Tokyo Quilt Show 2023 - Part 1

 It is spring which means it is time for another quilt event in Tokyo. 

Today was the opening of The 2nd Tokyo Quilt Show, 2023 organised by Japan Quilt Society.

Last year's spring show was held at a small event venue in Gotanda, Tokyo and did not draw many visitors. You can read my report about it here.

In November last year, the autumn show was held in Pacifico in Yokohama, where the hall is larger and more visitors came. I wrote six blog posts about it, starting here. There were many quilts to look at.

So I had high expectations for this year's spring event. A new venue had been chosen, Hamamatsucho-Kan, which houses Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center. It is a large modern building with many exhibition halls, eateries and cafés as well as a number of terraced gardens.

Although the building is impressive, the exhibition hall was on the small scale and the huge number of visitors queuing up for the opening soon filled every corner of the room.

In the afternoon the crowds had thinned out so it was easier to move around. As you can see, the screens for showcasing the quilts were kept in the middle of the hall and the traders' booths were lined up along the walls. There were 47 stalls, most of them selling quilting goods, a few though, traded cosmetics, shoes and coffee pods.

So what quilts were on display? Was there a contest?

The large quilts on show were made by 'sensei', famous quilters and quilt teachers, all of whom must be members of Japan Quilt Society.

 If you have read my previous reports from the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival at Tokyo Dome (held annually before the pandemic) you might well remember some of these quilts.

Fabulous and fabulously funny! A Japanese village wedding.

Yoko Sekita ＊関田陽子

On the Earth and In the Earth.

both made by Yoko Ueda ＊上田葉子

The interior of a Parisian café.

Yoshiko Kurihara ＊栗原淑子

Precise piecing and lots of movement.

Masako Sanada＊眞田雅子

Blue Ocean

Kathy Nakajima＊中島キャシー

Huge flowers.

(I think this quilt is new...)

Denim is always in fashion.

(This quilt, however, I have seen before)
Both made by Noriko Nozawa ＊野沢典子

For the love of indigo.

Shizuko Kuroha ＊黒羽志寿子

For many years Ms Kuroha has made the most beautiful quilts from Japanese fabric, especially indigo. She is now retiring from official duties. I hope she will still make some more quilts, though.

To my knowledge, this is a new quilt from a new quilter...

Yoshi Nishimura ＊西村淑

Dragons dancing in the moonlight.

Yoneko Maruya＊丸屋米子

Many of the white pieces are paper / Japanese washi and have brush writing in ink on them.

Yasuko Saito ＊齋藤泰子

This quilt was made from kimono silk. The silk in the border is from an obi (kimono sash).

Junko Sugahara ＊菅原順子

The next quilt is a celebration of the parts a quilt is made up of.

The quilt is large, it is white and it is impeccably hand quilted, it hangs straight. Check out those stitches! 

I certainly take my hat off to 

Junko Yasawa ＊矢澤順子

Here is a complex pattern.

Taeko Ando ＊安東多惠子

Now for some sweet desserts.

Ayuko Katayama＊片山あゆ子

The other large quilts were hung from the ceiling. I must admit I did not notice them until I looked at this photo!

More in my next report.

Tokyo Quilt Show

It's been such a long time, not being able to visit a quilt show, not being able to meet up with quilting friends...

Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival that was held in Tokyo Dome for many years, and that I have given many reports from, was halted by the pandemic in 2021. Then scrapped a year later, never to appear again. Sigh! 

Needless to say the quilting community missed that show, as everyone wants to see quilts and shop at a gathering of traders, (quilt shops are few and far apart in Japan). Also to have an excuse to meet friends in person whom you might only have had contact with through social media in the last two years.

So in a small exhibition venue in Tokyo, Japan Quilt Society organised a show for four days.

 I am happy we have returned to some form of normal, but must admit I was a bit disappointed with the works on display. Many of the famous quilters were exhibiting their work, but we have seen most of these quilts before. 

For example Yoko Sekita (関田陽子) showed her hilarious Spring Midnight quilt. I took this picture of it at Tokyo Dome in 2014.

The reason I used this old photo is that photography of these VIP quilters' quilts was not allowed at Tokyo Quilt Show! Funny, as they were not 'protected' in that way at quilt shows in the past.

Seven of the most famous heavyweight master quilters (sensei) had a booth each to display some quilts. For example, Noriko Nozawa (野沢典子). Here again, were quilts that we have admired before.

New for this event were smaller pieces, like these embroideries.

Photography was permitted at this section!

Maybe because the show was not advertised early, or well enough, there were only few entries in a contest called Treasure Quilt Contest Vol. 1 (I hope there will be Vol. 2 and 3 and .... for future contests).

Unfortunately I did not take pictures of the winning quilts. Luckily you can see them in Pamela's report at Hokkaido Kudasai.

Anyway, here are some of the works:, and yes, it was OK to take pictures of them.

Happy Tree by Kazue Miyade (宮手一恵)

Four-Patch's Parade by Fumiko Higuchi (樋口文子)

青の輝きby Yoko Aoe (青江洋子）

Colorful Stones by Kazuyo Ishii (石井和代)

橋をかける by Emiko Yakushiji (薬師寺恵美子）

Nocturne by Masako Masukura (桝蔵昌子)

薔薇のガーデンに蝶が舞う by Hiromi Suzuki (鈴木裕美)

Notice all the butterflies on this Hawaiian quilt.

It was lovely to meet my friends, and I hope to do so again at World Quilt Festival 2022 in Pacifico Yokohama. This show will be held 3rd - 5th November, this year. Keep an eye out for Japan Quilt Society https://japan-quilt.com

I did not leave the show empty-handed. Here is what I bought:

These are gifts:

The newest gadget from Clover, basting pins that are easy on your fingers.

A lovely loop of bead weaving, two flowers when seen this way, and two cherries if you turn the loop over. This is so neatly done, in hand, by my friend Pamela. Thank you!

Finally, I would like to mention that I want to give credit to the makers of the quilts above. However, Japanese names are difficult to read, and spell. I hope I have been able to give the right information. If not, I do apologise for any mistake.