[Exhibition] Noritaka Tatehana’s solo exhibition “Sacred Reflections” will be held at KOSAKU KANECHIKA Tennoz from October 4th to November 15th. Using waka poetry and mirrors as motifs, the artist’s works question the nature of cultural inheritance.
NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K. Press Release: October 20, 2025 [Exhibition] Noritaka Tatehana’s solo exhibition “Sacred Reflections” will be held at KOSAKU KANECHIKA Tennoz from October 4th to November 15th. Using waka poetry and mirrors as motifs, the artist will present works that question the nature of cultural inheritance. Noritaka Tatehana will hold solo exhibitions simultaneously at two locations: KOSAKU KANECHIKA Tennoz and Kyobashi. The Tennoz location will feature craft-inspired works rooted in Japanese culture, while the Kyobashi location will feature oil paintings and drawings that reflect Tatehana’s more personal side.
(C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Noritaka Tatehana Solo Exhibition “Sacred Reflections” Saturday, October 4, 2025 – Saturday, November 15, 2025 KOSAKU KANECHIKA Tennoz | TERRADA ART COMPLEX Noritaka Tatehana will be holding a new solo exhibition, “Sacred Reflections,” at KOSAKU KANECHIKA Tennoz from Saturday, October 4th to Saturday, November 15th, 2025. The “Sacred Reflections” exhibition features works with the motifs of “waka” (traditional Japanese poetry) and “mirrors,” centered on the theme of cultural inheritance. Since ancient times, waka poetry has been passed down through both composition and transcription. For this exhibition, Tatehana personally transcribed poems selected from the “Kokin Wakashu.” Through this act, he expresses the beauty and spirituality of the Japanese language and reflects the meaning of “inheritance” in his works. Furthermore, the “mirror” motif that serves as the support for the works not only reflects cultural memories, but also suggests that viewers themselves, through the works, play a part in passing on these memories. Noritaka Tatehana had the following to say about this exhibition: The mirror becomes a vessel of memory, and poetic thoughts are quietly inscribed across time. Through the act of transcription, past cultures begin to speak anew, revealing that traditions are not static, but are passed down through repetition. By projecting the Kokin Wakashū, a symbol of traditional Japanese culture, onto a support like a mirror, it is reconsidered from a new perspective, rather than simply being passed down as tradition. While a mirror is essentially a device for reflecting oneself, through this work it is transformed into a tool that encourages a dialogue between self and culture. This is the act of “rethinking the cultural memories within oneself,” in other words, the practice of “rethink.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-9bcee59bf373e0bca0b237331f0dd6f6-1800×2700.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-a8f17c833c6377280fb538640eef867e-1800×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Waka poems transcribed by Noritaka Tatehana The following five waka poems were selected and transcribed by Noritaka Tatehana from the Kokin Wakashū for this exhibition. The Kokin Wakashū was Japan’s first imperially commissioned anthology of waka poetry, and is considered the starting point of Japanese artistic theory and the source of Japanese culture. It is no exaggeration to say that Japan’s
traditional culture sprouted here and has been passed down to the present day. Waka poems encapsulate Japan’s unique aesthetic sense and values, including a sense of the seasons, appreciation of flowers, kindness and compassion, and a sense of the impermanence of time. Tatehana resonated with these spirits and transcribed them in preparation for this exhibition. The Tatsuta River, where the Chihayaburu (flying fox) is flying, has never been heard of, even in the Age of the Gods. The waters of the river turn crimson. Ariwara no Narihira The color of the flowers has changed, like a prank. I gaze upon the past as I go through life. Ono no Komachi People do not know my heart, but my hometown flowers smell like the fragrance of the past. Ki no Tsurayuki Just as I had said I would come now, I await the bright moon of the longest month. Sosei Hoshi On a long, serene spring day, the flowers fall silently and without a thought. Kino Tomonori About the work
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-efe5f52c6d0368cf6f9aa812197c45b6-3000×2000.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-c633bdd36fb2e061850575ef353f2f64-1929×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-5793a9727985b9d0ecb147daa83d1b32-1929×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Sacred Reflections, 2025 Metallic pigment, polyethylene terephthalate film, resin, acrylic on acrylic and urethane coated wood 70.5 x 76.3 cm (left), 69.5 x 73.0 cm (center), 67.5 x 76.0 cm (right)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-bcbfa5a11e3e60773271ca38d7849904-3000×2000.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-0500ae4783c02dc25df8a0706a92b7bd-1929×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-7a59df622a5fbe866d80faae9dc740d1-1929×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Sacred Reflections, 2025 Metallic pigment, polyethylene terephthalate film, resin, acrylic on acrylic 72.7 x 60.6 cm Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-e06477a77b8d231730b71e37ee5901c9-3000×2000.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-a0ff720876976e561283befd4aeb335f-1929×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-e7e379fe3d30f0281a65a1fdafc2a3b2-1929×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Sacred Reflections, 2025 Metallic pigment, polyethylene terephthalate film, resin, acrylic on acrylic and urethane coated wood 90.0 x 60.0 cm
