Back from SF / Art Thing #1 / Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Japanese Collection
Working backwards (ignoring my aborted attempt to squeeze into the closed “The venue closed at 8 PM” Banksy show that was the last art related thing that I managed to do on a chock-full-of-art weekend. I was acutely and distinctly puzzled by the nature of the security guards at the warehouse - were they doing their job operating the “venue”, or were they a complex metaphor that, failing to penetrate, thwarted me?) in time, I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in the two hours before hotel check out. Luckily The Pheonix is located three blocks from the civic center where the museum sits, making for an easy trek. Why is the neighborhood most directly adjacent to the seat of civic government always the city’s most destitute?
I usually look at artifacts with a several purposes in mind - one that’s always at the back of my head is “what is the relationship between the culture of the museum and the culture that’s on display?” With Asian art, I’m usually asking the question - who stole this stuff, under what circumstances, and why hasn’t the dude who’s family crest is on the object come here, matching katana in hand, to claim what is most undeniably his. Why is part of somone’s temple located in the heart of Paris, France? Oh, colonialism…
On the West Coast, it’s different. I get to be spared the self-righteousness, as most of the objects are donated by the communities they came from. We’ve got our own Asians here, thank you, and they’re dying to leave their legacy at the local museum. Which is why San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum was unsuprisingly awesome.
On to the stuff. After being lightly searched and checking my bag, I grabbed a map and headed right for the escalator to the 2nd floor where the Japanese wing is. I figured I’d probably spend the most time there taking pictures, so I should go there first. The AAMSF has a standard no flash, take all the pictures you like photo policy, so I was totally happy. Their docents were so discreet as to be almost invisible, even though they were omnipresent, they were always coming or going, never lingering over your shoulder or staring you down. I took so many damn pictures, I’ll cover the other collections & exhibits in a seperate post.
I’m obsessed with netsuke - they’re living proof that the Japanese have been anticipating the arrival of collectable Hello Kitty erasers for centruies. The four above were real standouts in the collection. I love rat netsuke, especially group rat netsuke, but I really liked the carving on the spherical one above. The dude in glasses clipping his toenails - I know there’s a story there, but it’s inaccessable to me. I’m unsure if it’s intended to be humorous, and I like that grey area. The two at bottom, one a meticulously carved ivrory basket containing stones, and the other, a meticulously woven basket in the shape of a mushroom show the attention to craft and detail that goes into the manufacture of these marvelous objects. My only complaint is that the collection is displayed so you can only see the netsuke from the front. The collection at LACMA in Los Angeles has special low cases so you can see all of them front and back.
You can’t tell me that there isn’t a direct relationship between the aesthetic of inro and netsuke (The sectioned laquered case above is called an inro, the netsuke keeps it from falling off when it’s attached to your obi) and Japanese cell phone culture. Somewhere in Japan there’s a woman in kimono and geta, clip-clopping her way down a narrow alley, wearing a laquered inro designed to carry her GPS DoCoMo keitai. Probably with a Hello Kitty netsuke holding it in place…
My other obsession in any museum is tools - most museums have little to no tools and everyday objects, but they always have arms and armour, which are the next best thing. I have trouble looking at a pot or a painting and imagining how the person who made it or owned it lived, but I have no problem grasping the life of the users and makers of tools. The AAMSF is heavy on mainland Asia - but they have some choice pieces from Japan, like the collection of face masks and throat guards for Samurai helmets above. Once you’ve spent any time at all training with a Japanese weapon you understand the need to deflect sharp objects from the body, and to blunt the penetrations of arrows and other projectiles. Durring the Warring States period of Japanese history 87% of battlefield casualties were from arrow wounds - failure to cover every vital spot invited direct fire death at close range by disciplined Samurai archers.
The awesome helmet & face mask above takes the collection to a whole new level. It’s the most beautiful piece of Japanese armour I’ve ever been in the same room with - I wanted to bust open the case and wear the thing. The demonic face with facial hair, and the “you know I’m a badass”" scoops ascending from the back of the helmet. The museum label indicates that the elaborate design of this helmet was to identify the wearer, to both friends and enemies, in the thick of battle.
Two more objects demanded serious attention in the Japanese Collection. The above matchlock pistol and the rifle below. The rifle was no doubt a practical object, meant to be used, but still elegantly designed. The pistol, on the other hand, would have been nearly impossible to fire from horseback, and was most likely crafted and owned purely as a status object. According to the pistol’s label, matchlock pistols were almost never manufatured outside of Japan - they were that impractical. The laquer on the pistol is beyond elaborate and rivals the most beautiful guns of the American West. Someone loved that object, probably brought it out proudly to show every guest that walked in the doors.
The rifle above (shown with pistol) is well made, not particularily astounding in any way. But the detail that sucked me in is the icon/logo/manufacturer’s mark inlaid on the butt stock. A rabbit, proving that the Japanese fascination with character design is neither new nor novel, sits starkly, daring Sanrio to manufacture a pink 12 gauge shotgun. I love it.
So I love the Japanese collection at the AAMSF. There’s more to it, including an impressive palanquin, a collection of woven bag/baskets and small tsuba collection. Those and all my other AAMSF photos are in this Flickr set, for your viewing pleasure.
