Shimmering of Heated Air (Kagero),

Shono Shounsai (1904–1974) was born in Beppu city, Oita prefecture, Japan’s heartland for bamboo crafts. He began making woven bamboo baskets in the 1920s and successfully submitted many works to the annual Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten) in the 1940s and early 1950s. In 1953, his Nitten submission was a neotraditional, intricately woven round basket. This basket was rejected, which prompted him to rethink his approach to the art and craft of basketry. From that point on he was committed to pushing the genre and his own capabilities.

Shounsai began creating dynamic pieces that expressed motion. This included a series inspired by ocean waves that used very thin strips of bamboo in parallel construction and exploited the flexibility of the material. His 1958 Nitten entry was very similar to this work created in 1969 (both are entitled Kagero). The 1958 work, which used an open construction of interwoven ovals, marked Shounsai’s transition to a more contemporary style.

In addition to pushing limits and experimenting with bamboo-weaving techniques, Shounsai explored the expressive possibility of using single bamboo sheets in place of woven strips, inspired by the extreme simplicity in thought and action associated with the practice of Zen Buddhism. He eventually selected sections of bamboo that required minimal cutting or carving. In this way he removed the decorative elements from his practice and allowed the material to speak for itself. Shounsai was designated a Living National Treasure in 1967.