"English is not my native language" 8 April 2012 I am making an Art Gallery Since being informed that the Yokohama station is on hold for now I find myself with time to work on something else. I decided to make a new Art In A Box! Below are photos ofwhat I have already accomplished on the project. The next work will be an art gallery.. since I have a number of miniature oil paintings I purchased at the Chicago show. Theywill work great for this project. The weather here is very pleasant right now with the cherry blossoms blooming this week. I was able to open my studio windows. 8 April 2012 3 March 2012 I performed on TV The daily TV news broadcast our exhibition in Yurakucho on Feb.15th. The pictures of our exhibition hall and studio were telecast and I performed on live TV answering questions for about 15 minutes. My heart was pounding in my chest as I had never had such a experience before. The news cast was nationwide so a frightening number of visitors from all countries crowded our exhibition hall the next day. 3 March 2012 9 February 2012 Exhibition My students and I are opening our exhibition this weekend. Please come and see it. Titled: "Ichiyoh Haga & Shibuya Craft Club Exhibition" Location: Yurakucho Tokyo Kotsu-Kaikan B1F GOLD SOLON .............Kotsu-Kaikan is the front at Yurakucho St.of Yamanote Line. Contact: Tel 03-3215-7933 ( direct ) Date: February 12th ~ 18th 2012 Open: 11:00AM ~ 20:00PM (Open 1:00PM on Feb 12th and close 19:00PM on Feb 18th) Admission: Free Opening Ceremony starts at 6PM on Feb 12th. Please come you are all INVITED! 9 February 2012 8 January 2012 My family on New Year's Day Every year, my sister's family joins us for the traditional Japanese food prepared for the day. Thepicture below was taken on the occasion this year. Center front is my mother 90 years old and my wife on her right. Center back is myself, then my son's wife and my son to right. My son is working for Nintendo in Kyoto. Right end is my daughter who is running a small Cafe Gallery in Komagome. My sister on my left and her daughter who is a magazine writer who wrote my cover story in GEKKANBIJUTSU a monthly art magazine two years ago. Left end is my sister's husband who is an Advisor to a US media reporting Japanese coal & nuclear related news overseas. As he is a camera mania, every New Year's Day photo is taken with his camera. Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year ! 8 January 2012 18 December 2011 End of the Year Party Our craft club had our end of the year party at the restaurant ISOTAROU in Kimagome on December 11th. There were about 50 people some current students and some that have graduated as well as guests. Since some were late the photo only shows 46 people. See the photograph below. 18 December 2011 26 November 2011 Brick Wall I started producing the old Yokohama Station. Since the wall of the station was brick I went to several museums in Tokyo. There were many models of buildings made of brick however all those models had brick walls uniformly carved with a laser cutter. I don't think that makes the brick very realistic so I decided to do mine by hand. I did a lot of research and for one week concentrated very hard on creating my brick wall. Since I was carving white plaster I myself was bathed in white powder everyday. My clothes, my hair, up my nose, even inhaling it. Finally the (1/42) miniature wall as shown in the following photo. I'm not sure if it is good or not this was my test piece. 26 November 2011 12 November 2011 The drawing of the project I mentioned before that I received a order to make the Station of Phantom (an old Yokohama station). I am going to use the Art In A Box style to make it instead of the Diorama style. Below is a picture of the completed drawing of the project. It's rather large measuring 5 feet 3 inches. Waiting on the contract to begin the work. 12 November 2011 23 September 2011 The Magazine in Britain "The Doll's House Magazine" in Britain will be introducing my work to Britain in a four page article coming out in October 2011, Issue 161. Being my first time in a British magazine I am very happy and grateful to the editor of The Doll's House Magazine ...Christine Berridge The Dolls' House Magazine October 2011 Issue 161 GMC Publications 23 September 2011 3 September 2011 The Station of Phantom I received a order to recreate an old Yokohama Station in miniature. I have not been able to think of much else since getting the request. Below is a photo of the station built in 1915 in a different location then the current Yokohama Station. The old Station was only in use for eight years before being destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. In 1928 the current Yokohama Station was built in today's location. Since very few people today know of the old station it is called the station of the phantom. It seems it will be difficult to make it as depicted in the photograph below and will take me until the autumn of next year. When the Station is complete it will be on display in the underground plaza at Yokohama Station making this a very important project. I am thinking daily of how I will recreate this. 3 September 2011 12 August 2011 