Since long ago, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu—the three warlords who were born during the Sengoku period and unified Japan—have been beloved in Aichi and referred to as San-eiketsu. The vivid images people have of them are deeply linked with the process that led to Owari Province and Mikawa Province becoming seen as the unified geographical entity that we now know as Aichi Prefecture, as well as with the identity of the people who live in Aichi. How people think and judge these three warlords has gradually changed and been influenced over time through a variety of media, including novels, games, movies, TV dramas, and stage performances.

In the gallery exhibit, wooden crates which at first glance appear stacked haphazardly, are containers temporarily holding images inspired by traditions, tales, and anecdotes related to these warlords. In the video, the folklore legacy is interpreted by players of a different era to the three warlords, apparently through a game in which the crates are moved and stacked based on certain rules. The giant timeline hanging outside the gallery makes visible just how much content related to these warlords has been produced over the years.

Nawa (Aichi Kengei Team initiated by Nara Yoshitomo) is a collective of students and young artists associated with Aichi University of the Arts (shortened here to “Kengei”), the alma mater of Nara Yoshitomo. The collective was formed in response to Aichi Triennale 2022ʼs theme “STILL ALIVE” and to the term San-eiketsu that occurred to Nara in this context. The young artists each possess their own distinctive sensibilities. They examine the meaning that San-eiketsu has today by coming up with ideas based on these two themes and intertwining their individual artistic practices.

Exhibition

• Installation view at Aichi Triennale 2022
• Unloading and Reloading Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu, 2022
• Photo: ToLoLo studio