CHISATO TANAKA

“What is it that CHISATO TANAKA creates?” Some call it “a work of art,” claiming it to be too pretty for food. Others call it “Japanese confectionery,” saying it looks pretty and delicious.
One way to view her creation is as correct as the other. CHISATO TANAKA creates a singular Kawaii Nerikiri with the message: “It’s okay to be free and be me – there is no need to compare.”

Having lived in California for two years after working as a nurse, CHISATO grew her interest in cookie decoration and opened her class in 2014. She then learned Japanese confectionery making, which she has been familiar with since childhood. While she considered Japanese confectionery traditional culture that Japan proudly presents, she felt that what she wanted to make was somewhat different from “traditional Japanese confectionery.”

In seeking what she truly wanted to make, she landed on a new form of expression: “Kawaii Nerikiri,” which further elevates the artistry of traditional Japanese confectionery by combining the practice of art and Japanese confectionery making. Having felt that Nerikiri should have more freedom as a form of expression, she embodies her free-flowing ideas by incorporating a wide variety of colors into her work while retaining the basics that have been formed traditionally but not chained by its conventions. It communicates the importance of accepting diversity and thus respecting one another.

Her major exhibits include an invited exhibition at the Salón del Manga y Cultura Japonesa de Alicante in 2023.

"CHISATO TANAKAが創るものは何か？"
ある人は「アート」だと言う。「食べ物には見えない！」
でもまたある人は言うのだ。「和菓子」だと。「きれいでとても美味しそう！」
そのどちらも正解だ。彼女は唯一無二の「Kawaii練りきり」を創り「誰とも比べなくていい、自由でいい、私でいい」というメッセージを表現する。

看護師を経てカリフォルニアで２年生活したCHISATOはアイシングクッキーに興味を持ち、2014年に教室を始めた。その後、幼い頃から身近だった和菓子を学ぶ。「和菓子」は日本が世界に誇れる伝統文化だと考えていた。でも一方で、彼女が本当に作りたいものは「伝統的な和菓子」とは何かが違うと感じていた。

本当に作りたいものは何か？と考え、辿り着いたのはアートと和菓子作りの要素を組み合わせ、「伝統的な和菓子」の芸術性を高めた「Kawaii練りきり」という新しいカタチ。 Chisatoは、練りきりはもっと自由に表現できる手段であるべきだと感じていた。多彩な色を取り入れ、伝統に基づく基本形は守りながらも、伝統に強く縛られる事なく、自由な発想で思いを形にする。 それは、多様性を認め違いを受け入れて尊重しあうことの大切さを伝えていく。

主な活動に、2023年 Salón del Manga y Cultura Japonesa de Alicanteへの招待参加などがある。