Dollhouse Exhibition I participated in the Dollhouse Exhibition held in the Department Store in Yokohama City last week. The event ran for a week having many people attend. However since the accident at the nuclear plant they have been conserving electricity there for not keeping the events hall very cooled so it was quite hot. 12 August 2011 17 July 2011 It is Obon now From July 13th to the 16th is Obon in Japan. They are special days for us as we believe that it is this period of Obon when our ancestors in heaven come back. Many people visit the grave site and invite their ancestors on the first day in Obon. I of course also went to the grave site. The photo below is the Grave of my family in Somei Tokyo. The engraving on the surface of the stone says "Grave of the Haga family" there are several of (our) ancestors buried here. 17 July 2011 22 May 2011 I went to the stricken area I went to the area stricken by the tsunami last week. The place used to be a beautiful town named "Minami Sanriku-Cyo". However now there is nothing there. No one is there now and the ground still smoked in places. Photography: Sakaeri I'm standing in the stricken area in this picture. 22 May 2011 8 May 2011 Japan Hobby Show I started to participate in the Japan Hobby Show, from April 27th~29th in Tokyo Big Sight. There has been a serious increase in visitors. The numbers reached about 100,000 (one hundred thousand) in just three days. The photo below is of my booth there. 8 May 2011 18 April 2011 Chicago International 2011 I participated in the 2011 Chicago International again this year, getting back just the other day. I found the weather cool and cloudy but the customers were more then last year. I want to thank all the customers that visited my table. Below I am pictured with Ms Lucy Maloney of Designer Dog Miniatures. http://miniature-dogs-cats.com 18 April 2011 20 March 2011 I am fine! As reported all over the world we had the strongest earthquake hit Japan. I have received many emails asking "Are you okay?". Fortunately my family and I are fine. I was working in my studio as usual when the earthquake struck. Suddenly the intense shaking started and I ran outside as did many other people we all had to squat down on the road because we were unable to stand with the force of the shaking. It seemed to continue for two or three minutes. All the buildings were still standing in Tokyo. When I returned to my studio after the shaking I found many paint bottles and cans scattered all over the floor that had fallen from the beams above. This was my only damage and no injuries. Tokyo had little damage, however in the provinces north there was severe damage. Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture is one of the worst hit by the tsunami. I have a work in the museum there, Tokiwa-sou so I was very concerned as to what may have happened to it. Yesterday I received a phone call from the attendant saying "The wave of the tsunami reached the rooftop in the museum building. However, water went into it only up to the first floor. So Tokiwa-sou did not have any damage". She assured me they were all fine. The museum is located only about one kilometer from seaside. UNBELIEVABLE!!! First floor in the museum 20 March 2011 9 March 2011 At the Airport Some of my works will be on exhibition in the "Discovery Museum" at the Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) - Terminal 2, starting Feb. 17th possibly running for a while. Access: Exit at the final station "Terminal 2" in Tokyo Monorail toward the security inspection area C and D. The Discovery Museum is up the escalator on the opposite side of security station D. http://www.discovery-museum.com/ 9 March 2011 11 February 2011 Carl Froseth Store 2 years ago I completed the project "horse tackle shop". I was finally able to update the section on my website, titled "Carl Froseth Store". It took a very long time to update this section since it was so difficult for me to choose the photos to use and how I wanted to display them on my website. I tried to make the story as simple as possible to read and follow. Check this link at a later time. http://www.ichiyoh-haga.com/jp/carl/win00.html 11 February 2011 3 January 2011 A Happy New Year! I made a piece of work for the magazine Gekkan Bijutsu last summer. I actually started two works at the same time, only finishing one of them last autumn. That piece was named Atjet Paris/L'entrepot which I introduced in the column previously. The other one I just finished yesterday since I found myself quite busy. The photograph of Eugene Atget is the origin and title of this work 48 rue Descarts. I will immediately carry this to Utsunomiya city for the exhibition (Ichiyoh Haga's work) being held in now. 48 rue Descarts 3 January 2011 4 December 2010 Exhibition I am holding my work exhibition now. Title: Ichiyoh Haga's Work Exhibition Place: Gallery Yujitsu Address: 1-7-10 Yoshino Utsunomiya City Tochigi Prefecture Phone: 028-633-6285 Date: December 1st 2010 ~ January 31st 2011 (Closed every Tuesdays and the first Monday) Open: 11:00am - 6:00pm Admission: 1000 yen My Work Exhibition 4 December 2010 16 November 2010 A newspaper feature about me