Mino Ware exhibition opens at Herend Porcelain Museum

The background to the exhibition is that in 2021, the Herend Porcelain Manufactory Ltd. and Gifu Prefecture entered into a cooperation with each other, with the aim of jointly nurturing the culture and traditions of the porcelain and ceramics industry and deepening the knowledge of each other’s cultural values. Areas of cooperation are designated by mutual art exhibitions and joint scholarship programs.

The exhibition entitled “The Thousand Faces of Mino” opened in Herend with the appearance of Hajime Furuta, Governor of Gifu Prefecture, Otaka Masato, Ambassador of Japan to Hungary, and Jitsuhiro Yamada, President of Gifu Prefecture Hungary Friendship Association. The superiors from Japan were accompanied by a large Japanese diplomatic delegation.

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Governor Hajime Furuta reminded that in 2021, Herend porcelain had already been presented in Japan at the International Ceramics Festival Mino. In return, the current exhibition of Gifu ceramics opened at the Herend Porcelain Museum. He said that blessed with rich resources such as pottery clay, Mino Ware production area is known today as “Ceramic Valley”, a major center in Japan integrating lots of potters and artists. This exhibition is the first opportunity for visitors to enjoy the multifaceted world of Mino Ware in Hungary. He expressed hope that visitors can perceive the spirit of the countless Japanese people who have devoted for Mino Ware for more than 1,300 years. The governor expressed his thanks to Herend for making it possible to organize this exhibition under very high-quality conditions.

Dr. Attila Simon, CEO of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory Ltd., said at the opening ceremony that Gifu Prefecture and the Herend Porcelain Manufactory are connected by many common ideas, such as the common cultural mission, responsibility towards the profession and thinking about the future together. “Our common goal is to nurture and preserve international porcelain and ceramic art values. In the spirit of our cultural mission, we are pleased to host the works of artists from Gifu Prefecture, Japan at our Museum. We are responsible for passing on the cultural values entrusted to us to future generations. We should not consume, but enrich the cultural heritage left to us. We must pass on more to the future than we received from our predecessors. The current exhibition is a celebration of art, which for thousands of years has connected people, geographical regions, and countries and presented them to the future.” – he emphasized.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition was enhanced by a great concert by the students of Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.