Kickoff Event for 'Forest Art Festival in Ladakh 2026', 'Banquet of Budding Once Again!', Held at Kai House

Global cutlery manufacturer KAI Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and COO: Hiroaki Endo) sponsored the 'Forest Art Festival in Ladakh 2026', an art project fusing tree planting and art organized by the NPO Wall Art Project (Representative: Akiko Okuni). A kickoff event for this project was held at KAI's headquarters event space, 'Kai House', on Wednesday, April 22.

The Wall Art Project has been collaborating with local communities in rural India to host art projects set in schools and international conferences. In 2023 and 2024, it was held in Ladakh, where Japanese artists conducted mural creation demonstrations in front of children, alongside workshops by musicians, videographers, and dancers.

While tradition has been highly valued in Ladakh, the region is facing an inevitable need to change due to climate change and the penetration of a monetary economy. It is hoped that the power of culture will provide a perspective that looks toward a new phase.

KAI Corporation has its own factory in Rajasthan, India, and opened its first directly managed store, 'kai shop', in India in August 2017. Due to this deep connection with India, KAI has continued to support this project since its inception, and will continue to contribute to the realization of a richer society.

Event Name: 'Forest Art Festival in Ladakh 2026' Kickoff Event 'Banquet of Budding Once Again!' ■ Date and Time: Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 15:00 - 20:30 ■ Location: KAI Headquarters Event Space 'Kai House' ■ Organizer: NPO Wall Art Project (http://wallartproject.net) ■ Cooperation: KAI Corporation ■ Participating Artists: Sakiko Azuchi (Musician), Chihaya Oguri (Manga Artist), Atsushi Tomimatsu (Sculptor), Chieko Hanada (Contemporary Dancer) Online: Yusuke Asai (Artist), Jamyang Namgyal (Artist), Chemat Dorjey (Artist), Tsering Youtol (Artist) and others ■ Content: - Exhibition by artists participating in the Forest Art Festival - Live event by Chihaya Oguri - Talk event - Improvisational live performance by Sakiko Azuchi and Chieko Hanada

Scenes from the Day

The event gathered approximately 100 visitors interested in the project. Before the talk event, manga artist Chihaya Oguri performed live painting. Oguri drew the tree and trunk of a 'Wild Rose', and KAI employees and participants made the flowers bloom using a stencil technique. This 'Wild Rose' is a mural that Oguri completed with students at a public school in Ladakh in 2017, which is scheduled for restoration for the first time in 9 years. On the same wall, mysterious creatures were painted swimming one after another, evoking the atmosphere of the art festival in Ladakh. Attendees enjoyed viewing the art while drinking chai spiced with Indian spices and eating 'Pin', a traditional Ladakhi glass noodle curry.

When the talk time began, visitors took their seats. First, Toru Hiraiwa from KAI Corporation explained KAI's 17-year history of sponsoring the Wall Art Project and the background of how they came to sponsor it. Next, the NPO Wall Art Project screened a documentary video of the Forest Art Festival and explained its contents. Artists invited for 2026 spoke about their aspirations for the workshops and creations planned in Ladakh. They also connected online with Ladakh, conveying the expectations that the people and artists of Ladakh have for this project, and the determination that Japan, India, and Ladakh will continue to join hands and work together.

[Images mentioned: Kazunori Hamao of Wall Art Project, Ladakhi food Pin and Tingmo, Live painting by Chihaya Oguri]

In the second part of the talk event, an improvisational performance by musician Sakiko Azuchi and contemporary dancer Chieko Hanada was showcased. Participants were able to communicate with each other through art, music, and food, spending a meaningful time together.

In addition, an exhibition and sale of works by artists participating in the Forest Art Festival, as well as block prints and hand-embroidered fabrics from the Indian handcraft brand 'Tsomoriri', were displayed and sold at the venue. Visitors enjoyed looking at and holding the artworks.

[Images mentioned: Sakiko Azuchi's live performance, Exhibition view (partial)]