It was held in the museum “Het Valkhof” in the city Nijmegen. This museum houses a major collection of Roman antiquities, old masters, and modern art. It is located at the edge of the historic Valkhof Park, which was once the site of a Roman encampment and, many centuries later the residence of Charlemagne. Today, you will find an excitingly modern structure for art and archeology. A long glass gallery with its undulating ceiling offers a panoramic —-My uncle busy in his workshop.—– view of the grand river landscape beyond.

My father was also born in the city Nijmegen and as young as 18 years old and later becoming a historian, he was already a tour guide for the “Valkhof Park”. And now I have some of my work in the museum!

For five generations we have artists in the family and it started with my great-grandfather Herman Arens, who was a photographer and art drawing teacher and his brother Arnold Arens, who moved to Antwerpen (Belgium). He invented and had a patent on a machine for a copperplate press for decorations.






The 3 sons of my great-grandfather worked together in a guild of the “Brothers Arens”. My grandfather, Rudolphus, was the oldest, Albert was the painter and drew a lot of the designs and Johan, also a goldsmith, was the youngest. They made a lot of art for churches of which you can see a photo in my blog of February 2, 2010.

A special necklace made for the mayor of the city Huissen in 1948 by the “Brothers Arens”.

My uncle and godfather, Rudie Arens, who is born in 1918, and the 5th child out of 6, first wanted to become a doctor, but then chose to follow in his dad’s footsteps. He went to the appropriate art schools and had practical experience with a lot of artists. He also became an art teacher and in his workshop he taught over 80 students for their practical year. Some of his work:

A silver seahorse on precious stone.

He crafted lots of sigilla/signs for university student organizations.

The design of a commemorative “Spoon” for the birth of “Prins Bernard”, one of the sons of Princess Margriet, sister of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.

Of course, I have to show you this swan, which he crafted beautifully on top of a leftover medieval staff.

This is another drawing of some fine jewelry, so beautiful that it almost looks real.

The granddaughter, Charlotte Rombouts Arens, the fifth generation, will continue the goldsmithing art.

My brother Ruud-Jan Kokke, who is a designer, my sister Alida Kokke, who is a floral artist and I are the fourth generation participating in this exhibition.

My sister Alida with “Primula” flower prints surrounded by “email” (color glaze) floral primula jewelry of uncle Rudie.

The cane and stool are designed by my brother Ruud-Jan and acquired, shown and sold in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Then my work: the “Angle” Kamakura Red Teapot and cup, the “Toward the middle” plate and an engraved white slip plate.

This is my grandfather Rudolphus Arens playing his cello, painted by his brother Albert Arens.

In this church he crafted the pulpit. Incredible!





This Art Deco style beautiful owl is standing on the corner of the pulpit.









Kind of interesting how I come back to my family via the research of Kamakura Bori all the way in Japan: life makes a full circle!







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We had breakfast in this restaurant, a typical old style house.



We had a nice time together for one day and then I returned to Holland to return the next day to Japan.

My sister-in-law Inge, my son Roland and niece Esmee.













We played a board game from about a hundred years ago, which our grandfather played from my husband’s family side. It is played once a year on New Year’s Eve. It is about farmers being afraid of having to pay too much taxes. We play with old Dutch pennies not being used anymore because of the Euro.

Then at 12 midnight after wishing everybody a Happy New Year and drinking champagne, everybody rushes outside to light fireworks with a big bang starting the New Year! It is not organized. Anybody can light fireworks. It is everywhere around you!  Watch this YOU TUBE VIDEO!!

In the beginning of November

Only in the beginning of November and New Year’s time are you able to access the grounds and view the Temple’s treasures. But even then after paying 500 yen, there is a rope hanging around the structure and going inside it is not permitted. So, this is my picture and as close as I could get. So, I saw this altar only from far away.

This picture shows the Shariden in the snow and clearly the special architecture.
The existing structure was first constructed in the early 15th century as the main hall of Taiheiji nunnery. After the abduction of the head nun, the Temple took over the structure in the latter half of the 16th century. The steep slope of the two double-decks roof with shingles indicates a Sung-style Chinese architecture. This Shariden is the oldest Chinese-style building in Japan and that is the reason for being enrolled on the list of National Treasures. The principal object of worship is a statue of Birushana Butsu. Birushana is the transliteration of a Sanscrit word vairocana, meaning the sun and the light of grace. Vairocana Buddha is sometimes called the supreme Buddha, representing the wisdom of “emptiness”. He is considered a personification of the everything, unmanifested, free of characteristics and distinctions.

Shari denotes sacred ashes of Shaka (Sakyamuni). Shariden, therefore, means a hall that is dedicated to the ashes of Sakyamuni. However, there is no such ashes any more.

