The History of Calligraphy and Painting in Modern China ― The 4th Seminar Held by the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems

　The period between the 1920s and 1930s was pivotal for art exchanges between Japan and China. During this time, the study of Chinese art history began to take shape in Japan, led by figures such as OMURA Seigai (1868–1927) and NAKAMURA Fusetsu (1866–1943). Recently, historical documents such as the “China Travel Diary” by OMURA Seigai, who was a professor at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (Tokyo University of the Arts, today), have shed light on various aspects of the art exchanges between Japan and China. However, there is still a need for research that considers the social sentiments and artistic trends in both countries during that time.

　At the 4th Seminar of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) held on July 23, 2024, Ms. GOTO Ryoko, a visiting researcher of TOBUNKEN, gave a presentation titled “Yu Shaosong (余紹宋) and the History of Calligraphy and Painting in Modern China.” Ms. GOTO has long been involved in the study of OMURA’s “China Travel Diary.” Through this research, she has highlighted the significance of this period in the development of Chinese art history. Her presentation focused on Yu Shaosong (1883–1949), who studied in Japan and authored the “Annotated Bibliography of Calligraphy and Painting” (published in 1931). Ms. GOTO explored Yu Shaosong’s connection with Japan and his role in shaping the history of calligraphy and painting in modern China.

　Yu Shaosong was a scholar active during the 1920s and 1930s. His book, “Annotated Bibliography of Calligraphy and Painting,” is still highly regarded today as the first specialized reference book on Chinese calligraphy and painting literature. However, for many years, little was known about Yu Shaosong himself. Recently, with the publication of “The Diary of Yu Shaosong” and other materials, his role in China’s modernization has begun to attract scholarly attention. Yu Shaosong came to Japan in 1905, where he studied law at university. After returning to China, he became a government official, eventually serving as Vice Minister of Justice in 1921. Meanwhile, he studied painting under the grandson of Tang Yifen (1778–1853) and thoroughly researched art history and biographies of painters, gradually making his mark in the art world. In 1927, he retired from government service to pursue a career as a scholar, calligrapher, and artist.

　Ms. GOTO traced Yu Shaosong’s life, his research on painting, and his practice of calligraphy and painting. She analyzed not only his “Annotated Bibliography of Calligraphy and Painting,” but also other works such as “Essentials of Painting Methods” (published in 1926) and the art journal “Epigraphy, Calligraphy, and Painting” (published from 1934 to 1937) to assess his place in the history of Chinese art studies. Ms. GOTO argued that Yu Shaosong, who gained Western insights through his time in Japan, critically examined traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting culture using a revivalist approach known as the Movement for Systematic Organization and Re-evaluation of National Cultural Heritage, which became one of the foundations of modern Chinese art research. External experts attended the seminar, engaging in meaningful exchanges of opinions on the development of Chinese and Oriental art history in modern China and Japan.