What happens when the inimitable world of Pokémon meets Kogei, the quintessential crafts so representative of Japan? That’s what visitors to a host of venues have been discovering – and marveling at – since March 2023.
March 2023 marked the launch of an amazing art exhibition of a totally unexpected kind: “POKÉMON x KOGEI: Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Craft.” From its initial opening at the National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa City, the show began its travels not just around Japan but overseas as well.
How did this seemingly incongruous collaboration between the world of Pokémon and Japan’s ultrafine crafts come about? According to the staff at Pokémon who was in charge of developing the “Pokémon x Art Project” team: “Kogei artists are masters of craft techniques that employ many natural materials – clay, wood, metals and the like. We asked ourselves, what would happen if those artists applied their unparalleled skills in the real world to the virtual realm of Pokémon?”
After Rain, Fukuda Toru, 2022 Private collection ©Fukuda Toru (Photo: Saiki Taku)
To find out, we approached staff at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo’s Crafts Gallery – now rebranded as the National Crafts Museum.* Masahiro Karasawa** says that their reaction to Pokémon’s proposal was quick and positive, thinking that a collaboration with Pokémon might open the way for people across a wide generational spectrum to become familiar with the wondrous world of Kogei.
* The Crafts Gallery of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) was originally founded in Kitanomaru Park, Tokyo, in 1977. In 2020 it was relocated to Kanazawa City (Ishikawa Pref.) as a measure to vitalize Japan’s local regions, at which time its name was changed to the National Crafts Museum.
** Current Director of the National Crafts Museum
“Up to then,” he said, “interest in Japanese crafted works as museum pieces has been shown mostly by older people. The world of Pokémon, by contrast, has broad appeal, but mainly among the younger generations. Maybe, we hoped, a project linking the two would generate new interest in Kogei by young people.” And so the “Pokémon x Art Project” team set to its task.
Both sides agreed that, above all, an exhibition of Pokémon-themed Kogei had to feature items that would fully and authentically reflect the world of Pokémon. No superficial encounters would be allowed. This meant that all participating artists had to acquire a thorough understanding of the concepts behind Pokémon, to enable them to produce items in motifs, materials and techniques most appropriate to the project’s aims. Again, the overarching desire was to have them create works that would enthrall visitors of diverse generations and awaken their interest in the infinite possibilities enabled by Japan’s supreme craft techniques.
The selection of artists to be featured was decided through discussions between The Pokémon Company and the National Crafts Museum. Ultimately, 20 participants were chosen, ranging from Living National Treasures to up-and-coming artists. Not a few of them had had absolutely no contact with Pokémon up until then. Once they agreed to take part, they began to deepen their understanding by playing Pokémon video games, watching Pokémon anime, glancing through Pokédex, and so on.
Though the exhibition subtitle is “Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Craft,” the project’s fundamental concept called for a give-it-your-all “battle” between the selected artists and their unusual subjects. Like the battles and moves central to playing Pokémon games, here full-fledged “clashes” would unfold between the Kogei artists and their materials. To begin, the artists had to determine what techniques and designs would best express their personal interpretations or impressions of their chosen Pokémon. It was only after going through this lengthy thought process that they set to actual production. From the deep thought, their real “battle” got underway in earnest.
Venusaur, Imai Sadamasa, 2022 Private collection ©Imai Sadamasa (Photo: Saiki Taku)
As the project leader recalls, because Pokémon live in the virtual realm, deciding how to depict them in the real artistic realm required intense observation and a fertile imagination on the part of the artists. This was an all-new experience for most of them, and in the process of creating Pokémon embodying their interpretations, amazing creations were devised, many well exceeding the expectations of staff at Pokémon itself. It was an exciting and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
The artists had complete freedom in their choice of which Pokémon to work with. In retrospect, Yoko Imai, Chief Curator at the National Crafts Museum, who was in charge of curating this exhibition, marveled at the thought and care each artist poured into selecting materials and techniques that would highlight their specific craft to maximum effect in developing their chosen Pokémon art piece.
“We anticipated that the artists, both those with many years of experience in their field as well as younger artists, would opt for motifs that would best show off their specific craft – and our expectations were absolutely fulfilled. The result was an exhibition of highly diverse Pokémon in highly diverse styles. Even when multiple artists employed identical motifs, their individual modes of expression were distinctly dissimilar, a situation that set up some very interesting contrasts.”
Ultimately, “POKÉMON x KOGEI: Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Craft” has generated a shimmering variety of artworks. Some emphasize a Pokémon’s appearance or characteristic presence; others keep closely to the protagonist's adventure or setting of Pokémon game; still others adopt the specific moves of their chosen Pokémon as their motif.
As hoped for, the exhibition has attracted a remarkably wide spectrum of visitors of all generations – fans of Pokémon, fans of Kogei, and visitors especially curious to see what possibilities might emerge from an integration of Pokémon and Kogei.
“In not a few cases, we have seen visitors come in three generations: children accompanied by their parents as well as their grandparents,” Director Karasawa said with delight. “Sometimes we noticed adults familiar with Kogei explaining the details of items on display to their grandchild; and in turn oftentimes it was the grandchild doing the explaining of the different Pokémon on display to their parents and grandparents. Watching their interaction really brought a smile to my face, and it’s one of my best memories of the exhibition.”
Kimono, "Island to Island,"Ryukyu Bingata,2022 ©Eiichi Shiroma (Photo by Taku Sasaki)
Curator Imai offered this view of the exhibition’s success: “Admiring the various works from different perspectives in some cases leads to previously unnoted realizations about the specific Pokémon. In that sense, the ways to look at and savor the Kogei works on display are infinite, and I hope visitors will all come away with their own enjoyment of the unique possibilities that can be reaped by combining Japan’s supreme Kogei with the beloved realm of Pokémon.”
Currently “POKÉMON x KOGEI: Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Craft” features roughly 80 works. As the exhibition continues its travels, more and more items will be added.
Top Image：Articulated Gyarados, Mitsuta Haruo, 2022 Private collection ©Mitsuta Haruo (Photo: Saiki Taku)
