See, hear and taste at the L’art de Rosanjin exhibit, where projection mapping meets fine cuisine

If you have an interest in modern Japanese art, you may be familiar with the name Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883 – 1959). As it happens, the versatile Japanese artist is currently the subject of a an innovative and unique exhibit being held at the Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall in the Coredo Muromachi shopping, dining and entertainment complex.

Rosanjin, who was known not only as an artist, but as a very discerning food connoisseur and a man well ahead of his time, is considered to have had a huge influence on modern Japanese art and cuisine. He has even been the inspiration behind one of the central characters in the popular gourmet comic Oishinbo, so when we heard that the exhibit combined digital technology with elements of both his art and love of food, we knew we had to go and experience it ourselves. And from what we’d already heard, this was going to be an exhibit that you not only see, but hear and taste as well.

The L’art de Rosanjin exhibit is actually a digitally revamped version of an exhibit by the same name that was held in Paris, France in 2013, which apparently was well-received enough for the show to be brought to the artist’s native country.

We bought the entrance ticket (1,000 yen), and since we weren’t about to miss the collaborative food menu served on the exhibit site, we also purchased two different types of “Special Gourmet Tickets” — one for a sampler plate of sushi from the famous restaurant Ginza Kyubei (1,800 yen) and the other for a mini plate of an innovative duck creation by Michelin chef Keisuke Matsushima.

The entrance of the exhibit was decorated with a striking noren, a traditional fabric sign commonly hung in front of Japanese shops and restaurants. The maker of this particular noren, the Tsutaya, is a noren manufacturer with a 80-year history and also created fabric signs for Rosanjin.

For those of you not familiar with Rosanjin, he was definitely a man of many talents, distinguishing himself in various fields such as ceramics, painting, calligraphy, lacquer art, poetry and of course, fine cuisine. His real name was Fusajiro Kitaoji (Kitaoji being his family name), but he is best known simply as Rosanjin. He is probably best recognized for his ceramics work, particularly Oribe-ware ceramics, and for his exploits as a gourmand. (It’s said that when he dined at the Tour d’Argent in Tokyo, he found the sauce to be not the ideal match for the duck, and used his own wasabi and soy-sauce based sauce instead.)

His family situation as a child was very complicated, as he was born out of an extra-marital relationship. His mother’s husband committed suicide after finding out Rosanjin was not his child, and after his mother disappeared, Rosanjin spent many years in various foster homes. He eventually began apprenticing as a calligrapher, and from there went on to expand his pursuit of art in numerous directions.

Food, and the wares used to serve food, was particularly important to Rosanjin, and his passion was such that he opened a members-only cafeteria called the Bishoku Club (Gourmet Club) where he cooked dishes himself and served them on wares he created.

Gaining recognition for his Oribe-ware works, Rosanjin was designated a Living Japanese Treasure (Ningen Kokuho) in 1955, but surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly considering his unconventional personality) he declined the honor, something very few people have done to date. A man with a complex personal history and numerous exceptional talents, Rosanji truly is an individual who cannot be described in a few words.

The show runs until March 24, but the Gourmet tickets are limited to 200 per day for the Kyubei sushi and 600 per day for Keisuke Matsushima’s Food Laboratory, and you’ll also want to take note that Kyubei serves their sushi only from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

We did have an enjoyable time overall, especially with the projection-mapped virtual eight-course meal, and the show was highly interesting in its use of digital technology to fuse various elements of Rosanjin’s work together and stimulate the various senses. Although it may have been nice if we could have seen more actual pieces of work by Rosanjin, it was certainly an interesting experience, and we would definitely go to a similarly themed show again. Here’s to Rosanjin, artist and gourmand extraordinaire!

Location: Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall Address: Coredo Muromachi 5 F, 2-2-1 Muromachi, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Entrance on 4th Floor) Access: Direct from Mitsukoshi-Mae Station on subway Ginza Line and Hanzomon Line (A6 Exit); or Direct from JR Shin-Nihonbashi Station Open: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Last entry 10:30 p.m.), until March 24

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