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By Suzanne Tswei
Star-Bulletin
IT should come as no surprise that Tadashi Goino delights in sharing with strangers his love of ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints depicting the fleeting pleasures of earthly existence.The self-taught connoisseur has donated more than 800 prints from his personal collection to schools around the world, including 50 prints to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Another 100 prints from him are on loan for an exhibit at the UH Art Gallery.
Nevertheless, it still is quite a shock when he insists on giving a 200-some-year-old print to someone he's meeting for the first time and most likely will never see again.
ON VIEW
What: A Transient World: Ukiyo-e prints from the Tadashi Goino Collection
"Please, he wants you to choose one. He wants to make you a present," interpreter Akihiro Aoyagi said. "You shouldn't think too much of this. He always does this when he meets people."
Goino assures the stranger -- in this case, this writer -- that it's his habit to give away prints as a way to make new friends. He weeds out what he considers second-rate prints from his collection and carries them in a binder wrapped in a purple furoshiki (wrapping fabric) whenever he travels.
When this writer declines the gift, citing company policy and journalistic ethics, Aoyagi, Goino's representative in Hawaii, says, "Don't worry, he has many, many more. One is nothing."Besides, his interest in ukiyo-e prints has waned in recent years, Goino says. The son of a Japan businessman, he's turned his focus from art to science, working on inventions. He says his projects range from fine tuning a liquid fuel for rockets to Mars, to concocting a "cure-all" tea made from mushrooms and herbs that would fight cancer, diabetes and high cholesterol.
In keeping with the "floating world," the term the Japanese use to describe the prints and the impermanence of life's pleasures, Goino finally agrees to allow the writer to donate the print to raise money for a good cause. But only after the writer has sufficiently "enjoyed" the print.
"Living only for the moment,
turning our full attention to the pleasures
of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms
and the maple leaves,
singing songs, drinking wine,
diverting ourselves in just floating, floating ...-- By Asai Ryoi, circa 1661
Goino says he has about 500 top-quality prints remaining in his collection but he hasn't added to his collection in four or five years. Along with the "mediocre" prints, he always carries some of the best prints from his collection when he travels.No, he doesn't give away the good prints as gifts. He uses them as show-and-tell examples to help others appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of Japanese woodblock prints.
"Please, touch, you can touch," Goino says, paying no mind to the preferred museum practice of wearing gloves when handling delicate and ancient art objects.
When this writer worries about dirty, oily hands damaging the valuable prints, Goino insists that no one can truly enjoy the prints without knowing the beauty of the paper first hand.
"Paper is very important. Japanese used the best paper. The best artists used the best paper," Goino said through Aoyagi.
Producing ukiyo-e prints, which flourished from the middle 17th century to the 19th century, was a collaborative effort. It involved the main artist who did the drawing and designing as well as artisans specializing in different disciplines: papermaking, inking and coloring, engraving and printmaking, Goino said.
The only way to truly appreciate the woodblock prints and all the efforts in the production is to view and handle the prints close-up, he said. That's why he began a project in 1994 to donate 10,000 prints to schools worldwide to make them available for students to study."When he was in junior high school, he became interested in Japanese prints. But there were no prints at the school at all for him to study. That was very unfortunate. He had to wait until he grew up," Aoyagi said.
Through donations of works and exhibits, Goino hopes to offer everyone a chance to not only see Japanese woodblock prints but touch them -- at least the ones he considers mediocre -- as well. The prints are donated through Utagawaha Monjinkai, a nonprofit corporation Goino founded.
The prints loaned to the UH exhibit are the finest examples of ukiyo-e. Visitors won't be able to touch the paper, but they will be treated to an eclectic collection showcased in a thoughtful and elegant installation. Scholars can handle donated prints housed at Hamilton Library.
Goino began buying prints 18 years ago when they were relatively cheap. He declined to discuss costs except to say that he got "good price" by buying through dealers in Japan. The dealers sold books of prints, each containing 100 to 200 pieces.
Goino would go through each book and look for the prints that stood out in terms of colors, composition and other details. "It's like looking for treasure. That's the fun for him," Aoyagi said.Discovering a few works by 18th century artist Hokusai, Goino's favorite and one of Japan's premier woodblock print artists, gave him the incentive to keep up with the hunt, he said.
UH Art Gallery director Tom Klobe, who didn't know much about Goino before meeting him at the show's Sunday opening, says the prints are authentic and some of the best that he's seen.
For the UH show, Klobe and his crew suspended floating walls on which to hang the prints. Scattered throughout the gallery are ceiling-to-floor rice-paper-like screens.
The exhibit groups the prints on each floating wall according to the subject matter: the gay life and beautiful women of the pleasure quarters, Kabuki theater and its celebrated actors, scenic Japanese countrysides and every-day leisure activities, heroes and notable events from history and literature.
Some prints are characteristically colorful, bold and flamboyant while others are subtle with a limited palette of soft hues.
The most unusual pieces are prints that have shrunk, resulting in works about half the size of the originals and in brilliant colors.
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