I always dreamed of opening a gallery in Ginza someday<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When did you start out on this path?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- In 1996. I quit my job and started out on my own, renting a small office. I dreamed of one day opening a gallery in Ginza, so I kept moving with the thought that I would move closer and closer to Ginza every time I got a new office (laughs). Then I happened to find the previous office on 7-Chome when I was just walking through Ginza. I was there for seven years, then moved to the current location four years ago.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I hear that you put on an exhibition every month at Gallery Seizan.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s right. Usually dealers of Japanese art stick to only Japanese art, and dealers of Western-style to only Western-style, so most art dealers have a limited genre. At my gallery, we deal in works we like, that we want to show people, so we deal in a wide range of mediums, including ceramics, oil paintings, sculpture and more. I really love my job, so I want to do many things with it.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Isn\u2019t it difficult coming up with a new exhibition every month?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I have loads of material (laughs). That said, it is quite difficult actually forming ideas into exhibitions.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How do you discover new artists?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I hunt them down (laughs). I go to all sorts of exhibitions, and when I see something that fits, I find the artist and go and see them.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Ah, hunting (laughs). Does that mean you also go overseas?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Yes, I do. I go all over the place to chase them down. I was even fortunate enough to be invited to the Art Summit in New York last year.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- So instead of a typical president who sits at a desk, you are one who is always moving around.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Yes. I\u2019ve had a policy of not setting up a desk for myself since the last office.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_01.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_02.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_03.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_04.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are tons of different high quality pieces of art in Japan created from subtle sensitivities and emotions<\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How do you price works of art?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- The way I see it is that, for artists making their debut whose value has yet to be appraised, I consider the price of their pieces as a value to match the amount of work that went into them. After all, artists have to make a living too, so there is a strong sense of us struggling together.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s a world I know absolutely nothing about, so it\u2019s beyond my imagination.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I think most people have an image of galleries being intimidating and difficult to understand. But in other countries, art blends in with daily life and galleries are more familiar places where people can enter freely.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I lived in the U.S. for two years and you are right, because there are always galleries in shopping malls.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Exactly. It is totally normal for there to be a gallery there.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- And you can just wander in and buy something.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- It is totally natural for it to be there, so it is easy to enter. I always say that every home should have at least one work of art on the wall, but there are homes in Japan without a single piece displayed. It\u2019s such a shame. Japan has a long history and four distinct seasons. There are tons of different high quality pieces of art here created from the subtle sensitivities and emotions developed within such an environment, but, unfortunately, I sense that there are many Japanese people who do not realize this. This is why we need education in music and art. I think having art in your home is also good for cultivating aesthetic sensibility in children.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you sometimes receive appraisal requests from individuals?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Yes, we do. I get very excited when going to the warehouses. Although certainly nothing famous, there have been some works that were absolutely exquisite. There is even one time when a person bought a piece off an online auction for a few ten thousand yen, and it ended up being worth tens of millions of yen.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- No kidding!!! The person selling it over the Internet did not know its worth.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- This is what scares me \u2014 that people do not know the value of works of art. So I also browse the Internet, but they are almost all counterfeit (laughs).<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nGARONOYAKAI 2014: an event for enjoying elegant art in Ginza<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- The GARONOYAKAI 2014 event will be held on June 5 and 6. What goes on at this event?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s an event where 26 galleries in Ginza will all open from evening to night and put on a variety of exhibitions while offering drinks or other special services. It runs until 9 p.m., so it\u2019s accessible to company employees who work in the daytime, and all those who normally cannot make it to galleries are welcome. Even then, some people still feel intimidated going alone, so there are tours and other plans for making it easy to enjoy a carefree visit.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That sounds like fun!<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- At my gallery, we will have an exhibit of sculptures by Hiroyoshi Asaka.<\/p>\n
