Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association 2017 year work results

On January 2017, Association's membersheld the meeting about the work results for 2016 year. The Chairman approved the 2017 Action Plan. During the meeting, the Chairman noted that the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association and the Gallery of Fine Arts of Uzbekistan held a number of events in 2016 mainly aimed at familiarization of the Japanese public with rich culture and art of our people to develop cultural and educational relations between Uzbekistan and Japan.

May of 2017 was marked by the meeting of Association's members on results of the agenda discussion:

• Announcement of the updated list of members of the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association.

• Election of Board members, Chairman and Executive Director of the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association.

Approval of the Association’s 2017 ActionPlan.

April 12, 2017 - the opening of the one-man Japanese art show "Spring Dawn" by Gayane Matevosyan dedicated to the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Japan. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Uzbekistan Nobuaki Ito addressed the opening ceremony and expressed gratitude to the planners.

Gayane Matevosyan is a multifaceted artist, a student of calligrapher Madame Michiko Hamasaki, the only master of Japanese Sumi-e art in Uzbekistan, presented more than thirty works united by spring subject.

Reference: Sumi-e (sumi - ink, e - painting) is a painting using ink and water on the rice paper. Sumi-e is a type of monochrome painting similar to watercolor. Regardless, Sumi-e has always been hardly influenced by China, the Japanese artists developed their own style over the centuries and the sumi-e style, which requires skills in only a few simple techniques, is flourishing today.

According to the plan for the implementation of priority areas under the auspices of "Human interests are of great value”, the Gallery of Fine Arts of Uzbekistan will hold a concert and a children's exhibition dedicated to the International Children's Day on June 1, 2017.

Reference: It has become a good tradition to hold annual children's events dedicated to the New Year, Navruz and Independence Day. The first of June is especially celebrated as the International Children's Day involving not only an exhibition of children's works from various studios of Tashkent, but a concert program with a certain subject for every year. Thus, this year, an exhibition and a concert were successfully held.

According to the plan for the implementation of priority areas under the auspices of “Peace and Prosperity of the Motherland is the Highest Good”, the 15th of June was marked by the Children's Holiday supported by the Uzbek-Japanese Center for the Development of Human Resources and the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association.

Reference: Start of cooperation of the Gallery of Fine Arts of Uzbekistan with various public organizations, including the Council of Friendship and Cultural Ties of Uzbekistan with Foreign Countries and the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association in particular, the National Bank Studio participated in cultural events involving youth from both countries.

In this regard, during the summer holidays, they held a "Children's Holiday" where children played and interactively got acquainted: with the Japanese language, Japanese traditional games, made origami by their own, watched a Japanese folk tale "Momotarō" in Japanese with translation and painted Manga. The event finished with a colorful soap bubble show. About 85 children attended the event and received gifts and many vivid impressions.

June 28, 2017. The Association supported by the International Caravanserai named after Ikuo Hirayama arranged workshops of artistic enameling headed by the famous Japanese artist Yoshiko Saito in the Caravanserai.

According to the plan for the implementation of priority areas under the auspices of "Interethnic harmony and tolerance are the keys to stability", on June 29, the Association supported by the International Caravanserai named after Ikuo Hirayama held an exhibition of the world famous Japanese engraving artist Katsushika Hokusai "Tokaido Roads" in the Gallery of Fine Arts of Uzbekistan. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Uzbekistan Nobuaki Ito and a guest from Japan, artist Yoshiko Saito visited and addressed the opening.

Reference: Hokusai is the first of the masters of Japanese engraving, who singled out landscape as an independent genre. Hokusai worked as a master of Surimono. The most significant works of the master are the multi-volume work “Manga”, which became a manual for artists, as well as “53 Tokaido Stations” created in 1804.

Tokaido was one of the five roads connecting Edo with other parts of Japan.

July 28, 2017. The conference hall of the Gallery of Fine Arts of Uzbekistan hosted a creative meeting with Gayane Matevosyan, a specialist in Japanese calligraphy. The artist presented her works in the original and demonstrated slides using a projector. During the conversation, the artist demonstrated the types and styles of calligraphy and the sequence of work.  She showed a variety of prescription paper, spoke about devices and their proper use.

On September 21, the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association together with the Association "The World Bell of Peace" supported by the Committee for Inter-ethnic and Friendly Relations with Foreign Countries under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Committee) held an event dedicated to the 26th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Friendship Park on the International Day of Peace.

Reference: 2001. The General Assembly unanimously adopted the Resolution of 55/282 session, which decided that since 2002, the International Day of Peace will be celebrated annually on September 21 as a day of universal ceasefire and non-violence.

In 2003, the Peace Bell was installed in the Friendship Park. It was an emblem of Uzbekistan's contribution to strengthening peace and stability in Central Asia. The ceremony of Peace Bell voicing was attended by the representatives of international organizations and embassies of foreign countries.

October 18, 2017. As a part of promotion of mutual understanding between Uzbekistan and Japan, the Association supported by the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Uzbek-Japanese Center (UJC) visited the Gallery of Fine Arts of Uzbekistan to hold a press briefing and a lecture on: "Dramatic art of Noh theatre" by Katsumi Noboru.

Reference: Noh theatre originated in the XIVth century, is a type of ancient Japanese traditional art included in the List of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Until today, the tradition of Noh theatre is unchanged. This is also a unique feature of genre, the Japanese worldview, and attitude towards art.

The traditional Noh theatre is a symphony of dancing, rhythm, music with rustling, postures and movements of characters. Here, every sound and gesture plays a role. The performance has no irrelevant things. Actors use a special technique to weave singing, recitation, shouting and reading to convey their ideas to the public.

The artist of ancient traditional art of Japan, Mr. Katsumi introduced the Uzbek audience to the Japanese plays “Hagoromo” (Cape of Feathers) and “Tsuchigumo” (Earth Spider) coming out in mast through movements and gestures accompanied by music. The plays narrated of relation of man to nature and the Supreme Being, as well as human feelings and virtues. Besides, Katsumi's program provided devotion to the memory of the great poet Alisher Navoi, which gave the name of the event.

This event provided the residents of Uzbekistan with more close awareness of Japanese culture, in particular, medieval traditional theater art, and made them expand the boundaries of cultural cooperation within theater and music.

November 10, 2017. The Association held a presentation for 18 years of the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association activity in the Committee for Inter-ethnic and Friendly Relations with Foreign Countries under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan during the meeting of delegation headed by the Mayor's Office of Maizuru.

On November 20, 2017, the Headquarters of the National Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Foreign Economic Activity hosted a meeting of management of Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association with the delegation from Higashikawa headed by Deputy Mayor Naoki Ichikawa.

During the meeting, the Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Foreign Economic Activity, Member of the Board of the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association Ulugbek Matkarimov and the Deputy Mayor of Higashikawa Mr. Naoki Ichikawa addressed the meeting.

The following issues were discussed: establishment and expansion of bilateral ties within cultural, humanitarian, educational, economic and agricultural sectors, partnerships with Uzbekistan's cities, establishment of the Higashikawa-Uzbekistan Friendship Association.

During this meeting, the Association held a presentation to show the most striking and significant events for the 18 years of the Uzbekistan-Japan Friendship Association activity.

November 14, 2017, December 26, 2017, January 16, 2018, March 13, 2018, April 10, 2018, June 5, 2018.