The Te-WaZa exhibit at the Nippon Club features thirty metalworking artists from Kyoto

When most people think of Kyoto, Japan, they think of the many temples and shrines for which the city is famous. What one may not know is that Kyoto is also Japan's center of metalworking. This is evident at the Nippon Club, which, in association with the Kyoto Metal Crafts Association, brings the work of thirty metalworking artists from Kyoto to New York in an exhibit called the Te-WaZa: Kyoto Metal Arts and Crafts.

Yorimasa Aiba, President-Director of Aiba Kinzoku Corp, helped assemble the group of artists participating at the Nippon Club's gallery exhibition. This is his first foray into bringing Kyoto metalworkers to New York. He wanted to give gallery visitors the opportunity to see art from several areas of metalwork: religious, secular, decorative, and practical. Many of the works on display are items used in Buddhist ceremonies, but there are also vases, jewelry, and even hairpins. Visitors will notice immediately the beauty of the craftsmanship. Upon closer inspection, the intricate design and obvious difficulty in making such pieces become evident. Black-and-white photos of artists in their cramped and cluttered workspaces and a video showing artists working metal with small tools offer further proof that this beauty is created from sweat and hard, tedious work.

Artist Junpei Yamanaka, who is also president of Seikado, a Kyoto metal arts and crafts studio, was on hand to describe the process of his work with pewter. Yamanaka's work represents some of the more useful items in the exhibition: plates, hashi (chopsticks) holders, and sake pitchers and cups. Wax molds are used for creating the designs on the plates and bowls, but the different patterns on the sake cups are produced by hammering onto the pewter by hand.

Yamanaka also brought a display of tobacco pipes, which are for decoration only. Although the pipes are no longer used, Yamanaka says making the pipes is an important way for the craftsmen in his company to stay in touch with the centuries-old technique. Blending this traditional skill with the contemporary designs that Seikado produces can create a challenge, which is why Seikado is dedicated to training young artists to carry on the tradition of metalworking. Fortunately, young people in the Kyoto area are interested in keeping this tradition alive, Yamanaka says.

It's fortunate for New Yorkers as well because the works of Kyoto artists are a special to appreciate. But you must hurry; the exhibit ends at 3pm Wednesday, November 25. The Nippon Club is located at 145 W. 57th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. For more information, contact the Nippon Club at 212.581.2223.