Exhibition: Light Motifs
An Aomori float and Japanese Kites
British Museum, London
14 November 2001 - 3 March 2002
February 2002
We visited the British Museum on 16 February 2002 to see
this exhibition of an Aomori float and Japanese kites. These huge illuminated
floats are a major part of the summer festivals held each year in the
port city of Aomori which is in the north of the island of Honshu, Japan.
This
float, called a Nebuta, was the centrepiece of the exhibition and was
actually built on site in the exhibition hall by the main artist, Takashi
Kitamura, and assistants, over a period of one month between November
- December 2001.
Takashi Kitamura has been involved in Nebuta construction
for over 40 years.
The
float is a wire structure assembled on a wooden framework and covered
with paper. Hundreds of lightbulbs are used to illuminate the amazing
three-dimensional figure, which is decorated with ink, paints and melted
paraffin wax.
The design for the float came from a Japanese folk legend
and is entitled "Minamoto no Yoshitsune crossing the sea",
depicting a 12th century warrior fleeing Japan on his horse.
The
kite on the left is a one-tenth size replica of a Yokaichi kite, traditionally
flown on the day of the Boy's Festival, 5 May.
These kites can be 150 sq metres in size and weigh up
to 700 kilos!
The other kites on display were traditional paper and bamboo Edo and
Yakko kites, as well as some contemporary (plastic) Japanese kites.
Traditionally at the end of the Nebuta festivals, the floats are destroyed.
They were often thrown into the sea or rivers, although the detailed
heads were sometimes kept. This particular Aomori float will be on show
at the Mayor's Thames Festival later this year.
Links:
Comprehensive Diary of the Making of the Nebuta: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/nebutadiary
Yokaichi City website: www.bcap.co.jp/yokaichi/english/info
(English) or www.bcap.co.jp/yokaichi
(Japanese).
www.nebuta.or.jp
(in Japanese and English).
Update:
We visited the Thames Festival on 15 September 2002 and
saw the Aomori float all lit up and looking fantastic!
