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⁠Exhibitions & Events

2025 U.S. Inami Woodcarving Roadshow

From the Road

Ten stops in seven cities14 November to 14 December 2025

An album for each stop of the tour, from the symposium at Princeton to the last workshop in Honolulu.

  1. 01Princeton University14 Nov 2025
  2. 02Arts Council of Princeton15 Nov 2025
  3. 03RESOBOX22 Nov 2025
  4. 04Japan House Los Angeles24 Nov 2025
  5. 05Japan-America Society of Miami/South Florida4 Dec 2025
  6. 06The Kampong, National Tropical Botanical Garden5 Dec 2025
  7. 07Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art6 Dec 2025
  8. 08Buddhist Church of San Francisco10 Dec 2025
  9. 09Japan Society of Northern California12 Dec 2025
  10. 10Downtown Art Center14 Dec 2025

Stop 1 of 10

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey14 Nov 2025Symposium, live demonstration and film premiere

The tour opened with The Thinking Hand, a symposium hosted by Princeton’s Department of East Asian Studies. Governor Nitta of Toyama Prefecture gave the keynote in English, the chairman of the Inami Woodcarving Cooperative spoke and carved alongside Hakuun, and Voices in the Grain had its premiere.

The full lecture hall at Princeton, the audience following a slide on the traditional crafts of Toyama
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III with the carved panel The Bridge Between Japan and the United States
  • Nambu Hakuun III carving on the lecture-hall floor
  • Two long pine-tree drawings unrolled for the audience
  • A second Inami carver at work on a relief block during the symposium
  • Karim Thalji at the lectern beside the title slide
  • The premiere of Voices in the Grain: credits on the screen

Stop 2 of 10

Arts Council of Princeton

Princeton, New Jersey15 Nov 2025Talk, live demonstration and hands-on carving

The next day the program moved into town, to the Arts Council’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts: a talk, a live demonstration, and a turn at the chisel for visitors.

The sunlit gallery of the Arts Council of Princeton during the demonstration
  • Nambu Hakuun III at the relief block while Karim Thalji introduces the work
  • A visitor carving beside Nambu Hakuun III
  • Over the master’s shoulder: a visitor makes a first cut
  • A visitor bends over the block as Nambu Hakuun III watches
  • Karim Thalji during the talk
  • The Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in autumn

Stop 3 of 10

RESOBOX

New York, New York22 Nov 2025Screening, talk and live demonstration

A small, close gathering at RESOBOX, a space for Japanese art and culture in New York, built around a screening of Voices in the Grain.

Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III address the audience at RESOBOX, drawings laid out before them
  • Nambu Hakuun III working over paper with the audience close around him
  • Drawing with a long stick while Karim Thalji explains
  • Two large charcoal drawings beside the master and his chisels
  • Mallet and chisels laid out on the red cloth
  • Visitors handle a carving after the program
  • The talk at RESOBOX

Stop 4 of 10

Japan House Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California24 Nov 2025Screening and live demonstration

The largest audience of the tour, at Japan House Los Angeles, the cultural center run by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hakuun drew a peony on washi before the audience, and showed the carving made from the same design.

The stage at Japan House Los Angeles beneath the title slide
  • Nambu Hakuun III holds up a charcoal drawing of a flower while Karim Thalji shows the carving made from it
  • Drawing at full size with charcoal on a long stick
  • A visitor carving beside the master
  • A visitor strikes the chisel as the master looks on
  • The Bridge Between Japan and the United States beside the podium, its drawing below
  • Nambu Hakuun III in conversation on stage

Stop 5 of 10

Japan-America Society of Miami/South Florida

Coral Gables, Florida4 Dec 2025Bōnenkai: talk and live demonstration

The Japan-America Society of Miami/South Florida made the program the centerpiece of its Bōnenkai, the end-of-year gathering, held at the Coral Gables Museum.

Guests encircle Nambu Hakuun III as he carves on tatami
  • Drawing in charcoal with a long bamboo stick, the finished relief beside the paper
  • A guest strikes the chisel while the master steadies the block
  • A guest at the block, gouges laid out alongside
  • A guest carving beside Nambu Hakuun III
  • A shared smile over the carved block
  • Nambu Hakuun III laughs, mallet and chisel in hand

Stop 6 of 10

The Kampong, National Tropical Botanical Garden

Miami, Florida5 Dec 2025Talk and live demonstration

Added during the tour: a morning talk and demonstration at The Kampong, the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s garden in Coconut Grove.

