Greeting from Mayor

Sakuragawa City is located about 70-80 km from Tokyo in the midwestern
part of Ibaraki Prefecture. Surrounded on three sides by
mountains, the area boasts five hundred and fifty thousand flowering
wild cherry trees during spring that there is a saying "Yoshino in
the west, and Sakuragawa in the east" (referring to Yoshino, an area
in Western Japan renowned for cherry blossoms since more than a
thousand years ago). The area is also blessed with a natural environment
rich in greenery. The river Sakuragawa, which gives the city its name,
flows north-south through the city center.
Centered on the city’s former Yamato district, which is particular rich
in nature, the AMABIKI exhibition has been held since 1996, with
2019 marking the 11th exhibition. One of few such outdoor exhibitions
in Japan, AMABIKI owes its continuation of over twenty years to several
factors. Among these is the organization of the executive committee by
all participating artists, and the independent nature of the event. Also
indispensable are the understanding and support of an extremely large
number of people, including not only the landowners who support the
exhibition and readily provide space to exhibit the art works but also the
local residents who warmly greet the artists and many visitors. I would
like to express my deep appreciation to all of these supporters.
This exhibition lasted around two months, from April 1 through June
9. Highly individualistic pieces from thirty-eight artists were displayed
against a background of rice paddies in the districts of Abeta, Haneda,
Aoki, and Takamori.
The scenery of satoyama (border areas between mountain foothills and
arable flat land near villages) in this season rapidly changes in various
beautiful ways. The changes start with the blossoming of the cherry
trees. The mountains then begin to turn a brilliant golden color, and the
rice paddies fill with beautifully shining water. When the rice is planted,
the surrounding scenery completely changes, growing a deeper and
deeper green each day. Finally, the rainy season arrives.
Along with the natural environment of the satoyama, the expressions
of the works of art standing amid this scenery undergo change after
change. While this may be difficult to see for people visiting from far
away, one of the exquisite aspects of the exhibition is the pleasure of
seeing how the works of art change. If you have the opportunity, we
hope you will view the pieces over time as the beautiful satoyama rice
paddy scenery undergoes transitions.
This exhibition draws numerous people each time it is held. I heard
that this time too, there were visitors from not only Sakuragawa City
and Ibaraki Prefecture but also from around Japan and overseas. The
exhibition is often covered by TV, newspapers, and other media, which
is greatly appreciated by Sakuragawa City.
Although the dates of the next exhibition have not been decided, I
hope that it will be held in near the future and will continue to support
it to the best of my ability. In conclusion, I hope for the continued
growth and prosperity of the AMABIKI exhibition and everyone
involved.

The Mayor of Sakuragawa City
OTUKA Hideki