The article featuring me and my work was published in the "International Herald Tribune". Many people from other countries visited the exhibition this time because of the newspaper article. (Article follows) MINIATURE MAKER Finances in ruin, businessman takes a closer look at life -----By Louis Templado Most artists start out to make something big. Ichiyoh Haga fell into something small. Once the head of a clothing chain with shops in Japan's best department stores, Haga is the hand behind the tiny, minutely detailed houses and shops that will be on show at the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan building in the Yurakucho district from Oct. 31 until Nov. 6. Haga's structures have been featured in magazines, news programs and even in a television commercial. The bandannaed 62-year-old draws a steady stream of students to his studio---some from as far away as Iowa. Yet Haga says he discovered his talent only late in life and at the end of his finances. "Money, money, money. That's all I could think about from morning till night," says Haga, who lost his business 13 years ago at the age of 48. "At my age who would hire me? Finally I got so bored I started making something out of matchboxes and old price tags I still had. I didn�ft know what I was doing, but in one day I built my first house. The next day I built another." A friend saw them and suggested he try selling them. Haga shopped his works around and soon earned 2 million yen ($25,000) for a single piece as well as orders for more. Haga works in two scales. His Japanese buildings depict postwar flophouses, empty industrial yards and unvisited train stations. Even at one-eightieth scale they are heavy with sadness. His one-twelfth scale Parisian storefronts meanwhile seem like photos by Eugene Atget come to life. In fact they are based on his images. All are uninhabited. "They are better without figures," says Haga. "Their lack makes the mind imagine the human trace." Building a tableau, he continues, is much like writing a novel. Sometimes it takes a couple of years of mental exertion to finish one. Haga makes all the parts---from doorknobs and trunk handles to drainpipes-----by hand or draws them on computer to have photo-etched. He annotates every step and often builds the same exact tableau to different states of completion, for students to study. "It�fs not like an artist painting the same scene over and over again," he explains. "It's more like an engineer assembling cars." It could also sound crazy to anyone outside miniatures circles, but Haga says he's found his groove. "I look back on my years in business and think, 'What a waste of time.' I thought I liked it and that I was good at it-----probably everyone thinks that about what they�fre doing. But you never know what you're made for unless you try it first." International Herald Tribune, Friday, October 29, 2010 16 November 2010 30 October 2010 Exhibition My students and I are opening our exhibition this weekend. Please come and see it. Titled: "Ichiyoh Haga & Shibuya Craft Club Exhibition" Location: Yurakucho Tokyo Kotsu-Kaikan B1F GOLD SOLON .............Kotsu-Kaikan is the front at Yurakucho St.of Yamanote Line. Contact: Tel 03-3215-7933 ( direct ) Date: Oct.31st - Nov.6th 2010 Open: 11AM - 2PM (Open 1PM only on Oct.31st) Admission: Free Opening Ceremony starts at 6PM on Oct.31st. Please come you are all INVITED! 30 October 2010 23 October 2010 Welcome Board I made this custom Welcome Board for a couple to display on the reception desk at their wedding. I worked as fast as possible to have it complete by their wedding day. I think in spite of the rush it turned out very nice, and the customer felt the same way. 23 October 2010 11 September 2010 Completed the work I have finished the work from the photo of Atget. I chose the title "Atget Paris / L'entrepôt". this means "warehouse". I am going to take this opportunity to make another one from the Atget photos. Atget Paris / L'entrepôt Photography: Tanka Oh 11 September 2010 7 August 2010 I started the New Work I said earlier that I was going to make a work from the photo of the Atget. I have started it now. The exterior is almost finished as you see in the picture below. However it will take some time before it is finished. It seems as if it is hot all over the world this year and Japan is no exception. Tokyo is crazy hot with temperatures reaching 36C or 97F each day. My studio roof is steel and the air conditioner is not much use so I work early in the morning lately. The weather reports and saying this hot is going to continue. OH UNPLEASANT! I have not given the piece a title yet. 7 August 2010 27 June 2010 Atget Paris The famous Japanese art magazine "Gekkan Bijutsu" is going to publish a large feature article on my work this autumn. I am very happy about this. They have asked me to start a piece so they can follow the production from the beginning to the completion. I have been thinking for several months on what I could make, now I have made a decision. The piece will be "Atget Paris". A great professional photographer named Eugene Atget took several thousand photographs of the Paris city in detail for about 30 years