To let you enjoy an elegant evening in Ginza, we will also offer extra hospitality with champagne, drinks and other services.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That is very Ginza-like hospitality!<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Although it is a bit later, we will also have a yokai exhibit in August.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- A yokai exhibit?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I will have the artists express their version of yokai in Hyakki Yagyo (\u201cNight Parade of One Hundred Demons and Yokai\u201d). I decided that I will absolutely never do an exhibit on yurei, but I love yokai.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Aren\u2019t they pretty much the same?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- No, they are different. Yurei are the spirits left behind from people that have died with negative feelings like ill will, resentment or jealousy. Yokai (a type of spirit-monster) refers to the world of Zashiki warashi (protective household deity), Namahage (folklore demons) and GeGeGe no Kitaro (a manga series created by Shigeru Mizuki). Hyakki Yagyo is associated with the lesson that we must value things and is humorous. I like things with this type of message. For example, I want lots of people to experience the sensation of feeling invigorated by looking at a work of art. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
*See here for details of the GARONOYAKAI.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_05.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_06.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_07.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u6d45\u9999\u5f18\u80fd\u300cKABUKIMON-White Eagle-\u300d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nIf Ginza were a wine, it would be Roman\u00e9e Conti<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Lastly, could you tell me your thoughts on Ginza? You mentioned that you dreamed of opening a gallery in Ginza.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I just felt that I wanted to go to Ginza where the finest things come together. There are famous galleries and gallerists I admire here, so this is where I wanted to try my best.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I\u2019m going to move my office to Ginza someday (laughs).<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Please do!! If Ginza were a wine, I think it would be Roman\u00e9e Conti (laughs). It is a small division, but is packed with culture and history, so it is where first class items from not only Japan, but from around the world, collect. Ginza is really enjoyable. Its attraction increases with age, just like wine.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_08.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- It is Mami Nagai, the president of Ginza Echigoya, a veteran kimono shop. She takes time out of her busy schedule to act as a planning director, working on events and other activities in Ginza. You can hear about Ginza Echigoya as well as Ginza events.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_32_09.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nChisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Takashima started taking violin lessons from the age of 6. After a successful career abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, where she currently performs in concerts across the country. Highly noted for her character in TV and radio appearances, she has currently opened up her career to more diverse fields with an unchanged focus on her profession.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- When did you start out on this path?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- In 1996. I quit my job and started out on my own, renting a small office. I dreamed of one day opening a gallery in Ginza, so I kept moving with the thought that I would move closer and closer to Ginza every time I got a new office (laughs). Then I happened to find the previous office on 7-Chome when I was just walking through Ginza. I was there for seven years, then moved to the current location four years ago.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I hear that you put on an exhibition every month at Gallery Seizan.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s right. Usually dealers of Japanese art stick to only Japanese art, and dealers of Western-style to only Western-style, so most art dealers have a limited genre. At my gallery, we deal in works we like, that we want to show people, so we deal in a wide range of mediums, including ceramics, oil paintings, sculpture and more. I really love my job, so I want to do many things with it.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Isn\u2019t it difficult coming up with a new exhibition every month?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I have loads of material (laughs). That said, it is quite difficult actually forming ideas into exhibitions.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How do you discover new artists?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I hunt them down (laughs). I go to all sorts of exhibitions, and when I see something that fits, I find the artist and go and see them.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Ah, hunting (laughs). Does that mean you also go overseas?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Yes, I do. I go all over the place to chase them down. I was even fortunate enough to be invited to the Art Summit in New York last year.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- So instead of a typical president who sits at a desk, you are one who is always moving around.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Yes. I\u2019ve had a policy of not setting up a desk for myself since the last office.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