About the technique
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-65b4a0816d080c88c043e79dd704b121-3000×2000.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-5c4ef63f445ca7373c96be5fbb312360-1800×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-3d37ef93153ec75f1eeab46695d07d2e-1800×2700.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Collaboration with advanced and innovative technologies developed by Fujifilm This work utilizes Fujifilm’s “High-Brightness Metallic Inkjet Technology.” This technology applies Fujifilm’s proprietary particle orientation technology, cultivated in the photographic film field, to achieve precise particle alignment through inkjet printing. This innovative technology not only enables extremely bright metallic tones, but also creates a wide range of expressions through control of gradation and texture. In this work, by controlling the amount of inkjet droplets, we achieve a three-dimensional effect not possible with conventional printing, from an ephemeral sheen achieved by applying the metallic ink as thinly as possible to an impressive metallic effect achieved with a thicker ink volume. The content of this work is based on photographs of clouds taken by Noritaka Tatehana during his travels around the world. The illustrations are completed by combining these images with waka poems that Tatehana transcribed by hand. Fujifilm and Noritaka Tatehana have collaborated on works in the past. In his solo exhibition “PRIMARY COLORS” held in 2022, he presented works utilizing “structural color inkjet technology.” “PRIMARY COLORS” details
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-03b4c4a209d021ab2eb45811efc8343a-3000×2000.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Event overview Exhibition name Noritaka Tatehana “Sacred Reflections” Exhibition period Saturday, October 4, 2025 – Saturday, November 15, 2025 Opening hours 11:00 – 18:00 Closed on Sundays, Mondays, and holidays Venue KOSAKU KANECHIKA 〒140-0002 1-33-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo TERRADA ART COMPLEX I 5F 03-6712-3346 https://kosakukanechika.com Free admission Artist Profile
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38054/30/38054-30-50294dfdb62f9bff29a73f231dfde74b-2000×1333.jpg (C)︎NORITAKA TATEHANA K.K., Courtesy of KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Photo by GION Noritaka Tatehana Nori Taka) Born in Tokyo in 1985. Born into a family that ran the Kabuki-yu public bathhouse in Kabukicho, he grew up in Kamakura. Influenced by his mother, a doll maker based on the Steiner education system, he learned to make things by hand from an early age. In 2010, he graduated from the Department of Crafts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in dyeing and weaving. In addition to his cultural research on courtesans, he creates kimonos and geta sandals using the Yuzen dyeing technique. His exhibitions include “Future Beauty” (international touring exhibitions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2012), “Image Makers” (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, 2014), the solo exhibition “The Aesthetics of Magic” (Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum, 2016), the solo exhibition “It’s always the others who die” (POLA Museum Annex, 2019), the solo exhibition “NORITAKA TATEHANA: Refashioning Beauty” (Portland Japanese Garden, 2019), “Wako Zekka” (touring four venues including the Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art, 2020-22), and the solo exhibition “Distance” (Yamaguchi Prefectural Hagi Museum of Art/Urakami Memorial Hall, 2023). His wide-ranging activities include a Bunraku performance at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris in March 2016. His works are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum, among others. He also served as exhibition director for the “Edo Tokyo Rethink” exhibition (Kyu-Iwasaki Residence Garden, 2024), which was planned as part of the “Edo Tokyo Kirari Project” organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and focused on Tokyo’s traditional industries. NORITAKA TATEHANA Official Site https://www.noritakatatehana.com Instagram Noritaka Tatehana ( @noritaka_tatehana )
https://www.instagram.com/noritaka_tatehana/ NORITAKA TATEHANA STUDIO ( @tatehanastudio ) https://www.instagram.com/tatehanastudio/ X (old Twitter) NORITAKA TATEHANA STUDIO ( @tatehanastudio )
https://twitter.com/tatehanastudio Facebook NORITAKA TATEHANA STUDIO https://www.facebook.com/tatehanastudio Youtube NORITAKA TATEHANA STUDIO https://www.youtube.com/@noritakatatehanastudio