Honma Kazuaki　本间 一秋 (1930-2017)

A native of Sado Island, Niigata prefecture, Honma Kazuaki moved to Tokyo in 1952 where he trained under Hayashi Shōgetsusai (1911-1986), a bamboo master who specialized in ‘bent’ bamboo work. In 1965, Honma’s work was selected for the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition where he subsequently showed another nine times. In the same year, his work was admitted to the prestigious Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) where he showed another fifteen times, winning the Grand Prize in 1977 and another award in 1983. In 2001, he became a councillor of the Nitten and from 2011 was a consultant at the Nitten. His work has featured in numerous exhibitions including the 2008 New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters at the Japan Society, New York. Honma’s trademark curving sculptures are made of whole stems of smoked dwarf bamboo (hōbichiku) bent over a gas burner and combined with finely split strips of madake bamboo. He is also known for his ‘plaited’ wall panels, exhibited at the Nitten in 1983 (‘Special Recognition Award’) and 1985. Honma was presented with the Minister of Education Award in 1994 and the Prime Minister’s Award in 2002, both at the Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition. His works are in the collections of institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Sado Museum, Sado, Niigata; Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Nagaoka, Niigata; and the Niigata City Museum, Niigata City.

Biography

1930 Born in Hatano-machi, Sado Island, Niigata
Entered the family bamboo craft business after graduating from high school
1952 Moved to Tokyo; studied under Hayashi Shogetsusai
1976 Became Board Member of the Niigata Prefecture Artists Association
1978 Became Councilor of the Modern Art and Crafts Artists Association  (Gendai Kogei Bijutsuka Kyokai)
1982 Became Auditor of the Modern Art and Crafts Artists Association
1986 Became Chairman of Niigata Modern Craft Arts Association and Director of Japan Modern Craft Artists Association
1991 Published Shapes in Bamboo
2001 Became Councilor of Nitten (the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition)
2011 Became Consultant of Nitten 
2017 Passed away

Selected Exhibitions

1965 Hobichiku Tray, Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition
Blue Sea, Nitten
1966 Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition, Germany and Italy
1967 Marutake Ren, Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition, UK and Canada
1978 Koufudoshon, Nitten
1979 First Solo Exhibition at Daiwa, Niigata
1984 Gallery Sae, Niigata
1985 Seiren, Nitten
1985 Shoushou and Marutake Ryuki, Special Exhibition of Bamboo Arts, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
1986 Matsubamon, Nitten
1991 40th Anniversary Solo Exhibition, Niigata
1992 Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition, Frankfurt and Bremen
1995 Yoin Dotai Yugyo Ivsenkakuiv, Arts in Niigata ’95 Exhibition, Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art
1996 Gallery Sae, Niigata
1999 Solo Exhibition Kazuaki Honma Bamboo Crafts, Japan Embassy Cultural Center, Washington DC
Bamboo Masterworks: Japanese Baskets from the Lloyd Costen Collection, Asia Society, New York; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Honolulu Academy of Art, Honolulu; Chicago Field Museum, Chicago
2002 Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum
2003 Kazuaki Honma Bamboo Crafts Exhibition, Niigata City Art Museum
2004 Solo exhibition, TAI Modern, Santa Fe
2005 Weavers of Wonder, Naples Museum, Florida
2008 New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters, Japan Society, New York
2010 Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection, Museum of Art and Design, New York
2013 Honma: 90 Years Memorial Craft-Arts Exhibition by Three Bamboo and Ceramic Artists
2017 Shoushou, Sculpture of Marutake, Ibuki, Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Selected Prizes

1953 Award for Sanyomon, 9th Niigata Art Exhibition
1971 Yomiuri Newspaper Award, 10th Japan Modern Craft Arts Exhibition
1977 Award for Toukasetsei, 9th Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1978 Award for Ryuryu, 17th Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition
1983 Award for Shoushou, Nitten
1986 Modern Art and Crafts Artists Association Chairman’s Award for Koin, 25th Modern Art and Craft Niigata Meeting Memorial Exhibition
1994 Minister of Education Award for Yugyo, 33rd Japan Modern Craft Exhibition
2002 Prime Minister’s Award for ２１－B-Ⅱ, 41st Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition

Public and Institutional Collections

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Niigata Modern Art Museum, Niigata
Niigata City Museum, Niigata
Sado Museum, Sado