A special exhibition for painter, calligrapher and potter, Kenichi Takanaka, will be held at three A&S locations in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Fukuoka.

Takanaka’s even is now an annual occasion special to Arts & Science. Kenichi Takanaka lives a semi-self-sufficient life with his beloved animals including as dogs, cats, pigs, and goats in the mountains. Based on his classical technique, his motifs drawn are free and expresses various themes such as scenes from every day life to his charismatic imaginary world of monsters on his ceramics and painting. This time, we also offer a special series of pouches and bags made in collaboration with Arts & Science. A special technique called inlay* is used for the illustration printing. We look forward your visit and sharing the pieces with you in person.

*Inlay: A technique in which grooves are dug in the material and a plate-like insert is placed to create a pattern.


“Last year, I heard from word of mouth that Mr. Shigeyuki Miyahara, owner of Rihaku, had passed away. Rihaku is a coffee shop in Jimbocho that was founded in 1952, and its appearance leaved a presence that was hard to forget. A few years ago, editor Kikuko Miyake passed away as well. A few days after her death, her body was found in a low-rent apartment for those on life insurance. In my thoughts, Miyake’s passing away was not a surprise and very much showed her character. What these two incidents have in common is that both of my beloved friends were known to have a keen eye for everything, but at the same time socially awkward and somewhat selfish. The personal impression my children, wife and I felt about them was their gentle and loveable personalities.
"The number of older mentors and people who took care of me is getting smaller and smaller." I feel a kind of majestic flow in this. Now, in our family we have entered a rush of new births of our animals, and many little lives such as chickens and river fish are born. My wife is smiling every day while taking care of them. The other day, her young friend, violinist Atsuko Sahara, announced that she was pregnant. My wife and I were so gleeful to hear this positive news. I took an opportunity to speak to my wife about life and death. She said these words to me, “Because the birth of life is ever so moving, when it comes time for us to die, we should die in the same, proper way.”　
― Kenichi Takanaka

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• ※ Please note items may not be available due to limited quantities.