Thematic Exhibition Bamboo: The Essence of Japanese Aesthetics

Bamboo grows straight and maintains its green color throughout all the four seasons. It has always been considered a symbol of purity and prosperity. In China, in particular, it has been beloved as one of the symbols of nobility known as the “Three Friends of Winter,” along with the evergreen pine and the plum that blossoms even during the coldest part of the year. While in Japan bamboo has been used in religious services together with the sacred sakaki tree (Cleyera japonica), it also appeared in many literary works such as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori monogatari). Bamboo is very durable yet flexible, and because it comes in different colors and forms depending on the environment, it has also been used to produce various everyday craft items from ancient times until the present. We can easily say that bamboo is one of the most familiar plant materials for the Japanese. This exhibition invites you to explore Japan’s distinctive aesthetic sensibilities that grew out of the use of bamboo through various bamboo-related art and craft works.