HIGASHI Kiyokazu (born 1950, Kyōto)

Shichiku ikada-gumi moriki “Nami”
“Wave”, a raft-shaped basket in shichiku bamboo

Ikada-gumi, “raft” assembly, rattan bindings; urushi finish

A discreet yet important figure in contemporary Japanese bamboo art, Higashi Kiyokazu works in continuity with the Kyoto school.

For his first participation in the Mingei Bamboo Prize, he presents Nami (“Wave”), a basket in shichiku, or kurodake, bamboo, conceived according to an assembly logic known as ikada-gumi, or “raft” construction.

Fine bamboo rods are arranged in parallel, then joined by rattan bindings. Long and almost flat, the form rises into a wave before concentrating its movement in a large terminal spiral. The urushi finish unifies the whole and reveals the depth of the black bamboo.