©1986 Lawrence I. Charters
Off Duty, September 1986, p. JPN-11a
Japan is different from, say, Milwaukee. When you write home to friends and relatives, one of the biggest problems is trying to explain to them how it is different.
There are no armored samurai dashing around with raised swords, nor any geisha girls out for an afternoon rickshaw ride. But there are also no wide, quiet, tree-lined streets with spacious ranch-style homes either. When you’re looking for gifts, especially for the folks back home, it’s often hard to find something which the has the look and feel of the Japan you’ve come to know.
Fortunately, the College Women’s Association of Japan (CWAJ) has brought together a number of examples of a portable and uniquely Japanese art form: the print. Centuries before rock stars and travel agencies made posters popular, Japanese woodblock artists were producing prints of famous locations and legendary events and people. During the last century, European artists “discovered” the Japanese print and with it revolutionized Western art, yet even today there is something quintessentially Japanese about a Japanese print.
The annual CWAJ print show, held in Tokyo at the American Club this year from October 17 to 19, is something of an artistic accomplishment itself. Now celebrating its 31st year, the show is aimed at giving the work of print artists more exposure while raising funds for Japanese women studying abroad or foreign women studying in Japan. Over the years, the show has managed greatly to surpass these modest goals, and today ranks as one of the most important annual art exhibitions held anywhere in the country.
This year, 230 prints by 188 artists will be on display. The works span the artistic spectrum, ranging from very traditional Japanese subjects and styles to highly abstract pieces. Prices range from a modest ¥4,000 to a less modest ¥430,000. An average price is a reasonable ¥30,000.
![Strider, by Japanese artist Sato Sadao. [Out of all the images submitted with this article, I have no idea why Off Duty picked this one.]](https://i0.wp.com/www.kljcharters.com/offduty/offduty198609-impressions-strider.jpg?resize=515%2C529&ssl=1)
Strider, by Japanese artist Sato Sadao. [Out of all the images submitted with this article, I have no idea why Off Duty picked this one.]
Since the show is open to both Japanese print makers and foreign print makers living in Japan, some of the names, such as Liao Shiou-Ping and Brian Williams, are unmistakably non-Japanese. Liao, born in Taipei, works mainly in silkscreen. His prints are of common Japanese and Chinese subjects, but with richer colors and even cleaner lines than traditional works.
Brian Williams, born in Peru, received his art education through the California State University system, and currently lives in Kyoto. His is hardly a typical life history, yet by concentrating on Japanese rural scenes printed on unusual handmade paper, Williams has developed a reputation as an artist who “is more Japanese than the Japanese.”
Among the Japanese artists represented are Saito Kaoru, a Yokosuka native; Sato Sadao, known for his vivid portraits of animals and insects; Wako Shuji, who concentrates on rich still life studies of Japanese fabrics and crafts; and Norikane Hiroto, noted for his exceptional scenes of everyday Japanese life.
No matter what your tastes, the CWAJ print show will probably have something to serve as a lifetime memento of Japan. Even if you don’t intend to spend a dime (or a 100-yen coin), the show’s catalog, with color pictures of all the works and English-language biographical sketches, may prove irresistible.
Normally a “members only” establishment, the Tokyo American Club will open its doors to print fanciers from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on October 17 and 18 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 19. Located halfway between the Roppongi and Kamiyacho subway stations on the Hibiya line, the club is just behind the Soviet embassy on Gaien Higashi Dori (East Outer Garden Avenue). Plan to arrive early if you intend to buy; the prints are uniformly outstanding.