Page 41 - BSAM 2017 Q4

was originally designed to be a friend to stone hobbyists, promote and document stone exhibitions, annually list the various clubs and dates of their meetings. Te ANAA and the publisher of Japanese language Aiseki magazine work closely together to promote stone appreciation in Japan. People who exhibit a stone in one of the ANAA exhibitions can have a photograph of their stone published in Aiseki magazine for a small fee. About 1,000 copies of this magazine are distributed each month.Te Japanese word “Aiseki” is literally translated as “love of stones.” Te All Nippon Aiskei Association encourages the formation of local clubs whose members go stone hunting throughout Japan. Te stone hobbyists display their stones in local exhibitions or participate in one of the larger venues organized by the ANAA. Tese events provide opportunities for hobbyists to meet, discuss their collecting activities, and display their stones. Mr. Sugo Minetaka, President of the Hokkaido Suiseki Federation, estimates that as many as two to three million Japanese were engaged in stone appreciation activities in the mid-1960s. Today, that number has dropped to approximately 2,000 to 4,000 hobbyists. Tese numbers are estimates rather than documented counts. Many long-term members of the ANAA prefer to exhibit natural stones and avoid enhancing them. Other suiseki organizations were established during the peak years including ones devoted solely to biseki (colorful stones), kikka seki (chrysanthemum fower stones), and abstract stones. Tese specialized groups have all faded into history following the steady decline in the number of suiseki hobbyists beginning in the 1980s and continuing to the present.Te collection and appreciation of stones is very much alive in Japan and is composed of over 400 small local clubs throughout the country. Tese clubs typically have local displays of their stones. While their membership is aging and the total number of clubs slowly declining, there still is great interest among many people in going out to various rivers and other collecting sites to search for interesting stones. Te All Nippon Aiseki Association has long been promoting self-collecting stones in nature and in organizing exhibitions for the hobbyists to display their found objects. In early July 2017, the ANAA staged a major exhibition of stones in Fukushima prefecture in support of the rebuilding eforts following the tsunami and nuclear plant mishap. Teir annual support of the exhibitions held in Sapporo with the Hokkaido Suiseki Federation is contributing to a sustained suiseki culture in Japan for future generations. Te association and federation will stage an all Japan exhibition in the Sapporo Citizen’s gallery from June 29 to July 1, 2018, followed immediately with a stone hunting trip. A large black Kamuikotan stone from the Ishikari River.