beginning in 1897. I will make the Atget world, the atmosphere of his photographs in my miniature work. The magazine editor agreed with my idea. This has started me studying many books on his photography from morning into the night. It will be these books that give me the essence for the work. His photographs captured Paris of 100 years ago. The question now is how do I make it? This is what I am thinking about now. Atget books 27 June 2010 29 May 2010 "Design Festa" I participated in a art festival on the 15th and 16th of May. The Design Festa which is held at Tokyo Big Sight. The photo below was taken from the backside of my booth. The work on the right is titled "Azumaya" and the work on the left in the white box is titled "Nicorette Pub". Mrs. Raruka is the woman greeting masses of visitors all by herself; she is also one of my students. She is wearing a cool pink one piece dress. The photo was taken by a professional photographer, Kouichi Kamio. He has been a photographer for 40 years that is easy to see in the quality and depth of his photos. The Design Festa hosted about 60 thousand visitors over the 2 days it was held. http://www.designfesta.com/index_en.html 29 May 2010 25 April 2010 I came back I returned from the "Chicago International 2010" miniature show. The flight took 12 hours one way. As you know the United States is very far from Japan. The three days was very enjoyable though. To hear how many people know about my Web site is very wonderful. I told all the people that visited my table to tell their friends about my work. Miniature Collector Magazine has a table at the show so I purchased one, and to my surprise when I opened the magazine I saw a page devoted to my work "The Desk of Shotaro Ishinomori" in the March 2010 issue. This was my first to know I was published in the magazine. Thank you Ms. Barbara Aardema editor of the magazine. Miniature Collector March 2010 25 April 2010 21 March 2010 Chicago International I will be selling at the Chicago International show in April, following are the details. Please stop by my table and say hello. Title: Chicago International 2010 Location: MARRIOTT CHICAGO O'HARE Address: 8535 W. Higgins Rd Chicago, IL 60631 Telephone: 800-228-9290 or 733-693-4444 Date: Friday, April 16, 2010 ~ 5:30pm - 9:30pm Saturday, April 17, 2010 ~ 10:00am - 5:00pm Sunday, April 18, 2010 ~ 11:00am - 4:00pm Organizer: TOM BISHOP PRODUCTION, INC 21 March 2010 30 January 2010 My class in Jiyu-gaoka Last year I held "the class of making wooden structure" in Sengoku, Tokyo. Since all my students finished the curriculum and graduated the class at the end of the year, I closed that class and started a new class of "making wooden structures" for 25 beginner students. The class is being held in the trendy town Jiyu-gaoka, Tokyo. Pictured below is the very first class held on January 16th. I've already started teaching "the class of making art-in-box" at my studio in Komagome as well, so I am sure to be busy with my teaching this year. January 16th 2010 My class in Jiyu-gaoka Seated at the right is me! 30 January 2010 1 January 2010 Wishing you all a Happy New Year! Pictured below is my new bicycle that I just purchased paying $1,600. WOW... it looks cool don't you think? The photo was taken in front of the cycle shop when I bought it. I will be out rushing around on it this year!! Photography: Takurou Shimokawa 1 January 2010 5 December 2009 Almost Finished Although most of the Western Harness store is complete, I have to finish the electric wiring and painting the frame. When beginning this work I had no knowledge of a American Harness store or American buildings. I asked many Americans about the buildings I was about to recreate. A Lawyer in Los Angeles taught me a great deal. On his suggestion I visited a ghost town in California. Visiting the ghost town was very useful for my research. On my return home I stopped off at the stagecoach museum in Sacramento city. The attendant there gave me many photographs pertaining to the harnesses. Little by little I began to understand about harnesses and the real Western buildings of that time. The learning process was very enjoyable for me. The name of the work is Carl Froseth Store. The store was located in Thief River in northern Minneapolis in Minnesota during the early twentieth century. One of Mr. Carl Froseth's descendants commissioned the work. The client will be coming to view the work soon. Carl Froseth Store 5 December 2009 31 October 2009 Design Festa In Tokyo Big Sight on Oct. 24th and 25th I participated in a art event called Design Festa. http://www.designfesta.com/application/index_en.html In the past when I have participated in the event I put my booth in a Dimmed Lighted Area. This time however I had my booth in the Regular Lighting Area. Below the photograph shows the many people that came by to look at my work. The expensive work does not sell much but the book and photograph sell very well. It also will give me many more students and a few business offers as well. I plan on attending the even next year when it is held in May. Photography:RARUKA 31 October 2009 15 October 2009 The Photos from inside my class There is a club named Tokyo Solid Model Club. They make wonderful handmade airplanes. Recently they approached me about my work, following with a visit to my workshop. They published a article and many photos of my class on their website. Enjoy the photos, I am sorry the text is all in Japanese. