The Road Leads Far Away Masao Takenaka (06/28/2001) As I remember, the first time I participated in a meeting on Christian art in Japan was the meeting held by Waseda Hoshien in November 1965. It was significant around that time Waseda Hoshien has organized the Christian Art Exhibition four times in every November from 1965-68. (Waseda Hoshien, 90 Years Anniversary Book, 1908-1998) It was a small beginning, yet an exciting step dreaming the future of Christian art in this country. This meeting became an occasion to form the Japan Christian Art Association. In June 1973, the Association organized the first exhibition at St.
Ignatius Cathedral in Tokyo in which nine artists from Catholic and
Protestant Churches participated. It is significant to celebrate the
25th Anniversary Exhibition this year. We now see the struggling faces of contemporary Japanese people who are somewhat confused and dismayed in the midst of economic depression, social disintegration and the political uncertainty. Underneath all these, we find the moral and religious questions. We grasp the task of Christian artists as being to respond to the deep questions of anxiety in the world in the light of the Christian Gospel. Reflecting on the past development of the Japan Christian Art Association, I would like to depict the following points for the future work.
As the ancient Chinese poet Li Shao, who experienced suffering and
suppression, expressed "Though the road leads far away, I will
continue to search for truth all along the way", we will march
on with hope based on the Biblical faith. (taken from "The History of 25th Art Exhibitions", The Christian Art Association in Japan, 2001) © Asian Christian Art Association |