An Artistic Connection

The latest exhibit at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art has been seen by hundreds of people during the last few months, but perhaps none so distinguished as Friday’s royal visitors.

Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Takamado of Japan flew into Orange County at the end of a cultural tour through Washington, D.C. and New York to view “Contemporary Netsuke: Miniature Sculpture From Japan and Beyond,” the largest collection of contemporary pieces ever assembled.

Prince Norihito Takamado, 42, a leading scholar and enthusiastic collector of netsuke, was instrumental in arranging the 500-piece show and wrote the foreword to the exhibit catalog.

“The size is so small, yet it contains such a large world of craftsmanship and ideas and humor,” he said. “I always like humorous, witty pieces.”

Netsuke are intricately carved miniatures that functioned in Japanese ancient times as toggles attaching a purse to a kimono sash. They also served as good-luck charms.

Carved from a variety of materials, including wood, ivory and stone, netsuke depict everything from insects to animals to folk tales.

The art form is gaining popularity throughout the world--in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand--and is reemerging in Japan.

Takamado became interested in netsuke after his Cambridge-educated wife, Hisako, introduced him to the art form. Collections of the tiny figurines had become rare in the country where they originated.

The collection and creation of netsuke have become an international art, he said.

“It’s had a history of 4,000 years, and the tradition is still maintained by Japanese and non-Japanese artists,” the prince said. “It’s a very good goodwill ambassador.”

The royal couple later had lunch with 12 of California’s leading netsuke artists--none of whom is of Japanese ancestry--whose works are featured in the exhibit.

Takamado is the third son of Prince Mikasa, younger brother of the late Emperor Hirohito. He is a cousin to the current Emperor Akihito. Takamado travels often under the auspices of the Japan Foundation promoting international cultural exchange.

The Bowers exhibit, which came in two installments, opened in March and has been extended indefinitely because of its popularity, museum spokesman Brian Langston said.

“I think Americans are fascinated that people still make such exquisitely detailed tiny objects by hand,” Langston said. “I call them stories in the palm of your hand.”

Today, the couple are scheduled to visit the Japanese Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center before returning home.