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/tsmc/net/coffee-UN16-Sanketa2.html The top photos show my class in Sengoku. A student has borrowed me a room in his company to hold my workshop. Sengoku is close to my own studio. It shows me teaching how to make a fire station building and the fire pump. The following evening I participated in the regular meeting of the Tokyo Solid Model Club. The last pictures show the meeting. Currently I only hold class in Sengoku, teaching structures in 1/80th scale. I have scheduled a class for next year to teach Art In A Box in 1/12th scale. The new class will be in my own studio. Photography: Takezou Yamageta 15 October 2009 12 September 2009 "Tokyo Story" It's Tuesday morning and I am sitting down in a cafe here in New York and began absorbing my experiences with the miniature world of Haga san. It is hard to explain my time with him in Tokyo in general. Once upon a time in Tokyo, a man named Ichiyoh Haga, miniature artisan decided to give an opportunity to Jee Hoon Stark to come to his world of miniatures. The story begins like this. About one month ago, I met Mr. Haga and we began our month long workshop. I was interested in him purely out of my curiosity and my interest in the postwar architecture of Japan from the films of Yasujiro Ozu (Japanese film director). Mr. Haga's work attracted me in black and white spectrum. It was very clear to me that he is creating a world that I could appreciate and gain some knowledge of his passion. He is incredibly skilled craftsman. During the workshop, I began to see Ozu's reminiscent narratives in Mr. Haga's works. This so-called 'workshop' was not only a learning session to his world but also to gain a special relationship between us. I would come to Mr. Haga's studio daily and we would work. It was fascinating not only the outcome of the product, but also the process of the outcome. To me, this was very essential part of my learning process from him. It was my pleasure to watch him create and learn his path of his own miniature world. I learned that his path is only a path from many and he wanted to show me just that. He would always encourage me to try and take a path I would like to take during the process of creating. This opportunity and the way of working have affected me very positively. I too am an artist. I have great passion for creating. In my field, I love creating both two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces. I have studied architecture in Iowa and continued to work as a designer and painter. I began observing my experiences in Tokyo with my daily scribbles. In the beginning, we had some difficult times communicating due to our language differences, but as days went by, our words became very clear and comfortable. Throughout, he showed me his world and I absorbed his passion. Along the way, I had wonderful warmth from his wife. I enjoyed her thoughtful daily dose of fruits. I was simply intrigued. One day it's Kiwi with pineapple and the next day it will be peaches with ice cold jasmine tea. Starting off each day thrilled me. I truly appreciated her hospitality. Mr. Haga also introduced me to many of his friends and family. He even introduced me to his old collection of Georges Moustaki, a French musician. It was very pleasant to learn and work under the sound of Georges Moustaki. It was my pleasure to hear him and discover new music for my own collection. It was also great to meet his former and current students. They are a very talented group of people with unique backgrounds. I enjoyed spending time with them very much. The list of my experiences with Haga-san goes on and on and I would like to continue but I will stop here. This is the beginning of my relationship with Mr. Haga and Tokyo. I have finished a minor work in miniature called 'a water tower with abandoned cabin'. It was a success. I was very pleased the way it all came together. There were many obstacles during the process, but I am very happy about the result of the work. A great teacher, a friend, and genuine man helped me get there. Thank you Haga san for showing me the first and most important step. It is uncertain why Mr. Haga took me in and showed me his world of miniature. A chance? Maybe. Or according to him, it's because I am residing in Brooklyn and he likes the film 'Once Upon a Time in America'. Well, all I know is that he gave me a special memory to keep. I know that and I believe that sometimes you just know by your experiences without defining the answer. Now I will go watch 'Once Upon a Time in America'. Ozu Otaku, Jee Hoon Stark 08 September 2009 "A Water Tower with Abandoned Cabin" Scale: 1/80 Production: Jee Hoon Stark Photography: Ichiyoh Haga 12 September 2009 13 August 2009 "Mr. Jee Hoon Stark" On August 5th, an American artist came from Brooklyn New York to learn about miniatures. Jee Hoon Stark is a 33 years old, that was born in