Four Days Where the "Technique" of 57 Artisans and the "Beauty" of the Era Intersect. "KO+GEI" 2026 Opens May 21 at the Tokyo Bijutsu Club

KO+GEI 2026, an exhibition that presents to the world the current state of crafts rooted in Japanese tradition, climate, and aesthetics, will be held for four days from Thursday, May 21 to Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the Tokyo Bijutsu Club (Minato-ku, Tokyo). Launched in 2024 by the Tokyo Bijutsu Club, which has supported Japanese art culture for nearly 120 years since its establishment in 1907, this exhibition features works that fuse and elevate "Ko" (工), the handiwork that inherits tradition, and "Gei" (藝), the art born from each artist's unique and deep consciousness. Admission is free.

For this edition, fashion designer NIGO® joins as a new special prize judge, creating a new context where craft meets contemporary culture. Furthermore, during the exhibition on Friday, May 22, the first international symposium "KOGEI GENE" will be held as part of the "Creator Support Project" commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Japan Arts Council. It will show a new path for Japanese artworks to be fairly evaluated and distributed in the overseas market. These four days will allow visitors to experience the beauty of crafts with all five senses, including gallery talks and tea ceremonies using vessels made by the exhibiting artists.

## 57 Carefully Selected Contemporary Craft Artists! Newly Adding Two Swords

In this second exhibition, a total of 57 masterpieces will be gathered: 7 invited artists leading the contemporary craft world, and 50 recommended up-and-coming artists drawing global attention. Deepened through the first exhibition in 2024 and the Kyoto exhibition in November 2025, "KO+GEI" now adds two swords to its lineup of ceramics, lacquerware, and metalwork, allowing visitors to view the diverse expressions of Japanese crafts from a broader perspective. In addition to direct purchases at the venue, exhibited works can also be purchased online. Even first-timers can enjoy the experience of encountering new works and "buying art" (all works will be sold by lottery).

**Invited Artists (7) (in Japanese alphabetical order)**
Ryuichi Kakurezaki, Hisako Sekijima, Yoshinori Tsuchiya, Masahiro Maeda, Ryo Mikami, Kyusetsu Miwa XIII, Shinya Yamamura

**Recommended Artists (50) (in Japanese alphabetical order)**
Yasuhiro Asai, Hideto Ito, Wataru Ito, Koichi Uchida, Rina Uchida, Xueyang Wang, Momoo Omuro, Sadanobu Gassan, Takahiro Kato, Ryotaro Kato, Kentaro Kawabata, Kan Kishino, Satoshi Kino, Keiko Kume, Mitsuru Koga, Runa Kosogawa, Kenji Gomi, Takayuki Sakiyama, Ryuhei Sako, Yuko Sawada, Shuzo Shingu, Suna Fujita, Miao Sun, Nami Takahashi, Riki Tanaka, Shingo Tsukuda, Eri Dewa, Sanae Tokida, Koji Toda, Kenta Toyoumi, Akito Niisato, Keiko Nishimura, Kansai Noguchi, Masaya Hashimoto, Makiko Hattori, Ryuta Fukumura, Kosei Fujikawa, Shinya Hongo, Toshiya Masuda, Yoshiko Masumoto, Keita Matsunaga, Masayasu Mitsuke, Haruo Mitsuta, Akira Miyairi, Mai Miyake, Taro Miwa, Yoka Muta, Taiichiro Yoshida, Rei Rusu, Akira Wada

**Introduction of Exhibited Works (7 Invited Artists)**

Ryuichi Kakurezaki
"Twin"
cord-making with Bizen clay
H20.5×W74.0×D18.0cm
2023

Hisako Sekijima
"Turns for the Depth with <90°II"
Okame-sasa, hemp, charcoal, gelatinous glue / Heat and bend, Interlocked and connected
H20.3×W41.3×D10.7cm
2025

Yoshinori Tsuchiya
"Figured gauze, 'Kei-sei'"
raw silk
640.0×37.0cm
2026

Masahiro Maeda
"Flower Vase with Overglaze Enamel"
ceramic
H28.2×D24.8cm
2026

Ryo Mikami
"Puddle"
kaolin, silica, pottery stone, glass powder
H7.5×W29.0×D29.0cm
2026

Kyusetsu Miwa XIII
"El Capitan"
ceramic
H14.2×W19.3×D15.5cm
2026

Shinya Yamamura
"Small container with Japanese characters, Hexagonal cylinder shape, Mother-of-pearl inlay (raden)"
mother-of-pearl, New Zealand abalone shell, gold powder / mother-of-pearl inlay, matte finish, digital equipment
H6.5×W11.8×D5.7cm
2026

## NIGO® Becomes a New Judge. Tokyo Bijutsu Club Grand Prize to be Decided from 50 Recommended Artists

From among the recommended artists, the Grand Prize (1 winner) and Excellence Award (2 winners) will be decided by the votes of art dealers nationwide who are members of the Tokyo Bijutsu Club. Furthermore, as special prizes, the Yuji Akimoto Prize, Kikuchi Kanjitsu Memorial Musée Tomo Prize, NIGO® Prize, and Yuji Yamashita Prize (1 winner each) have been established, with three prominent experts and one facility each selecting and honoring one work. The selected works will be exhibited on the 1st floor of the Tokyo Bijutsu Club from Monday, May 25 to Sunday, May 31.

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