HG is very fond of many things Japanese. Foremost, HG adores his Japanese daughter-in-law, Exquisite Maiko, and HG/BSK’s enchanting half-Japanese grandchildren Haru and Teru. And, being an obsessive food nut, HG revels in the standard bearers of Japanese cuisine: sushi, sashimi, sake, tempura and ramen; in addition HG has been lucky to fall in love with the more obscure home-cooking side of Japanese fare through the culinary expertise of Exquisite Maiko. HG’s delight in things Japanese extends to architecture, furniture, wood-prints, calligraphy and much more. Recently, HG/BSK had the privilege of seeing a show of pottery by Bonnie Lynch in a sublime setting: the Galisteo (a town just south of Santa Fe) home of Japanese/American architect and master woodworker, Sam Takeuchi. Takeuchi has been working on his home’s interiors and gardens for seven years. He has combined some regional details (a door from a Mexican jail, for example) with seamless Japanese cabinetry in the most subtle finishes. Stone, brick, slabs of wood (reminiscent of Nakashima) all play a role in the deceptively simple, ethereally quiet interiors created by Takeuchi’s skill and imagination. Lynch’s pottery, many of which are fired to a near-transparent whiteness, were breathtaking in Takeuchi’s setting. HG/BSK are hopeful that an architectural photographer, who is sensitive and able, will someday photograph the Takeuchi home in order that its wonders reach an appreciative audience.
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