Muan Hisatomi
Bamboo artist
Omuta, Japan
Weightless balance in woven bamboo
- Muan turned to personal artistic expression after decades of creating tea ceremony utensils
- He has been awarded six times at the Japan Kōgei Association annual exhibition
- His master, Maeno Koyo, was considered to be one of the most influential bamboo artists
Muan Hisatomi trained at the Oita Prefectural Bamboo Craft Training Center, graduating in 1976, before studying under the guidance of master Maeno Koyo. "I am drawn to the singular, grounding energy that bamboo embodies," he says. "I found the craft to be a natural calling." Muan's favoured technique is kushime-ami, a traditional weaving method that produces a pattern of parallel lines reminiscent of comb marks. A solid technical grounding, combined with years of crafting bamboo flower baskets for the traditional tea ceremony, has given him a refined sensitivity to his materials, encompassing both bamboo and rattan. Informed by poetic imagery, Muan's inspiration comes less from what is visible than from invisible layers within the craft of bamboo itself.
INTERVIEW
Much of my career has been devoted to making flower baskets for the tea ceremony. However, in 2016, I imagined my work reaching far beyond Japan, taking on new meaning within different cultures. This inspired me to formally pursue my artistic practice.
My work cannot be separated from the time I have accumulated in Oita Prefecture. The quality of the light, the humidity in which bamboo grows and the quiet atmosphere in which tea ceremony culture breathes are invisible layers of the region that slowly settle within the work, and emerge as form. The region is not merely a backdrop, it acts as a secondary physical vessel that supports the entire work.
The defining moment was witnessing my work reach people in ways it never had before. It was recognised in unexpected spaces and fostered unforeseen connections. It felt as though the pieces had left my hands to forge their own paths.
I do not set out to craft a message in advance. There are moments when something that is shaping the work itself speaks to me. I hope to receive that voice with care, and allow it to reach the world through the organic forms the material itself has discovered.
Muan Hisatomi
Bamboo artist
Omuta, Japan
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Omuta, Japan
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
Japanese
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