Utsushiki Purchasing Record India Edition 2016

I went to India from May 30th to June 9th.

This is a whirlwind 10-day stay for me, as I have an exhibition scheduled to begin on the 17th of this month at Hiiro Ookami + Flower Shop Nishibeppu Shoten in Aoyama, Tokyo.

The flight to Delhi went smoothly.

Stayed in Delhi just for airport connection.

Although it seemed like everything was going smoothly, after boarding, there was something wrong with the plane so we were asked to leave the plane, returned to the boarding gate, and then departed three hours late after baggage inspection.

Nevertheless, the plane took off and arrived safely at its destination.

From the airport, you will head straight to the warehouse and start purchasing antiques right away.

The season is midsummer before the rainy season.

In this town where the temperature reaches nearly 50 degrees, water is essential and no matter how many liters you drink, it just turns into sweat, so you have to choose your favorite antiques in these harsh conditions.

Even so, I was so excited while I was choosing that I ended up choosing things that I wouldn't have chosen when I went six months ago, and I enjoyed the change within myself.

This time, I'll be looking for antiques that suit my taste, focusing on chairs with a nice atmosphere.

No matter how tiring I get from traveling or how hot it is, I love this time of year.

This stepwell was right in front of the hotel where I stayed this time.

I have no idea why it was built like this.

Indian architecture is so fascinating.

After a short stay of about two days, we move on to the next town.

Jaipur is a city that I can call home in India.

The hotel and restaurant where I always stay.

There were many happy reunions with friends from the rickshaw company and the stonemason family.

They welcome me like a brother or family member.

We then moved to the workshop in this town, where we will be spending most of our stay.

Originally, I mainly made knitted pieces, but it was thanks to Indian craftsmen that I started to take up metal engraving.

He is my polishing teacher and has by far the best polishing techniques even in Jaipur.

Whenever I don't understand something, I come to this person to ask.

There are many such teachers-like, extremely skilled craftsmen in each field.

Every day here is spent absorbing something new.

I love Indian walls so much that I've realized that all I have are photos of walls.

I think it's as beautiful as an abstract painting.

Every day I waver, explore, test and innovate in the things I love.

To express that I love it with confidence and joy.

The seamstress joins together small, old scraps of fabric, stitch by stitch.

This then becomes fabric, bags and other items, and embarks on a completely different path.

Once the piece becomes an object, it becomes difficult to see her every stitch, but I once again feel that I want to convey the background to each and every stitch of her work.

And I returned to Japan safely the other day.

The view of Fukuoka from the plane on the return journey was so incredibly beautiful that it almost felt like it validated the entire trip.

This trip was once again a very educational and rewarding one.

The time I spend in India, approximately once every six months, helps me realize what I need.

State of mind.

This will greatly change what you experience and what you see.

It's back to the usual scenery.

Due to an exhibition starting next week, Utsushiki will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and will be operating by appointment only until the 23rd of this month.

We would appreciate it if you could contact us before coming to our store.

We have received some wonderful works from woodworker Hiroki Igarashi.

We hope to be able to introduce Igarashi's work in detail at a later date, so we hope you will come and see it in person first.

Please enjoy.