Address from Consul General Takaoka: Japanese Exhibition at House for an Art Lover

2019/11/20
Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for the kind introduction. And I thank Professor Harley for giving me this wonderful opportunity to address such distinguished guests in Glasgow here today in this beautiful and historically unique House for an Art Lover.
Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to those involved in the kimono study session which was held here earlier. I am sure the speakers, Mr James Winnett, Dr Saeko Yazaki, Professor Clare Johnston and Dr Oliver Salazar-Ferrer, ensured it was an interesting and informative look at kimono.

Dr Yazaki and Dr Salazar-Ferrer of the University of Glasgow have been keenly involved in a series of Japan related cultural events unfolding in this part of Scotland as a part of the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-2020.
I am sure this is an appropriate moment to utter the word starting with R, after the 61 to nil win for the Scottish team today because I would like you to know that the Rugby World Cup this year and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic & Paralympics Games to be hosted in Japan were regarded as good opportunities to promote bilateral exchange between Japan and the UK under the banner of the Season of Culture 2019-2020.
I would like to commend the two exhibitions here today as wonderful examples of successful showcases of Japanese culture and its Scottish connection.

As its title 'The Kimono: a portrait of a Japanese family' suggests, Kimono represents happy family history and Japanese social tradition, worn at key life events such as coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings. One can appreciate this encapsulation of Japanese culture through the beautiful pattern on the surface of smooth silk thanks to Ms Yoshino Saito Brown, who generously shared her kimono collection.

My thanks are also extended to Ms Nancy Smillie who proposed the idea for the exhibition, Professor Harley who curated it, and Ms Oona Brown who produced the design work. They make an extremely talented team who have successfully created a wonderful and unforgettable exhibition.

“Part Seen, Part Imagined” is also intriguing because one can discover how Scottish-based artists and designers have taken inspiration from Japan and Japanese design principles to widen and deepen their creative world, ranging from ceramics to floristry. I would like to thank all the artists; Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Florence Dwyer, Terri Hawkins, Jenny Smith, and Simon Worthington, Daniel Main and Heather MacDonald from the Glasgow Tool Library, for their wonderful contributions.

In concluding, I would like to congratulate everybody, including the Board of Directors and staff of A House for an Art Lover, whose hard work and support helped realise today's events and exhibitions, and to thank them for playing a key role in the successful promotion of exchanges and friendship between Japan and Scotland.

Thank you very much for your attention.