013. She worked in an antique furniture repair shop after graduation with her deep knowledge of wood. In 2016, she and her husband, Gaku Hirai, started their independent studio in Inawashiro Town. Gaku Hirai also graduated from Tohoku University of Art & Design in 2011, with a degree in Lacquer Crafting. Working together, Gaku uses traditional methods to extract and refine urushi from lacquer trees while Ayako chooses the material and design of their lacquerware. They value the harmony between wood and lacquer, using traditional techniques to create lacquerware that fits into modern life.
Akie Hashimoto studied the manufacturing and processing of washi (traditional Japanese paper) at the Kyoto Dento Kogei College. After working as a washi artisan for 6 years, she went to Australia on a working holiday for two years. After returning to Japan, she began producing Miharu Hariko at her family’s folk craft business, Hashimoto Hiroji Mingei. In 2018, she conceptualized and crafted Tsurushi-bina Hariko, hanging strands of dolls made with hariko, which she now exhibits every spring. In addition to the traditional miharu hariko style, she also creates new pieces incorporating elements such as dots and pastel colors.
Shinya Terasawa is a washi paper craftsman based in the Kamikawasaki Washi (Traditional Japanese Paper) Folklore Museum. The Kamikawasaki area of Nihonmatsu City is a production area of handmade washi paper with a history of about 1,000 years, and this facility was built in 2001 with the aim of passing on and preserving Kamikawasaki washi paper. He operates the workshop within the museum where visitors can observe the washi paper-making process and experience making washi paper. In 2021, he launched a project called Washito, dedicated to the promotion of Kamikawasaki washi.
Masaji Hashimoto is an 18th generation artisan of Hashimoto Hiroji Mingei located in Takashiba Craft Village in Koriyama City, Fukushima. Takashiba Craft Village has 300 years of history of hariko. Many artisans continue to handcraft hariko dolls there, and visitors can observe the production process up close. He is also a successor of the Hyottoko Odori, one of the dances along with Shichifukujin Odori, designated as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Koriyama City.
Hirohisa Saito is a printmaker and aizome (Japanese indigo dyeing) artist with nearly 40 years of experience in the field. He graduated from Nihon University College of Art in 1981 and completed additional studies at Nihon University College of Art's Art Research Institute in 1983. In 1985, he established Saito Graphic Arts. Saito spent two years in Los Angeles from 1989 as an Overseas Research Fellow for the Agency for Cultural Affairs to study screen printing. His works have been featured in solo exhibitions at various galleries and received various awards. As an educator, Saito is a Professor at Koriyama Women’s University and a Part-Time Lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts. He is a Member of the Saitama Prefecture Art Association, Vice President of the Saitama Prefecture Printmakers’ Association, Member of the Shin Kōzō Society, and Auditor of the Fukushima Watercolor Painting Association.
Please stay tuned for public workshops that will be listed on EventBrite. Save the date for Spring Open House on Saturday, April 26!
Japan House is deeply appreciative of the partnerships and support of various organizations and grant funding that made this project possible. We also thank the teachers of Urbana-Champaign for welcoming the artists into their classrooms!