A gallery where you can meet the shop owner

Kanagawa Gallery Walk
File.13 Vessel Rape blossoms
Yamamoto Shino (Gallery Watts)

The direct mail sent by Utsuwa Nanohana always includes a message.
This is the passionate desire of the owner, Dai-chan, also known as Takahashi Daiichi.
At times, Dai-san (as I call him) talks about how much he loves the artist, at other times he expresses his hopes for the creator's unknown world, and at other times he talks about the light that objects emit, all through his gaze.
He speaks and presents his feelings in a straightforward manner, so when you read it, you want to go there.

Utsuwa Nanohana is a gallery that hosts exhibitions by a number of renowned artists, but this time we'll be strolling around the gallery with the aim of making you want to meet the shop owners.

After leaving Odawara Station, it's about a 15-minute walk along Odawara Castle Ruins Park, soaking up the history, and you'll find Utsuwa Nanohana along the national highway that leads to Hakone.

You'll immediately recognize the shop as the shop curtain, designed by Mochizuki Michiharu, a multitalented dyer, sculptor, and designer, catches your eye.

By the way, the back entrance looks like this. There is also a noren curtain here with "Nanohana" written in Mochizuki's handwriting.

The exhibition featured Wireman by Gaku Kanbayashi, a sculptor well known at Gallery Watts.

Kamibayashi's sculptural ability is so impressive that he balances the hitokata (doll) on a point the size of a pinky fingernail, and viewers are easily led to believe that the doll is being held up by being glued to the floor.
As always, I was impressed as I watched his work, realizing that this was possible only because he had fully grasped the connection between the skeleton and muscles and the movements of the human body.

If you go through the courtyard and into the back room, you will see a drawing by Yoshida Motoko, who was also at the exhibition until the previous time, in the background of Kamibayashi's work.
Both appear incomplete at first glance, but there is a sense of something existing in the parts that are not visible.

For example, in Kamibayashi's works it's muscles, and in Yoshida's works it's people and voices in the space where objects are placed. Perhaps that's why the compatibility between the two works feels so comfortable.

Now, Dai-san (left) and Kanbayashi-san (right) have known each other for about 35 years and coincidentally are the same age. And they both like alcohol. It doesn't matter if it's during an exhibition. So they started right away.

Odawara was a post town during the Edo period, and in the Meiji period it became a town associated with politicians, business leaders, and cultural figures who lived there as villas and residences. Dai, who was born in this area in 1947, says that there were many unique people in his neighborhood.

"When I went to pick up my grandfather from playing Go at the nearby Uiro (a famous herbal medicine in Odawara) house, there was a relaxing garden. Also, what is now Kataoka Art Store had white porcelain and art pieces from the Joseon Dynasty. As a child, I didn't really understand the meaning of 'beautiful,' but I already had an appreciation for why old things are beautiful," says Dai.

On the other hand, Chotaro Kawasaki, who lived in a storage shed on the Odawara coast and depicted the lives and human relationships of the lower classes, and "Garando" (Naotaka Yamauchi of Garando Kogeisha), who also appeared in the works of Ango Sakaguchi, lived in the area, so he was able to witness the down-to-earth and pure side of human beings. Perhaps that's why I feel that Dai has a great tolerance for people.

Now, Kamibayashi-san is a tough sculptor and mountaineer who also used to be a mountain hut keeper. A long time ago, he told me the following story.

"Compared to sculptors and painters, more painters commit suicide. Painters must fit their work into a frame, so they feel limited. Sculptors, in a sense, are unlimited. There's no limit to the space. So sculptors have more freedom mentally (laughs)."

I thought, “I see.”

However, even though he claims to be relaxed, he is strict about his way of being an artist, and adheres to the principle of "never pandering to others and always being true to himself, no matter what the situation."

They value intuition and don't lie to themselves. And yet, because they are both generous people, their conversations over drinks ranged from art theory and materials to human strength, making for fascinating listening. With the time limit approaching, I left Utsuwa Nanohana with tears in my eyes and a feeling of reluctance.

We then headed to Nanohana Living Tools Store, located in a corner of the underground shopping mall at the east exit of Odawara Station. Here, daily necessities recommended by Dai and Nanohana staff are on permanent sale, and they also regularly hold special exhibitions by dyers, potters, and other creators.

Next door, at Nanohana Moon Cafe, there was a large floating piece by Kamibayashi.

Nanohana is actually a long-established Japanese confectionery shop that was founded in 1905, and Dai is the third generation owner (his son is now the fourth generation owner). Many people may be familiar with the manju "Hakone no Otsukisama" and have seen it in the Odawara and Hakone areas.
The moist skin and the sweetness of the brown sugar-based bean paste are a perfect balance. Although it is a common manju, there is something slightly refined about it, just like Dai-san. If I said that, Dai-san would probably laugh out loud.

(Interviewed September 2020)

Gallery Information
Vessel Rape blossoms
1-3-12 Minamimachi, Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
TEL: 0465-24-7020
Business hours: 11:00-18:00
*Open only during special events (the Kanbayashi Manabu exhibition has ended)
Parking: None
http://utsuwa-nanohana.com/

"access"
▶︎Approx. 15 minutes walk from JR Odawara Station

Sister store
Nanohana Living Tools Store
http://kurashinodouguten.com/

"Hakone Rape Flower Exhibition Room"
http://nanohana-tenjishitsu.com/