Press Releases

"From Damsels to Demons: The Hidden Art of Netsuke Carving" is Summer Exhibition for Portland Japanese Garden 2010 Art in the Garden Series

May 31st, 2010

Portland, Oregon – From damsels to demons, the exquisite miniature carvings known as netsuke were the essence of understated chic during the Edo period (1615–1868) in Japan. Collected internationally for over a century, these exquisitely carved works of art were used as toggles to attach lacquered medicine boxes and tobacco pouches to the obi sashes of fashionably dressed samurai and townsmen, whose traditional kimono garments had no pockets.

Carved with consummate artistry into a wide variety of imaginative shapes by master craftsmen, netsuke have much to tell us about the customs and folklore of traditional Japan. Worn partially concealed beneath the outer cloaks of the wearer, they served as good luck charms, as humorous personal mascots, or as treasured miniature works of art.

From June 19–July 5, the Portland Japanese Garden will host an exhibition entitled Damsels and Demons: The Hidden Art of Netsuke Carving which celebrates the Marian P. Miller Collection of more than 100 netsuke gifted to the Garden in 1998. The exhibition introduces this little-known art form and explores the often humorous and always fascinating characters from Japanese folklore and legend depicted in these intricate carvings. Top modern-day netsuke carvers, including British-born artist Nick Lamb, will be a part of the exhibition, and a set of 12 photo panels of selected netsuke from the Miller Collection revealed in close-up detail by photographer Jonathan Ley will be on view as well. www.japanesegarden.com/events/netsuke

Internationally known netsuke carver Nick Lamb will demonstrate his craft and be on hand to talk with visitors in the Pavilion on June 19 and 20 from 1-3pm. Nick trained as a graphic designer at the Berkshire College of Art in his native England. In 1973 he started woodcarving as a hobby—by the early 1980s he had won several woodcarving prizes. The demonstrations are free with paid Garden admission.

On Sunday, June 20, from 7:30-9:30pm a lecture by Hollis Goodall, Curator of Japanese Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will be offered, followed immediately by a reception. Ms. Goodall is an internationally respected expert on netsuke and the co-author of The Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection of Netsuke: A Legacy at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a complete catalogue of one of the world’s finest collections of netsuke. Tickets are available at www.japanesegarden.com/events/netsuke or by calling (503) 542-0280.

The Portland Japanese Garden has been proclaimed one of the most beautiful Japanese gardens in the world. The Garden is located above Washington Park at 611 SW Kingston Drive in SW Portland, Oregon and is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Portland Japanese Garden Holds Annual Tanabata Festival

May 11th, 2010

Portland, OR – On July 11 the Portland Japanese Garden celebrates its annual Tanabata Festival from 1-3pm. Bring the whole family to join in the traditional Tanabata custom of making origami paper ornaments, writing wishes (in Japanese!) on colorful strips of paper called tanzaku and hanging them on fresh-cut bamboo branches in the hope that your dreams will come true. With the help of volunteer student teachers from Japan, children and parents write their wishes, make paper ornaments and decorate bamboo branches to take home for good luck—all to the gentle music of Tokyo-born guitarist Toshi Onizuka.

Also known as the Star Festival, Tanabata has its roots in a Chinese legend about the love between a young princess, Orihime, who was a weaver, and a handsome young cowherd named Kengyū (represented by the stars Vega and Altair). As a result of their great love for each other, the weaver neglected her work weaving cloth for the gods and the herdsman neglected his cattle. In punishment, Orihime’s father, the emperor of the heavens, moved the star-lovers to opposite sides of the Milky Way and stated that they would only be allowed to meet once a year: on the seventh day of the seventh month. On this night a flock of heavenly magpies use their wings to form a bridge that the weaver can cross to join her lover. The magpies will only make the bridge if July 7 is a clear night; if it rains, the lovers must wait another year. Some say the bending Tanabata bamboo poles made to hang outside your door on this special night symbolize the bridge that the lovers will cross for their brief reunion.

