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  • Exhibit: Shiguchi: The Hidden Art of Japanese Joinery

Exhibit: Shiguchi: The Hidden Art of Japanese Joinery

  • Thursday, September 27, 2018
  • Sunday, November 04, 2018
  • The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91103

    

September 27, 2018-November 4, 2018
Thursday through Sunday, noon to 3:00 pm

The Gamble House
4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91103

Admission - One-hour docent led public tours
Adults: $15
Students (w/valid id) & Seniors (65+): $12.50
Children under 12*: FREE (Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult, the accompanying adult is required to purchase a ticket)

Shiguchi: The Hidden Art of Japanese Joinery reinterprets the connecting elements of historic Japanese timber-frame construction as a compelling expression of contemporary art. Originally crafted by anonymous builders for traditional Japanese farm houses, shiguchi joinery, by its nature, remained hidden from view for hundreds of years while it locked into place the massive structural timbers of humble farm dwellings. A new exhibit organized by The Gamble House brings the work of architect, historian and preservationist Yoshihiro Takishita to Pasadena to showcase the intricate craft of the ancient joiner’s art, known as shiguchi.

Since the 1970s, Yoshihiro Takishita has successfully rescued dozens of Japanese farm houses, or minka, from the threat of development, particularly in mountainous Gifu Prefecture. By carefully disassembling the houses, timber by timber, and reassembling them in new locations, Takishita gave many of these historic houses a second life. Not all of the constituent parts could be re-purposed in the new locations, however, and, not wanting to discard any remnant examples of shiguchi, Mr. Takishita carefully stored the “orphans” of timber construction. He soon realized that these objects could stand on their own, literally and figuratively, as individual works of art. Over time, Mr. Takishita rescued enough of these structural fragments that he came to curate a coherent collection of remarkable aesthetic value.

For the first time in the United States, these antiques of traditional joinery will be exhibited throughout The Gamble House, itself a masterwork of architectural wood craft. This exhibition has been organized by The Gamble House, with co-curators Yoshihiro Takishita, Ted Bosley, James N. Gamble Director of the Gamble House, and Jennifer Trotoux, Curator of the Gamble House.

For additional information, visit The Gamble House's website

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