The renowned artist Mami Takahashi held a presentation of traditional Japanese art techniques for Japan lovers and ABAD members. The event was held on November 17, 2023 at the Baku "ASAN Service" Center No. 7 with the joint organization of "ABAD" public legal entity and the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The purpose of the event was to promote and popularize traditional crafts, expand crafting horizons and exchange experience.

The event was started by welcome speeches of Mr. Rufat Elchiyev, the director of "ABAD" public legal entity, and Mr. Junichi Wada, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Azerbaijan. Subsequently, Mrs. Takahashi held a presentation and master class on traditional Japanese arts - Kintsugi and Mokuhanga.

During the event, extensive information was given about the history and philosophy of Japanese arts. It was noted tha the 15th-Century practice of Kintsugi, meaning “to join with gold”, is a reminder to stay optimistic when things fall apart and to celebrate the flaws and missteps of life. Kintsugi fosters the idea that a broken object can be repaired and be made useful once again. It tells us we can always begin anew despite the past failures. Accepting imperfections helps us to break free from the obsession of perfectionism which causes unnecessary stress and inhibiting creativity and productivity..

In Japan, woodblock printing is known as Mokuhanga, moku meaning wood and hanga meaning print. It is best known for use in the ukiyo-e genre of Japanese art. Mokuhanga artists of the past rarely carved their own woodblocks for printing. Unlike woodblock printing used in the Western world, it uses water-based natural dyes, not oil paints, and has a wide range of colors to choose from.

The event was closed by a question-and-answer session.