Soul, grew up in Iowa and is now living in Brooklyn New York. He is staying in Asakusa Tokyo in a cheap hotel, and rides a cheap broken down bicycle to my studio each day. He will stay until September 4th. Here is his art work and his blog spot. http://jeehoonstark.blogspot.com/ Mr. Jee Hoon Stark 13 August 2009 16 July 2009 "Harness Store" I mentioned before that I had a commission from a American to recreate a old time Western Harness Store. This store is to be finished by the end of the year. I was concerned because I could not picture the shape of the entire piece. I started to sketch the facade of the store, and suddenly the vision came. I am now working frantically. Already complete are the sides, roof and inside of the store. It is a very big project, however I have already finished many harnesses, goods and containers for display inside the store. At this rate it looks like I will be able to have the work complete by the end of the year. Please keep checking back to watch my progress. 16 July 2009 28 May 2009 "At Gallery Yujitsu in Utsunomiya" My exhibition is opening at the Gallery Yujitsu in Utsunomiya city, it will run through June 7th 2009. Utsunomiya city is approximately 100 miles north of Tokyo. The gallery is inside a big stone warehouse. It makes a wonderful setting for a art exhibition. Details are below. Title: Ichiyoh Haga's Work Exhibition URL: http://www.yujitsu.com/en/ Place: Gallery Yujitsu Address: 1-7-10- Yoshino Utsunomiya City Tochigi Prefecture Phone: 028-633-6285 Date: May 10th - June 7th, 2009 Open: 11:00am - 6:00pm (closed Tuesdays) Admission: 800 yen 28 May 2009 4 May 2009 "Miniature Collector" I was very happy to have my work Nicorette Pub featured in the March 2009 issue of Miniature Collector magazine. I have purchased 3 copies, and plan to express my gratitude to Barbara Aardema the publisher. Miniature Collector March 2009 4 May 2009 10 April 2009 "A TV camera came" At the exhibition I held in Tokyo last week, a television company (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) came and interviewed me. I was very nervous to be in front of the TV camera. They plan to produce a short news piece on my craft club. The program will be broadcast on "Good morning Japan". The program will air April 11th at about 7:30 AM. Photography : Junichirou Yamano 10 April 2009 8 March 2009 "A House of Red-Light District has been completed" My work titled "A House of Red-Light District" has finally been completed. "Ichimatsu Doll Gallery" requested this piece. Ichimatsu will add several Oiran (high class prostitutes) dolls to the stage I just completed. A long time ago when Tokyo was called "Edo", there was a house of red-light district called "Kado Ebi Roh" in the Yoshiwara district of Edo. The Kado Ebi Roh house once burned down in 1911 in Meiji era (followed Edo era). It was quickly rebuilt and the business continued until 1958 when the anti prostitution law was enforced. The business recently has diversified in fields such as boxing and jewelry with a gym called "Kado Ebi Gym" and a jewelry business called "Kado Ebi Jewelry" Ichimatsu Gallery will eventually deliver this miniature work to the Kado Ebi group. Creating the appearance of the Kado Ebi atmosphere or style was very difficult work for me. The actual research and planning took longer then the actual creation of the miniature piece. It had to express a elegant quality, the miniature work was the least shabby one among them all. I actually completed the work around February 20th, however until the client says they are satisfied it is not done. Recently Ichimatsu people came to me and said "satisfied". So now I can declare the completion of the work on this website. 8 March 2009 7 February 2009 Guest from a distance When I found myself lost in Sacramento last summer I asked a stranger in a parking lot of a hospital. His name was Noya, he said "follow me behind my car". He led me for a long way, more then 10 Kilometers. I offered him 10 dollars for his trouble. He refused to take my money. I gave him one of my brochures as we parted. We were able to meet again when Noya and his family came to Tokyo to visit my studio in January. I showed him what I am working on now, The Rooms in a Old Licensed Quarters. We went to dinner in a roast meat restaurant. It was a very happy visit. Noya is on the right 7 February 2009 30 December 2008 Kadoebi I began making rooms in a old licensed quarters in 1/6th scale. They are the rooms of the brothel, Kadoebi. in Yoshiwara. Yoshiwara is a place that was over crowded with brothels in the Edo period (about 100-400 years ago). Kadoebi was the most famous brothel in Yoshiwara. The rooms have been reguested by a doll writer (artist) for a wealthy client. I have to complete the work by the end of February. She will place her dolls in the rooms and deliver it to the descendant of the Kadoebi. I am seriously working on this commission now. Kadoebi 30 December 2008 17 November 2008 Design Festa I participated in a event called the Design Festa (Design Festival) that was held in Tokyo Big Sight, on November 8th and 9th. 60 thousand people attended the two day event. The sponsor said it was the biggest