JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #122 - July 2018 - 56

SOLUTlONS artistic vases

Art FRP, an innovation based on
the Japanese traditional sense of beauty
Toyugiken Inc. and Ikenobo jointly developed the world's first noble artistic vases made of Kyoto-based Nishijin-ori silk textile and a matrix resin,
offering a very impressive jewellery-like aspect
TeTsuo KiKuchi,
President
Toyugiken Inc.
senKo iKenobo,
Headmaster Designate
Ikenobo

he history of FRP began
when glass fibre-reinforced plastics were first
used in gasoline tank parts in
1942.
Due to their wide functionality and high performance,
these materials achieved a
remarkable development and
are currently used in a wide
variety of applications, from
daily necessities to aerospace
products.
However, so far, authors have
only been focusing on technical advances in the quality of
FRP materials.
This is the reason why the
Japanese company Toyugiken
decided to explore their
overlooked artistic qualities.
By
combining
superior
FRP functionality based on
advanced technology and the
Japanese traditional sense of
beauty originating in traditional Japanese Nishijin-ori
(Kyoto-made kimono fabrics)

and Ikebana (Japanese traditional flower arrangements),
Toyugiken developed a new
concept called Art FRP.
Japan's traditional sense
of beauty
Art FRP was born from
the idea that, up until now,
FRP materials have been researched, developed, and manufactured focusing only on
functionality and practicality.
Building on that, Toyugiken
focused on the artistry that
can be expressed thanks to
their unique qualities. Rather
than simply adding on artistic
elements by combining Japan's
traditional handicrafts - for
example, such craftsmanship
as Nishijin-ori fabric or washi
papermaking - and applying
them to FRP, the company

jec composites magazine / N°122 July 2018

sought to develop and expand
FRP based on a new concept
and perspective. When creating Art FRP, they thought
about what traditional crafts
originated in Kyoto - a city
with 1,200 years of tradition -
and what artistry can be found
in these crafts. They reached
the conclusion that the origin
lies in Japan's traditional tea
ceremony and ikebana flower
arrangement.
About Ikenobo
Japan's oldest school of ikebana, Ikenobo, began with the
flowers placed on the altar of
Rokkakudo, a Buddhist temple
built by Prince Shotoku in 587
CE (Figure 1).
The oldest reference to the
name of Ikenobo is found in a
Muromachi-era record from

Fig. 1: Left:
the Rokkakudo
Buddhist temple;
right: Prince
Shotoku

Fig. 2: The oldest reference
to the name of Ikenobo

1462 CE (Figure 2). That
was over 550 years ago. Since
then, Ikenobo has adhered to
the philosophy that there is
splendour and radiant vitality
even in withered flowers, and
has created various flower
arrangements in keeping with
the changing times.
Figure 3 shows an ikebana
piece arranged in 1594
by the then headmaster
Ikenobo Senko, when shogun
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was visiting the feudal lord of Kaga,
Maeda Toshiie. Behind the
arrangement, there are four
hanging screens that include
monkey images, and to give
a sense of how large this arrangement is, the width is 7.2
metres.
When viewed from the front,

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #122 - July 2018