The Engaku-ji is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura’s Five Mountains. This is a system, a network of monastic offices, developed in China to bureaucratize and to control the Zen temples. In Japan it prospered thanks to the countries military rulers in Kamakura first and Kyoto later.
The temple was founded in 1282 (during the Kamakura Period) by a Chinese Zen monk at the request of the then ruler of Japan, the regent Hojo Tokimune after he had repelled a Mongolian invasion in the period 1274 to 1281. Tokimune had a long-standing commitment to Zen and the temple was intended to honour those of both sides who died in the war, as well as serving as a center from which the influence of Zen could be spread. According to the records of the time, when building work started a copy of the Sutra of Perfect Enlightment (in Japanese, engaku-kyo) was dug out of the hillside in a stone chest during the initial building works, giving its name to the temple.
(Also, see my blogs from May 14 and 16, 2006 or click on the tag “Temple”).

It is situated on the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine grounds in a beautiful setting surrounded by lots of trees and of course, the autumn colors were astounding, especially the yellow from the Gingko tree.


The featured exposition is about The 800th Memorial Anniversary of Honen Shonin (1133-1212), who studied Buddhism and found the true way of universal salvation through the practice of nembutsu revealed in the Buddhist scripture text by Shan-tao. Honen established the nembutsu as an absolutely independent practice. In the spring of 1175, he founded Jodo Shu, or the Pure Land Denomination, in Japan. The center of his teaching was at Yoshimizu, where Chion-in, the Head Temple of Jodo Shu, now stands.
Masako, wife of warrior Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun who founded the Kamakura government shogunate, was a follower of Honen. And so the center of the Jodo Shu sect is established at the Komyoji, the temple in my neighborhood. Look also at the following blogs: Oct. 18, 2009; April14, 2009; July 31, 2008, and Sept.23, 2007.

This is Yoshitada Shonin a treasure from Kamakura City and sculpted from wood in the 12th century here in Kamakura, in the time when all the sculpting and carving of wood started because all of the temple building and developed into the Kamakura Bori.

They also had some wonderful maps hanging from the Komyoji.
I was allowed to take some picture from a book, because it was sold out.

This map is made in 1720. To the south is the beach with some some greenlands and to the north it is build against a rocky hill.
A lot of temples in Kamakura protect themselves in that way with their back against a hill.

This second map was drawn in 1850 and again you can clearly see the hills surrounding the temple and a small river flowing in to the sea. This map was about 2 by 2 meters big!






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The origin of Kamakura Bori starts in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) when the Shogun Minamoto Yoritomo establishe his military government in Kamakura on 1192. Many fine articles were imported from the culture of the China Song Dynasty, including “Urushi” lacquerware. Zen Buddhism flourished and with the building of the temples altar fittings and all other religious paraphernalia were needed. Artisans in Kamakura, in trying to imitate the Chinese “Tsuichi” lacquerware (first lacquer and then carving), developed a similar but unique technique called Kamakurai Bori (first carving and then lacquer). The picture shows a table “Maezukue” from the Kenchoji in Kamakura.

In the Muromachi Period (1338-1573) many more artistic masterpieces were created, like large incense containers and ink stone cases (see the left picture with a design of the Shishi dancing animal from the Kamakura Treasure Museum). The words “Kamakura mono” (things made in Kamakura), appeared for the first time in a diary. which perhaps for the first time described this beautiful art form.




During the Edo Period (1603-1867), the tea ceremony reached its highest point in popularity among the Japanese aristocracy and along with that, the need for all the utensils. Kamakura Bori was highly valued. The picture shows a tobacco tray from the Kamakura Treasure Museum.



During the Meiji Period (1868-1911) and Taisho Period (1912-1926) the government promoted Shinto beliefs, a religion devoted to nature worship; a new found liberalism. Many Buddhist icons and temples were destroyed and many traditional craftsmen lost their jobs. But as told in the blog of the historical Gotoh family, they were able to adapt their ancient craft to the production of more practical, daily use and decorative items and their addition of a new big change as the “Hikuchi nuri” process to the Kamakuri Bori art. (See also the blog of the interview of the Gotoh family).


In the Shouwa Period (1926-1989) and until now people have shown appreciation for things traditional, practical and beautiful, and in an era of mass produced items, Kamakura Bori stands out as a functional and esthetically pleasing alternative to the generic products of today.

In 1961, the Kamakura Masters Committee was established and at present consists of twenty-one groups and some 6000 members. In 1979, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry designated the City of Kamakura as a traditional Handicraft Industrial Zone.

A Shishi Mai (Chinese Lion) animal mask hang in the entrance. It was carved from wood and the paint was quite fainted, but they use this mask during New Years to wish everybody a Happy New Year. Or here to wish you a good day or happy life! Unfortunately, but also understandable, this was the only picture I was allowed to take.

First, we entered a work area where three artists were carving pieces, like a very big frame with straight lines, sort of Art Deco style, and a plate with a flower design. They were sitting in front of the windows to make use of the day light.

