This year marks the 25th ITAMI International Craft Exhibition. This year’s theme is ‘Shuki Shuhaidai.’ A total of 261 entries, including 75 entries from 11 countries, totaling 1,184 pieces, were submitted, and after rigorous screening, 98 works were selected, of which 8 were awarded prizes. Itami prospered through sake brewing during the Edo period and developed into a city rich in culture where literati and artists gathered. For the Itami City Museum of Art, History and Culture, which carries on that lineage into the present day, this theme is truly meaningful.

Many of the submitted works delved deeply into sake, a product of the bounty of nature and the wisdom of the Japanese people, were gathered. They were made with outstanding creativity and high technical ability, fostered by flexible and free-thinking. Among them, the award-winning works were full of originality and ingenuity, and pointed to new possibilities in the appreciation of sake, bringing to mind images of people gathering together and enjoying sake.

Please enjoy various ‘Shuki Shuhaidai’ that artists from around the world have created, each engaging with the ‘culture of Japanese Sake’ and expressing it in their creation.

*Some works are available for purchase.