art event held in Asia. I was quite pleased because my booth always had a large crowd of people. My booth was visited by people from all over the world. Possibly some English people are reading this for the first time. I want to thank all of you that stopped by to see my work. My very best regards to you all, I hope you visit again. At the Design Festa Photography: Seiichi Ito 17 November 2008 8 November 2008 Philadelphia I attended the Philadelphia miniature show as a customer last week. The show was called Full Steam Ahead. Tom Bishop is not the producer of the show but he was in attendance. He seemed surprised to see me there. I met many of my acquaintances. I was happy to be pleasantly greeted. I arrived at the Philadelphia airport at 11:00 PM on October 30th. My hotel was located in the center of downtown. The next morning at 7:00 AM I was amazed when I looked out my hotel window and saw a huge crowd of people. I came to realize that the Philadelphia Phillie's won the World Series the night before. All the people in the city were over joyed over the win. There was constant shouting. My plan to see the city that day was quickly changed when I saw that maneuvering the city streets was impossible and the restaurants were all packed with fans. I kept busy in the art museum until show time that evening. Philadelphia 7:00 AM October 31st. 8 November 2008 10 October 2008 Mr Ishinomori's desk Mr. Shotarou Ishinomorie passed away in 1998, however he is still knows as one of the greatest comic writers in Japan to this day. His website: http://en.ishimoripro.com/index2.php Recently Mr. Ishinomori's museum commissioned me to make a miniature of his desk in his den that he used to write comic books. I started the work in August and just finished the end of September. It is all in 1/12 scale. The bottom of the work is a wooden disk of 30 centimeters (12") in diameter. The height is about 25 centimeters (10"). The work was immediately exhibited in Manga-kan in Miyagai prefecture. 10 October 2008 31 August 2008 At Gallery Yujitsu My exhibition is opening at the Gallery Yujitsu in Utsunomiya city, it will run through September 17 2008. Utsunomiya city is approximately 100 miles north of Tokyo. The gallery is inside a big stone warehouse. It makes a wonderful setting for a art exhibition. Details are below. Title: Paris, Ichiyoh Haga's Work Exhibition URL: http://www.yujitsu.com/en/ Place: Gallery Yujitsu Address: 1-7-10- Yoshino Utsunomiya City Tochigi Prefecture Phone: 028-633-6285 Date: August 17th - September 17th, 2008 Open: 11:00 am-1800pm (closed Tuesdays ) Admission: 500 yen At Gallery Yujitsu 31 August 2008 27 July 2008 My visit to a Ghost Town Mid July of this year, I made a visit to a Ghost Town in California USA (formally "Bodie State Historic Park"). It was a trip to deepen my understanding of a old American harness shop for my commission to make such a shop from Thief River. I thought at first it might be sufficient for me to make a visit to some Western Village type tourist spot somewhere in the US. A American friend gave me the idea to visit the Ghost Town. I decided to travel all the way from Tokyo to visit this Ghost Town. I transferred planes to a small mini plane and landed in Reno Nevada on July 16th. This is where the so-called Gold Rush started in the USA. I rented a car from the airport and started south on Route 395 along the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I was moving into the state of California, deep into the mountains. Traveling the bumpy road to the east in my field of vision suddenly I saw the Town- partially ruined "Bodie Gold Town" From he top of the hill we could see the view of the town which looked to me to be about 10 times the size of the Tokyo baseball stadiums. I could imagine the population of several thousand in 1870's. There were 50 to 100 various ragged vacant houses and structures total. There was a wooden church at the entrance of town, then a grocery store, a pub, a clothing store on main street. At last a shop that looked to be used as a harness shop. A large graveyard was on the hill with many that must of been born and died in town. Assuming none of the original residence where still here, I felt a little unnerved walking along the deserted streets. Actually I came across a couple dozen tourists scattered here and there in town. In the center of town there was a shabby rather gloomy souvenir shop well worn out. It is open to the public, attended by a bearded old man. It was also a sort of museum casually displaying various articles that people used in that period. Among them were articles that belonged to Annie Clayton, such as a pair of Victorian shoes, hat and a pair of completely dried up gloves. A oval framed photo of Annie looked beautiful smiling at all who came to visit. Behind the photo was a eye-catching funeral coach serving as the showpiece of the place. It looked like a pumpkin coach from the Cinderella story but flat and had many carvings everywhere making it look like a first class piece of artwork. Having a good look at the harness related things I felt satisfied because they were much as I had imagined them. I spent three hours there and