Exhibition location: Nagoya Kanko Hotel – Japanese Restaurant Kuretake (2nd floor)
Autumn Grasses on Gold Paper / Tawaraya Sōsetsu
The Tawaraya Munesetsu referenced in the title was a painter of the Tawaraya school who was active in the early Edo period. Working within the artistic lineage that gave rise to the Rinpa tradition, he created poetic pictorial spaces by depicting seasonal plants against luminous gold grounds, transcending the literal representation of nature. Paying homage to this rich artistic heritage, Hiroto Rakusho's work is not a simple reproduction but a contemporary reinterpretation, reconstructing its classical aesthetic through a modern sensibility.
Hiroto Rakusho
Born in Nishijin, Kyoto, in 1962. A gold leaf artist and traditional craftsman, Rakusho inherited the traditional techniques of gold leaf artistry from his father, a master hikihaku artisan in Nishijin. With a desire to share the beauty of Japanese gold leaf craftsmanship with the world, he has exhibited his works internationally as a distinctive gold leaf artist. He has also participated in the restoration of important cultural properties, including folding screens and sliding door paintings at historic temples and shrines such as Kenninji Temple.
