"English is not my native language" 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