The open stone pavilion at The Kampong during the demonstration
  • A visitor raises the mallet as Nambu Hakuun III sits beside her
  • The master’s hands guide a visitor’s hands on the chisel
  • Mallet meets chisel
  • Gouges laid out beside the charcoal drawing
  • A carved head shown during the talk
  • Opening the talk at The Kampong

Stop 7 of 10

Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

Washington, D.C.6 Dec 2025Live demonstration and talk

Hakuun carved before an audience at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, talking through each stage of the work, and visitors took up the chisel themselves.

Nambu Hakuun III guides a visitor through a first cut before an audience
  • A visitor carving beside Nambu Hakuun III, mallet and chisel in hand
  • The gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, the audience reaching to the back of the room
  • Nambu Hakuun III carving on the low platform, his charcoal drawing in the foreground
  • A visitor raises the mallet beside a smiling Nambu Hakuun III
  • The master guides a visitor’s hands on the chisel
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III during the talk

Stop 8 of 10

Buddhist Church of San Francisco

San Francisco, California10 Dec 2025Talk and live demonstration

Added during the tour, at a temple of the same Jōdo Shinshū faith as Zuisen-ji, the temple at the heart of Inami.

Nambu Hakuun III and Karim Thalji with the audience after the program, carvings and drawings on the mat
  • A visitor strikes the chisel beside Nambu Hakuun III
  • The audience watches the master carve

Stop 9 of 10

Japan Society of Northern California

San Francisco, California12 Dec 2025Lecture and live demonstration at KOHO Creative Hub

A lecture and demonstration for the Japan Society of Northern California at the KOHO Creative Hub, followed by a reception for the society’s members and friends.

Nambu Hakuun III draws before a packed audience at KOHO Creative Hub
  • Carving at the low table, chisels laid out on the mat
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III open the lecture
  • A visitor carves beside the master
  • A visitor’s hands drive the chisel into the block
  • Mallet and chisel, the master guiding
  • A carved lion head shown to the audience

Stop 10 of 10

Downtown Art Center

Honolulu, Hawaii14 Dec 2025Workshop and live demonstration

The last stop of the tour, thirty days after the first. After the workshop, Hakuun packed the Bridge panel into its crate.

The gallery at the Downtown Art Center, Honolulu
  • Nambu Hakuun III, in a lei, carving beside his charcoal drawing
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III present the talk
  • A visitor drives the chisel as the master works alongside
  • A visitor brings the mallet down on a chisel the master is guiding
  • Carving beside the large charcoal drawing on washi
  • Drawing with charcoal on a long bamboo stick
⁠Exhibitions & Events

⁠Exhibitions & Events

2025 U.S. Inami Woodcarving Roadshow

From the Road

Ten stops in seven cities14 November to 14 December 2025

An album for each stop of the tour, from the symposium at Princeton to the last workshop in Honolulu.

  1. 01Princeton University14 Nov 2025
  2. 02Arts Council of Princeton15 Nov 2025
  3. 03RESOBOX22 Nov 2025
  4. 04Japan House Los Angeles24 Nov 2025
  5. 05Japan-America Society of Miami/South Florida4 Dec 2025
  6. 06The Kampong, National Tropical Botanical Garden5 Dec 2025
  7. 07Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art6 Dec 2025
  8. 08Buddhist Church of San Francisco10 Dec 2025
  9. 09Japan Society of Northern California12 Dec 2025
  10. 10Downtown Art Center14 Dec 2025

Stop 1 of 10

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey14 Nov 2025Symposium, live demonstration and film premiere

The tour opened with The Thinking Hand, a symposium hosted by Princeton’s Department of East Asian Studies. Governor Nitta of Toyama Prefecture gave the keynote in English, the chairman of the Inami Woodcarving Cooperative spoke and carved alongside Hakuun, and Voices in the Grain had its premiere.

The full lecture hall at Princeton, the audience following a slide on the traditional crafts of Toyama
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III with the carved panel The Bridge Between Japan and the United States
  • Nambu Hakuun III carving on the lecture-hall floor
  • Two long pine-tree drawings unrolled for the audience
  • A second Inami carver at work on a relief block during the symposium
  • Karim Thalji at the lectern beside the title slide
  • The premiere of Voices in the Grain: credits on the screen

Stop 2 of 10

Arts Council of Princeton

Princeton, New Jersey15 Nov 2025Talk, live demonstration and hands-on carving

The next day the program moved into town, to the Arts Council’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts: a talk, a live demonstration, and a turn at the chisel for visitors.

The sunlit gallery of the Arts Council of Princeton during the demonstration
  • Nambu Hakuun III at the relief block while Karim Thalji introduces the work
  • A visitor carving beside Nambu Hakuun III
  • Over the master’s shoulder: a visitor makes a first cut
  • A visitor bends over the block as Nambu Hakuun III watches
  • Karim Thalji during the talk
  • The Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in autumn

Stop 3 of 10

RESOBOX

New York, New York22 Nov 2025Screening, talk and live demonstration

A small, close gathering at RESOBOX, a space for Japanese art and culture in New York, built around a screening of Voices in the Grain.

Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III address the audience at RESOBOX, drawings laid out before them
  • Nambu Hakuun III working over paper with the audience close around him
  • Drawing with a long stick while Karim Thalji explains
  • Two large charcoal drawings beside the master and his chisels
  • Mallet and chisels laid out on the red cloth
  • Visitors handle a carving after the program
  • The talk at RESOBOX

Stop 4 of 10

Japan House Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California24 Nov 2025Screening and live demonstration

The largest audience of the tour, at Japan House Los Angeles, the cultural center run by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hakuun drew a peony on washi before the audience, and showed the carving made from the same design.

The stage at Japan House Los Angeles beneath the title slide
  • Nambu Hakuun III holds up a charcoal drawing of a flower while Karim Thalji shows the carving made from it
  • Drawing at full size with charcoal on a long stick
  • A visitor carving beside the master
  • A visitor strikes the chisel as the master looks on
  • The Bridge Between Japan and the United States beside the podium, its drawing below
  • Nambu Hakuun III in conversation on stage

Stop 5 of 10

Japan-America Society of Miami/South Florida

Coral Gables, Florida4 Dec 2025Bōnenkai: talk and live demonstration

The Japan-America Society of Miami/South Florida made the program the centerpiece of its Bōnenkai, the end-of-year gathering, held at the Coral Gables Museum.

Guests encircle Nambu Hakuun III as he carves on tatami
  • Drawing in charcoal with a long bamboo stick, the finished relief beside the paper
  • A guest strikes the chisel while the master steadies the block
  • A guest at the block, gouges laid out alongside
  • A guest carving beside Nambu Hakuun III
  • A shared smile over the carved block
  • Nambu Hakuun III laughs, mallet and chisel in hand

Stop 6 of 10

The Kampong, National Tropical Botanical Garden

Miami, Florida5 Dec 2025Talk and live demonstration

Added during the tour: a morning talk and demonstration at The Kampong, the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s garden in Coconut Grove.

The open stone pavilion at The Kampong during the demonstration
  • A visitor raises the mallet as Nambu Hakuun III sits beside her
  • The master’s hands guide a visitor’s hands on the chisel
  • Mallet meets chisel
  • Gouges laid out beside the charcoal drawing
  • A carved head shown during the talk
  • Opening the talk at The Kampong

Stop 7 of 10

Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

Washington, D.C.6 Dec 2025Live demonstration and talk

Hakuun carved before an audience at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, talking through each stage of the work, and visitors took up the chisel themselves.

Nambu Hakuun III guides a visitor through a first cut before an audience
  • A visitor carving beside Nambu Hakuun III, mallet and chisel in hand
  • The gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, the audience reaching to the back of the room
  • Nambu Hakuun III carving on the low platform, his charcoal drawing in the foreground
  • A visitor raises the mallet beside a smiling Nambu Hakuun III
  • The master guides a visitor’s hands on the chisel
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III during the talk

Stop 8 of 10

Buddhist Church of San Francisco

San Francisco, California10 Dec 2025Talk and live demonstration

Added during the tour, at a temple of the same Jōdo Shinshū faith as Zuisen-ji, the temple at the heart of Inami.

Nambu Hakuun III and Karim Thalji with the audience after the program, carvings and drawings on the mat
  • A visitor strikes the chisel beside Nambu Hakuun III
  • The audience watches the master carve

Stop 9 of 10

Japan Society of Northern California

San Francisco, California12 Dec 2025Lecture and live demonstration at KOHO Creative Hub

A lecture and demonstration for the Japan Society of Northern California at the KOHO Creative Hub, followed by a reception for the society’s members and friends.

Nambu Hakuun III draws before a packed audience at KOHO Creative Hub
  • Carving at the low table, chisels laid out on the mat
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III open the lecture
  • A visitor carves beside the master
  • A visitor’s hands drive the chisel into the block
  • Mallet and chisel, the master guiding
  • A carved lion head shown to the audience

Stop 10 of 10

Downtown Art Center

Honolulu, Hawaii14 Dec 2025Workshop and live demonstration

The last stop of the tour, thirty days after the first. After the workshop, Hakuun packed the Bridge panel into its crate.

The gallery at the Downtown Art Center, Honolulu
  • Nambu Hakuun III, in a lei, carving beside his charcoal drawing
  • Karim Thalji and Nambu Hakuun III present the talk
  • A visitor drives the chisel as the master works alongside
  • A visitor brings the mallet down on a chisel the master is guiding
  • Carving beside the large charcoal drawing on washi
  • Drawing with charcoal on a long bamboo stick
⁠Exhibitions & Events