Japanese Furniture That Went Overseas
--Exquisite Beauty & Delicate Craftsmanship

In the late 19th century, Japanese furniture crafted for export to Europe received an ardent reception there amid the Japonisme craze then underway. Along with Japanese ceramics, cloisonné, metalwork, and other crafts, the furniture captivated Westerners with its rich and elaborate workmanship and profusion of traditional Japanese motifs and patterns. Today, the furniture's overwhelming decorative density startles us, while the craftsmen's seemingly unlimited expressiveness steals our hearts. Unfortunately, the furniture was produced mainly for exporting, so almost none remains in Japan.
This exhibition displays furniture of five types--Japanese Marquetry, Shibayama Inlay, Inlaid Mother-of-Pearl, Sendai Chests, and Yokohama Sculptural Furniture. The featured works are primarily furniture items that have since found their way home to Japan. By savoring each piece's "exquisite beauty" and "delicate craftsmanship," viewers will come to understand the manner of furniture actually produced, at the time, and the level of skill its craftsmen commanded. The venue space, as a whole, has been conceived as an "ocean" and the fixture for furniture in the center as a "ship"--a layout evoking an image of the pieces crossing the ocean on their return to Japan.
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We wish to extend our warmest appreciation to Teruhiko Kaneko and everyone whose efforts have made this exhibition possible.