took many pictures and stayed longer then I planned. I drove west after leaving Bodie Ghost Town crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains eventually into San Francisco. I will continue the story of this trip at a later time. 27 July 2008 22 July 2008 Microcosmos I completed one project this month. The picture belows shows the piece right before it was done. There is a painting in the center without a name. There was no sign attached at this stage. I had no idea what to name this work. I thought of "Night in Saint Denis" or "At Saint Denis"? I wanted to place something? that was suitable, maybe a lions face or angel. I could not come up with the appropriate thing so I put a small round plate with the name of my company Microcosmos. It became the signboard on this cafe bar. I decided to name this work Microcosmos. I am not sure this is a very good title for a French work but the work is very good. The finished piece is already published in the Art In A Box section on the back page. 22 July 2008 22 July 2008 We went to a gorgeous Restaurant My mother celebrated her 88th birthday. She is a healthy 88 years old. We say that age "BEIJU" and celebrate. My family took our mother out to a gorgeous restaurant called CHINZANSOU. In the picture below my mother is on the left, I am in the center and my younger sister Yoko is next to me. My mother has 2 children, myself and my younger sister Yoko. The lunch for 9 of us was approximately 1,400.00. WOW!! Photography: Shinichirou Niwa 7 July 2008 1 June 2008 Harness Shop I will be trying to make a harness shop from the old America. I plan to complete it by the end of 2009. The picture shows the inside of the store. Since the photograph is old, it is not really giving me the detail I would like. You can see many horse collars hanging on the back wall. There are many containers piled on the floor. On the right wall are things that appear to be metal or maybe wood. Possible other tack that goes along with horse harnesses. I am still trying to figure out exactly what they are. Possible part of the harness that connects the horse to the wagons or stagecoach. If any of you are familiar with anything you observe in the picture please feel free to email me and let me know your opinions. Thank you! 1 June 2008 30 April 2008 Au Bougnat Blanc Recently I produced a Art In A Box work "Au Bougnat Blanc" (a white coal merchant). It is a actual cafe bar in Paris from World War 2. I copied the bar as shown in the photograph below. I used the photograph to copy it as is shown in the photo. There is a large sign with the name Au Bougnat Blanc. I completed the work a few months ago. It took me a long time to show this here because I did not understand the meaning on the sign. I needed to examine it closely. I inquired to some friends that are familiar with French for the meaning of Au Bougnat Blanc however they were unable to help me. Suddenly I remembered the name of a miniaturist, Ms Anny Dubois who lives in Belgium. I emailed her with my question. She herself did not know either but she asked a French friend. Au Bougnat Blanc means coal merchant and Blanc means white. So white coal merchant did not make much sense, especially for a restaurant. BUT a Bougnat Blanc is a typical drink in a part of France named Auvergne (white wine plus blackcurrant liquor). Now I understand!! Au Bougnat Blac is the name of a alcohol. That is why they have it mentioned on the sign board. My work "Au Bougnat Blanc" is pictured in the section of Art In A Box on the back page. I participated in the miniature show in Chicago held the beginning of April. I plan to attend again in 2010. 30 April 2008 31 March 2008 Nicorette Pub The year before last I made a background to be used for the quit smoking chewing gum, Nicorette TV CM. The pub is the traditional style Japanese bar restaurant. As a child there were many restaurants like this, but these days there are few. Most being replaced by modern restaurants. Recently I made the new section. There are a lot of pictures here so please click the button on the lower right of the front page of my "Works" to have a look. I will be participating in the Tom Bishop International show the first weekend of April. My English is not that good but please stop by and say hello to me, I look forward to seeing you there. Nicorette Pub 31 March 2008 10 February 2008 Miniature Collector Miniature Collector magazine has two of my works in their January 2008 issue. I am very pleased to be represented in their magazine. I will have these two works Le Pingouin Bar and Boulangerie at the Chicago International show the first weekend in April. 10 February 2008 2 January 2008 A Happy New Year I had a lot of exhibitions last year. The year has ended with my running around different sites so I was not able to finish up some of my work. My New Year target is to get them finished. In the picture below, I am standing at the gate of a old temple. The big white characters read Hon-nouji which a very famous temple in Kyoto. The greatest lord, Nobunaga Oda died in this temple in the old times. Nobunaga is a general that is loved most by all Japanese to this day. 2 January 2008 Past Articles