Straw Figures – Taka Ishikawa

Last weekend I saw an exhibition of folk artist Taka Ishikawa at the Japan Tableware Festvial in Suidobashi, central Tokyo. We call her folk artist but I am sure she is much more humble than that. She started doing these animal figures out of straw over 40 years ago but after becoming a widow a few years ago she has picked up the pace and now at 85 years of age she keeps on creating more and more. I can’t even remember when I last felt so annoyed at being so poor I couldn’t afford to buy things. They are smaller than they look in these pictures, and incredibly delicately bound, straw for straw to make these fantastic and vivid crafted animals. My favorite, naturally is the rabbit. If I have one tenth of her skill and energy at her age I will be a happy and creative old man indeed! Here’s a photo of Ms. Ishikawa herself, and a small glimpse of here studio, and here’s another article with a nice photo. An article in the Japanese magazine Brutus has more photos and contact details for her studio in Yamagata prefecture. With old women like this there is no way I will ever fear for the future of Japan!