There are tons of different high quality pieces of art in Japan created from subtle sensitivities and emotions<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- How do you price works of art?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- The way I see it is that, for artists making their debut whose value has yet to be appraised, I consider the price of their pieces as a value to match the amount of work that went into them. After all, artists have to make a living too, so there is a strong sense of us struggling together.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s a world I know absolutely nothing about, so it\u2019s beyond my imagination.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I think most people have an image of galleries being intimidating and difficult to understand. But in other countries, art blends in with daily life and galleries are more familiar places where people can enter freely.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I lived in the U.S. for two years and you are right, because there are always galleries in shopping malls.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Exactly. It is totally normal for there to be a gallery there.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- And you can just wander in and buy something.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- It is totally natural for it to be there, so it is easy to enter. I always say that every home should have at least one work of art on the wall, but there are homes in Japan without a single piece displayed. It\u2019s such a shame. Japan has a long history and four distinct seasons. There are tons of different high quality pieces of art here created from the subtle sensitivities and emotions developed within such an environment, but, unfortunately, I sense that there are many Japanese people who do not realize this. This is why we need education in music and art. I think having art in your home is also good for cultivating aesthetic sensibility in children.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you sometimes receive appraisal requests from individuals?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Yes, we do. I get very excited when going to the warehouses. Although certainly nothing famous, there have been some works that were absolutely exquisite. There is even one time when a person bought a piece off an online auction for a few ten thousand yen, and it ended up being worth tens of millions of yen.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- No kidding!!! The person selling it over the Internet did not know its worth.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- This is what scares me \u2014 that people do not know the value of works of art. So I also browse the Internet, but they are almost all counterfeit (laughs).<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nGARONOYAKAI 2014: an event for enjoying elegant art in Ginza<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- The GARONOYAKAI 2014 event will be held on June 5 and 6. What goes on at this event?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s an event where 26 galleries in Ginza will all open from evening to night and put on a variety of exhibitions while offering drinks or other special services. It runs until 9 p.m., so it\u2019s accessible to company employees who work in the daytime, and all those who normally cannot make it to galleries are welcome. Even then, some people still feel intimidated going alone, so there are tours and other plans for making it easy to enjoy a carefree visit.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That sounds like fun!<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- At my gallery, we will have an exhibit of sculptures by Hiroyoshi Asaka.<\/p>\n
To let you enjoy an elegant evening in Ginza, we will also offer extra hospitality with champagne, drinks and other services.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That is very Ginza-like hospitality!<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Although it is a bit later, we will also have a yokai exhibit in August.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- A yokai exhibit?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I will have the artists express their version of yokai in Hyakki Yagyo (\u201cNight Parade of One Hundred Demons and Yokai\u201d). I decided that I will absolutely never do an exhibit on yurei, but I love yokai.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Aren\u2019t they pretty much the same?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- No, they are different. Yurei are the spirits left behind from people that have died with negative feelings like ill will, resentment or jealousy. Yokai (a type of spirit-monster) refers to the world of Zashiki warashi (protective household deity), Namahage (folklore demons) and GeGeGe no Kitaro (a manga series created by Shigeru Mizuki). Hyakki Yagyo is associated with the lesson that we must value things and is humorous. I like things with this type of message. For example, I want lots of people to experience the sensation of feeling invigorated by looking at a work of art. <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
*See here for details of the GARONOYAKAI.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\u6d45\u9999\u5f18\u80fd\u300cKABUKIMON-White Eagle-\u300d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nIf Ginza were a wine, it would be Roman\u00e9e Conti<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Lastly, could you tell me your thoughts on Ginza? You mentioned that you dreamed of opening a gallery in Ginza.<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- I just felt that I wanted to go to Ginza where the finest things come together. There are famous galleries and gallerists I admire here, so this is where I wanted to try my best.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I\u2019m going to move my office to Ginza someday (laughs).<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- Please do!! If Ginza were a wine, I think it would be Roman\u00e9e Conti (laughs). It is a small division, but is packed with culture and history, so it is where first class items from not only Japan, but from around the world, collect. Ginza is really enjoyable. Its attraction increases with age, just like wine.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
The next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
- Yamada<\/dt>\n
- It is Mami Nagai, the president of Ginza Echigoya, a veteran kimono shop. She takes time out of her busy schedule to act as a planning director, working on events and other activities in Ginza. You can hear about Ginza Echigoya as well as Ginza events.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\n
Chisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Takashima started taking violin lessons from the age of 6. After a successful career abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, where she currently performs in concerts across the country. Highly noted for her character in TV and radio appearances, she has currently opened up her career to more diverse fields with an unchanged focus on her profession.<\/p>\n