Greetings


photograph SAITO Sadamu

The area around Sakuragawa City, located in the mid-western part of Ibaraki prefecture with a view of Mt. Tsukuba to the East, has a flourishing stone industry where high-quality white granite is quarried from the mountains that stretch from Mt. Tsukuba. In 1996, a number of sculptors who had been working in the area got together to hold the "The First Amabiki Village and Sculpture". Changing the venue and the seasons of the exhibition, "Amabiki 2006", the sixth of these events, ended successfully last month. Looking back, this was the 11th year. This time there were 44 exhibitors, making it a large gathering. Despite poor transportation to the area, the number of visitors has grown; having heard about the event, some even came from afar. In October of last year, the venue of the event Yamato Village became Sakuragawa City as a result of a municipal merger and with continued backing of the city and the cooperation of volunteers, "Amabiki Village and Sculpture" is gradually gaining recognition in the world.
The reason that we have been able to continue to hold "Amabiki Village and Sculpture" to the present time is because in addition to the cooperation of the local people, it is managed independently by the artists. Each exhibitor is a member of the executive committee. The monthly meetings of the executive committee are filled with passionate debates that gradually build the exhibition. For over a year prior to the exhibition, everything is decided from scratch, including the selection of the district, the sculpture installation sites, the timing of the event, and the viewing route. After the "Fifth Amabiki Village and Sculpture", we changed the name of the exhibition to "Amabiki 2006". This decision was another result of the discussions about the fundamentals of what the exhibition ought to be. By participating in these discussions, each member feels the responsibility and the recognition that the exhibition is his own. Another reason that has made the continuation of the event possible is that it enjoys the cooperation of landowners in each exhibition district. The cooperation goes beyond lending us the land to put up the pieces and providing us with backgrounds of fields and woods. It is that, as artists, we all have the desire to keep sculptures and art in the daily lives of the people in this farming and quarrying community. The Yamato district has a rich natural environment, based on the "Satoyama" pattern of hillside cultivation. Every one of the winding paths between the rice paddies has been built by hand through the long history centered around agriculture. Our works are inspired by the diverse affairs and phenomena of this slow-living town.
Whether or not sculptures can really become rooted in the landscape and the living environment of Japan, and what role they might have in a local society are among the issues we must address in the future. More than ever, we feel the importance of looking forward and taking one step at a time. Now that "Amabiki Village and Sculpture 2006" has come to a close, the works of art that stood amid the scenery charged with the emotions of the artists now exist only in the catalog. Nevertheless, I believe the winds that curled around the forms of the sculptures will reach the hearts of many.

July 1st, 2006
Amabiki Village and Sculpture, Executive Committee
OTSUKI Takayuki