Photography Exhibition in Honor of the Ambassador of Japan
The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Japan to Romania, His Excellency Mr. KATAE Takashi, accompanied by Mr. NAGAYAMA (KUDO) Hiroshi, Secretary I, Head of the Economic Section of the Embassy, made an official visit to the municipality of Oradea on Monday, October 21, 2024. After the official meetings, the distinguished Japanese guests were accompanied by Dr. Ing. Patricia Maria Ştirbu, President of Summit Agro Romania, Balkans, and Moldova, to the Japanese Garden in “Petőfi Park”, a garden sponsored by Summit Agro Romania, which installed a Torii gate designed by Cătălin Șendresc. The visit continued with the opening of a photography exhibition in honor of the guests. The exhibition was organized by Euro Foto Art in partnership with Summit Agro Romania, at the Exhibition Center of the International “Euro Foto Art” Association in the medieval fortress of Oradea. The distinguished Japanese guests were welcomed by the photographer Stefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, President of AIEFA, and were guided to the “Dr. Ing. Matei Stegerean” Gallery, where the exhibition entitled “A Bridge Over Time – Cultural and Diplomatic Relations Between Romania and Japan” was installed. The exhibition opened with photographs taken 45 years ago during the official visit to Romania of Crown Prince Akihito, now Emperor of Japan, who visited Romania in 1979, along with Crown Princess Michiko, now Empress of Japan. A series of photographs then attests that bilateral collaborative relations between photographers from Romania and Japan began a quarter of a century ago, with the opening of a solo exhibition by Japanese photographer Takeshi Tokumasu from Kyoto, who was the president of the Japan International Photography Federation at that time, at the “Euro Foto Art” Gallery in Oradea. A series of bilateral cultural events have followed over the last 25 years, starting with the first visit of Oradean photographer Stefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP to Japan in 2005, when he was invited to give a lecture and exhibit a solo show at the International Symposium held at the Kyoto Museum of Fine Arts. This has continued with events in Oradea (2014), Kyoto (2018), Oradea (2019), and online via the ZOOM platform. It is worth noting that Japanese photographer Keiko Sato AFIAP, ESFIAP from Yokohama made four creative trips to Oradea and its surroundings, participating in personal exhibitions organized on these occasions. The bilateral cultural collaboration between photographers from the two countries reached unprecedented development with the organization, in partnership with Summit Agro Romania, of an unprecedented cultural event in Oradea in 2021, dedicated to the Centenary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between Romania and Japan, the premises for the development of economic and cultural relations between the two countries, which was also attended by the former Ambassador of Japan to Romania, His Excellency Mr. Hiroshi Ueda. During the centenary event, the exhibition “People and Landscapes from Romania and Japan” was unveiled, which, a year later, was exhibited in Tokyo, in the presence of the Romanian Ambassador to Japan, His Excellency Ovidiu Dranga. The exhibition journey also includes photographs taken in 2022 at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, during the 25th anniversary of Summit Agro Romania, on which occasion the “Picturesque Romania” exhibition was unveiled, as well as another event organized by Summit Agro Romania in partnership with Euro Foto Art in 2023, at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, where the exhibition “Folk Traditions from Romania and Japan” was displayed, both honored by the presence of Japan’s Ambassador His Excellency Hiroshi Ueda. Other photographs displayed are a testimony to the event organized this year by the Japanese Embassy for the Emperor’s Birthday, as well as photographs from other cultural events, such as the one organized by Summit Agro Romania in partnership with Euro Foto Art, as a tribute to Japanese photographer Kosei Miya, cultural ambassador of Romania, especially of Maramureș, abroad, over the last 60 years. The exhibition “Maramureș – The Center of the World” was opened in Sighetu Marmației in July, in the presence of Mr. Tatsuo KITAGAWA, Counselor of the Japanese Embassy, and Mrs. Kazue KITAGAWA, and features over 200 paradisiacal Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic trails, particularly from Maramureș, from a Japanese perspective… Maramureș and Romania, through photography, depicted as the Center of the World. The audience at the event on October 21, 2024, was greeted by Dr. Ing. Patricia Maria Ştirbu, President of Summit Agro Romania, who emphasized that cultural and artistic exchanges between the two nations will help us better understand each other, appreciate our values, and work together with the best technology. Traditions and customs have always been and remain a part of the history of nations, a point we can always return to and learn to nourish ourselves with the living water of freedom, wisdom, and love for life and nature. Nature, on the other hand, has always been a reference point for us who work to ensure the food of our peoples, and coupled with the traditions encountered at every step, it has inspired artists from all fields and times. Romania and Japan have always been and will remain a marvelous mosaic, harmoniously blending nature and traditions, almost to perfection. Summit Agro, a subsidiary of the Japanese corporation Sumitomo, naturally identifies with these values by promoting authentic Romania, and has made a remarkable impact in supporting Romanian agriculture and farmers, with Japanese products and technology for Romanian crops, over 27 years of presence in Romania with innovation, uniqueness, experience, and Japanese technology. The Ambassador of Japan to Romania thanked the students from the “Emanuil Gojdu” National College and “Mihai Eminescu” National College, farmers, businesspeople, agriculture specialists, and all lovers of nature and beauty, who make possible the strengthening of the bond between the two nations and the development of businesses. The Ambassador of Japan, Mr. KATAE Takashi, then took the floor, thanking the organizers for the successful exhibition he had the honor to attend. Prof. Anca Marchiș, the director of the “Emanuil Gojdu” National College, spoke about the school’s photography club, which was founded under the guidance of photographer Stefan Toth and supported by Summit Agro. The school’s students have participated in numerous exhibitions at Euro Foto Art, familiarizing themselves with Japanese landscapes through these exhibitions. There has long been an interest in Japanese culture at the school, where Japanese language courses have been offered for 10 years. Student David Morozan will address a few words in Japanese. The director will present anniversary medals to the guests. Prof. Livia Muntean, the director of the “Mihai Eminescu” National College, presented His Excellency with another testimony of the bilateral cultural relations discovered with joy in the College’s Honor Book: on September 25, 1980, during his visit to Oradea, Mr. Takauki Ando, then Japan’s Minister of Education, Science, and Culture, wrote in the College’s Honor Book. The director handed His Excellency the copy of the text. In closing, the president of AIEFA shared impressions from his creative trips to Japan and about the participation of Japanese photographers in various events organized in Romania. He also presented the Japanese Ambassador with a Jubilee Trophy created for this occasion. The musical moments of the opening were provided by the renowned Oradean violist Thurzó Sándor József, representative of the Sola Fide Community and Cultural Association (SFKKE), who performed several pieces from the Japanese repertoire: Yamada Kosaku “Kono Mischi”, Onaka Negumi “Inu no omawarisan” and “Nihonno fuyu” by Watanabe Shigebut.