In the next room, some artists were putting on the first “Urushi” layer of lacquer. One person put lacquer on some beautifully carved big buttons. I also saw some big boxes with wonderfully carved flower designs.

Then we were able to look into some rooms through windows and saw that one artist was putting on a black layer of lacquer on a carved tray. Another person was putting on the final vermillion layer: the Kamakura Red! They derived the red pigment from lava rocks. We also saw some green lacquered carved stools, which were made by a student.

Just to think of the many hours of man work put into creating one piece. Unbelievable!

To the left is the picture of the Shishi mai (dancing) animal carved into a part of an altar at the Kenchoji in Kamakura during origin Kamakura period of Kamakura Bori. The animal is an imaginative animal (lion) and comes from China.







This is a Shishi adorned at one of the gate entrances of the Engakuji, one of the important Zen Buddhist temples of Japan in North Kamakura.






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At this interview I was assisted by Sally Tamura, who I met at the Kamakura Bori Museum where we had taken our Experimental Kamakura Bori Course and she organized this appointment with Gotoh Keiko-san. Sally Tamura studied Buddhist art religion at a university. She translated where ever necessary.

We had our meeting in the store of the family: “Hakkodo”, which means “studying old objects in history”. During the Meiji Era, which began in the latter part of the 19th century, the production of Buddhist sculpture decreased. Gotoh Itsuki, the 26th master head of the family and Gotoh Unkyu, the 27th, and their fellow craftsmen developed the art form as a means of creating handicrafts and works of industrial art that are familiar to this day. In 1900 Gotoh Unkyu opened a shop and studio named “Hakkodo” in front of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura.

First, we went upstairs where there is an exhibition of Kamakura Bori works by Gotoh Itsuki and Unkyu. They each have their own style and they create their own designs. Gotoh Itsuki’s work is beautiful and the Kamakura Bori color has almost a little of an orange shine (see the picture to the left of the “Phoenix Bird”). Gotoh Unkyu, the 27th master, developed “a deep cut” in his work specific to him. It also showed some small wooden statues. The ones in the picture are carved by Kamakura Bori artists in the Edo Period (1603-1867). Then there were some books showing some of the templates they would use as drawings, copy it on the wood and then carve it out. Also, some cabinets showed Kamakura Red Bori. The left side shows work from artists working under the 26th master Itsuki and the right side shows work from Bori artists under Unkyu, the 27th head of the Gotoh family.



Then we sat down for some talk about the history and technique.
The beginning of Kamakura Bori Art started from Zen Buddhism with the sculpting and lacquering of Buddhist images, furniture and lacquered incense cases modeled after those brought from China in the Song Dynasty style for the newly build temples. Gotoh Keiko was not really sure if her fore-fathers had been monks themselves, but they may have had some high rank of monk. In the picture are real life wooden statues from praying monks preserved behind glass in the art gallery in the “Sanmon”, main gate of the Komyoji Temple.

During the next centuries the techniques and styles stayed the same. The Buddhist statues are incredibly finely carved, especially the folds of the clothing are just like real and all the lines are so straight. Every piece was related to religion. Incense boxes repeat certain designs of flowers like the Peony(see to the right the picture of an Incense case from the Muromachi era of the Kamakura Kokuho-kan) or the “Guri” designs, a kind of deeply carved arabesque, suggesting a flow of water (see to the left the picture of the Incense case GURI from the Kamakura Bori Material Museum).


An anti-Buddhist movement started in the beginning of the Meiji Period in 1868 and this gave rise to the destruction of Buddhist temples all over the country. This is where they had to reinvent themselves and started making functional ware for all day life like trays, teacup holders, reading desks and mirror stands.

The biggest change in the technique was a different layer of lacquer style, called the “Hikuchi nuri” process, created by the masters Itsuki and Unkyu . In order to temper the shade of lacquerware and deepen the red color, Makomo (water oats powder obtained from a special plant) is applied (“nuri”) on the entire surface while the final layer of lacquering is half-dry (“hikuchi”). The red color also still deepens in time. They get the red pigment from lava rocks, because Japan is a volcanic island. Japan doesn’t have many minerals to make colors from. They imported them mainly from China. But they had this red from the Lava rocks.

So, because of this beautiful red pigment, the wonderful historical background and because I live here, I call my red glaze “KAMAKURA RED”!

In the future, Gotoh Keiko-san will see change in color for a deeper color research. Also, they may have to find other trees than the Katsura trees and the “urushi” sap, which is also used by other people as lacquer, may run out and needs to be replaced by another resource.


She showed us a beautiful ” Wave” plate from Kamakura near the sea, designed by her.

Then she showed a big plate she designed of grasses appropriate
for this time of year. It has a silver layer of lacquer in between.
That is why it looks so silvery!