The Kyoto Shimbun / April 20, 21

The Kyoto Shimbun, April 20

 

Beautiful Mosaics of Twelve Zodiac Animals Rescued Before Destruction
 

    The mosaics on the floor of the former Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Nakagyo-ku were rescued by the hands of admirers just before the building was to be demolished. The mosaics are now on exhibition at the Kyoto Garden of Fine Arts, an open-air museum designed by Tadao Ando that displays large-scale ceramic works.
    The black mosaics, created by the painter Yabashi Rokurō (1905-1988), depict the twelve animals of the Asian zodiac calendar, arranged in a circle. Yabashi was known for his mosaic works created for hotels and public facilities all over Japan.
    After the Chamber of Commerce was relocated, mosaic artist Mayumi Tonomura, age 55, and supporters worked from mid to late March to remove the mosaics from the floor. When the building was constructed, Yabashi himself took the mosaics to the building site and embedded the animal figures in the floor. Tonomura said, “Fortunately, we were able to remove the mosaics cleanly.”
    On display until Sept. 15 at the Kyoto Garden of Fine Arts are six of the animal figures, including the boar, ox and tiger, along with the 1.5-meter disc around which the animals circled. Tonomura said, “Although the building is gone, I am happy that we have been able to preserve some memories of the site. I hope people will come to know the magic of mosaics and the beauty of this Japanese motif.”
    In order to help cover the costs of removing and transporting the mosaics, an account has been set up at the Japanese crowdfunding platform “Ready for.” The account name is 旧京商ビル. Funds will be collected until June 5.

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The Kyoto Shimbun, April 20

 

Creating a new culture that is integrated into the city

Mayumi Tonomura, Kita Ward, Kyoto. 

 

     “Mosaic” is a classical western art technique in which fragments of marble, tile, and glass are combined to create a design. Out of a desire for this to be enjoyed as “public art” that melts into the city, Tonomura engages in mosaic-making activities that involve both adults and child ren and works to bring the beauty of mosaics to Kyoto. 
    Tonomura is a native of Kyoto City. After studying three-dimensional formative art at university she went to Italy to learn traditional techniques. While studying abroad she fell in love with mosaics that have a close connection to architecture and have been beloved in public places for hundreds of years. After honing her craft in the home of this artform, she returned to Japan and began her career as an artist in earnest. 
    Getting tools and materials such as marble in Japan proved difficult, but gradually she worked up to projects such as decorating buildings. Wanting to promote mosaics in Kyoto, in 2011 she established a workshop called “marmosaico.” Based in Kita Ward, she now focuses her energies on classes for beginners and “city building” through art. 
 In connection with an effort to revitalize the Shinmachi shopping district (Kita Ward), in 2016 she worked with local elementary school students to decorate the whole area with mosaics. In 2017 she created a colorful “Mosaic Hut” adorned with sea creatures together with students from the Kyoto Prefectural School for the Visually Impaired (Kita Ward).   
    Because mosaics employ natural materials such as stones, they require the difficult work of breaking up these materials by hand. Their broad appeal lies in the fact that putting the fragments in place to create a design is something even children and beginners can easily enjoy.     
    “Mosaics are works of art formed by combining fragments. They are easy to create in collaboration with others, and wonderful things can be made by bringing together the efforts of many people,” says Tonomura with a smile. 
    Unlike pictures mosaics are highly durable, and their chief virtue is that citizens can casually enjoy them outdoors and in public places. Tonomura is in the midst of planning an initiative to decorate Kitayama Street with mosaics. “Rather than just directly imitating western mosaics, I want to create a new mosaic culture in Kyoto that incorporates local materials,” she says emphatically.

  

Photo captions
Top: “The appeal of mosaic art is that it even children and beginners can jump right in and enjoy it,” says Tonomura. The works behind her were made by students at her workshop (marmosaico, Kita Ward). 

Bottom: “Mosaic Hut,” a work created together with students at the Kyoto Prefectural School for the Visually Impaired that is currently being exhibited.