The Retrospective Exhibition of Shoji Hamada. Zweisprachig.

Ecke gestaucht, inenn gut und sauber / Corner bumped, inenn good and clean - Message -- My work found a path to follow in Kyoto, began in England, learned much in Okinawa, and has matured in Mashiko. The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo has been kind enough on this occasion to select a large number of pieces from my sixty years of work and to display them in this retrospective exhibition. These works are representative of various periods, as has previously been mentioned. I feel deeply moved and am grateful to have been given such an opportunity while still alive. -- I have been blessed with senior advisors and friends such as Hazan Itaya, Muneyoshi Yanagi, Kenkichi Tomimoto, Kanjiro Kawai, and Bernard Leach, and have been encouraged and led by their friendship up to this day I would like all of them to see my retrospective exhibit, but unfortunately only Mr. Leach is still here in this world. Once more I cannot help but feel the flow of time. Half a century has passed since the end of the Taisho Era when Muneyoshi Yanagi and others coined a new term, �Mingei�, or, �Folk Craft�. Nevertheless, when I consider the present state of �Mingei', I cannot merely rest at ease. I hope to henceforth continue to tread my own path into the future, so long as I have sufficient strength to do so. -- Sh�Hamada. - From the Content: Covered jar with incised pattern --large bowl -- Square vase with red enamel overglaze -- Oblong pot -- Square bowl -- Tea bowl -- Covered box -- Water dropper -- Teapot and tea cups -- Incense burner -- Dish with yellow ochre trail design on slip -- Pitcher -- Flat vase -- Pot -- Jar -- Bottle -- Water jar with brushed iron -- hexagonal deep bowl -- Three pieces from six dishes -- Covered container -- Inkstone with red enamel overglaze -- Writing brush container -- Lipped bowl -- Three story stack of boxes -- Food container -- Sake bottle -- Large teapot.