Tanaka_NL

In a world where wars still break out across the globe, we must ask: what can we learn from the past, and what should we pass on to the future?
 
These glass vessels, designed by second-generation atomic bomb survivor Shujiro Tanaka and produced by Okinawan Ryukyu glass artist Seiichiro Inamine and his studio, reflect a deep desire to convey the events that occurred in Hiroshima eighty years ago to people living today. It is a beautiful and powerful message that reflects the quiet prayers of Hiroshima’s citizens.

 Shujiro Tanaka and Seiichiro Inamine's glasses

Each year, countless paper cranes are delivered to the Children’s Peace Monument beside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Many are bundled into senbazuru (a thousand cranes), offered as prayers for peace, and gathered in Hiroshima. Once a year, these cranes are respectfully burned in a ceremonial fire at Daishō-in Temple on Miyajima Island—a ritual of purification and spiritual release. This solemn ceremony began in 2012 and has become a symbol of the circulation of prayer, uniting hearts from around the world. 
 
The ashes left behind from the cranes are not simply discarded, but, since 2015, they have been given new life by ceramicists and glassmakers. They are regenerated as glazes, which are transformed into incense burners, candle holders, and glassware. Shujiro Tanaka and Seiichiro Inamine have created their “glasses of prayer” in the hopes that this prayer for peace will be crystallized and live quietly in our daily lives. We invite you to hold one of these glasses when you enjoy your morning drink. We hope that its gentle light will soothe your heart and help you start your day cheerfully.

And Shujiro Tanaka has just one wish for his glassware. He asks ‘Please place these glasses within the reach of children.’ He wishes for children—the bearers of our future—to touch them, to feel them, and through the glassware, to sense the value of peace. This simple but profound request deeply moved our exhibition director David. May this wish for peace be conveyed through this glass to your hands and beyond.