One of the five Go-Sekku seasonal festivals of Japan, Tanabata is traditionally celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month. The Portland Japanese Garden celebrates Tanabata each year on the Sunday closest to this date—this year it will be on July 11 from 1-3pm. The event is free with paid Garden admission. For more information call (503) 542-0280 or visit www.japanesegarden.com/events/star-festival

The Portland Japanese Garden has been proclaimed one of the most beautiful Japanese gardens in the world. The Garden is located above Washington Park at 611 SW Kingston Drive in SW Portland, Oregon and is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Translating Nature into Art at the Portland Japanese Garden

May 4th, 2010

Portland, OR – With art that emulates the beauty of the Portland Japanese Garden, Artist Alliance Northwest will hold their art show and sale May 21-31 in the Garden’s Pavilion. This unique art show, titled Translations, features the work of twelve NW artists striving to capture the beauty of the Garden through a variety of art mediums.

Artists of the AANW work in monoprints, collage, pastels, acrylic, and watercolor. As a group, they come together to support their common interest in art—giving each other encouragement as well as critiques—and to share their life experiences in the world of creativity. Their artwork for this show focuses on creating new ideas and interpretations of the Portland Japanese Garden throughout the seasons.

“This show is always filled with wonderful art that interpret the Garden in many wonderful and often surprising ways,” said Paula Wheeler, the Garden’s Retail Manager and Buyer. “This show generates a great deal of excitement with our visitors who like taking home a work of art that holds special meaning for them and their time in the Garden.”

Many of the artists will be on hand for a show preview event Friday, May 21 from 5-7pm. The preview is free with Garden Admission and no reservations are required. For more information on the show and the preview evening, please visit www.japanesegarden.com/events/aanw

The Portland Japanese Garden has been proclaimed one of the most beautiful Japanese gardens in the world. The Garden is located above Washington Park at 611 SW Kingston Drive in SW Portland, Oregon and is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Portland Japanese Garden Hosts O-Shogatsu (New Year's) Celebration—January 10, 2010

December 8th, 2009

Portland, Ore. – This year the Portland Japanese Garden will celebrate O-Shogatsu (New Year’s) with a special Family Day on Sunday, January 10 from Noon-3pm. The event will be held in the Garden’s Pavilion and will include tea and light refreshments, traditional New Year’s activities for kids, and calligraphy writing.

Families and friends are welcome to participate in a hands-on experience with Kakizome, the traditional custom of writing of the first calligraphy characters of the New Year. Children in Japan are encouraged to write a few characters with brush and ink in the very best style they can for good luck with their studies over the coming year. Beautiful calligraphy is as highly appreciated than painting in Japan. Guided by Master Calligrapher Sekko Daigo and Japanese teachers from Richmond Elementary School, participants need no experience writing in Japanese to enjoy this traditional New Year’s practice.

According to the Eastern zodiac, 2010 is the “Year of the Tiger,” according to the Chinese zodiac (also observed in Japan). Tiger people, born in 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, are said to be sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy.

Try your hand at Sumi-e ink painting led by artist Chiho Murphy and make a Nengajo New Year’s greeting card with an image of the Tiger to take home. “In Japan, O-Shogatsu sets the tone for the year to come and has always been a joyous annual celebration of hope and prayer for good health and happiness in the coming year,” notes Diane Durston, the Garden’s Curator of Culture, Art, & Education. The Garden’s New Year’s celebration runs from Noon-3pm on Sunday, January 11 and is free with Garden admission. To learn more about O-Shogatsu, visit www.japanesegarden.com/events .

The Portland Japanese Garden has been proclaimed by his Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, former Ambassador of Japan, to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan.” The Garden is above Washington Park at 611 SW Kingston Drive in SW Portland, Oregon. The Garden is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Hours are 10am-4pm October 1–March 31, and 10am-7pm April 1–September 30.