This database is a comprehensive collection of articles from Nihon bijutsu nenkan (Year Book of
Japanese Art), published by the Tokyo National Institute for Cultural Properties (Tobunken).
On March 29, the government budged for the fiscal year 2011 (Heisei 23) was passed. The budget for the Agency for Cultural Affairs was ¥103.127 billion, 1.1% or ¥1.13 billion more than the previous year. The budget is divided into three principal projects as follows: 1. creation and utilization of rich culture and arts and cultivation of human resources; 2. preservation, utilization and succession of Japan’s precious cultural properties; and 3. dissemination of Japan’s outstanding culture and arts / promotion of international cultural exchange. In particular, as ‘Special Framework for Revitalizing a Vibrant Japan’, a total of ¥13.3 billion was allocated to the following items: Project 1 ‘Project for Cultivating Next-Generation Artists through Culture and Arts’; Project 2 ‘Projects for Tourism Promotion and Regional Revitalization Utilizing Cultural Heritage’; and Project 3 ‘Creative Japan Outreach Project’. (Japanese)
The exhibitions titled ‘Kikuhata Mokuma kaiko ten – Sengo / Kaiga’ opened at the Fukuoka Art Museum (July 9 – August 28) and the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum (July 16 – August 13). They traced the works of KIKUHATA Mokuma, one of the leading figures in postwar Japanese art, from his debut to the present day. To comprehensively showcase the full scope of KIKUHATA’s diverse output – encompassing objets d’ art, paintings, drawings, and television programs, the exhibitions were divided across two venues: the Fukuoka City Museum focuses on the ‘postwar’ period, primarily showcasing objets d’ art, while the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum presented the ‘paintings’ section, including major works from the mid-1980s onwards. Each venue functioned as an independent exhibition, allowing visitors to appreciate the works in this distinct format. After gaining attention in the 1950s as a leading figure of the ‘Kyūshū School (Kyūshū-ha)’, KIKUHATA engaged in writing and television program production, distancing himself from the so-called art world for approximately twenty years from the late 1960s. His trajectory, marked by the successive unveiling of large-scale paintings from the mid-1980s onwards, reflected how the avant-garde movements that emerged across postwar Japan transformed within the new art world order centered on major cities, following the Expo ’70 and the period of high economic growth. His works raised questions that prompted a reconsideration of postwar art. (Japanese)
On November 15, the exhibition titled ‘Undressing Paintings: Japanese Nudes 1880-1945’ opened at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (until January 15, 2012). It traced how Japanese artists depicted naked figures after embracing Western nude painting, featuring 98 artworks, primarily oil paintings. It consisted of three chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Creating the Nude’ covered the mid-to-late Meiji period when Japanese artists forged an ideal body image based on Western art; Chapter 2 ‘Deconstructing the Nude’, examined the Taishō period when body images were deformed or fragmented; and Chapter 3 ‘The Nude Anew’, focused on the 1920s to 1940s when reconstructed body images were depicted. The exhibition outlined the process by which the genre of ‘nude’ was established, despite friction with society such as the Nude Painting Controversy. It adopted an original approach that considered not only the modelling of the body image, but also perspectives such as the location of the nude and distinctions between standing and reclining figures. (Japanese)
On April 1, KONDŌ Seiichi, Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, issued a message entitled ‘Call for your cooperation in saving and recovering cultural properties damaged by the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake’, calling upon the public to contribute through donations and other forms of support. (Japanese)
On July 11, the laureates of the 23rd Praemium Imperiale in Honor of Prince Takamatsu (organized by the Japan Art Association), which publicly honors individual world artists, were announced. In relation to art, Bill Viola (USA) in the Painting category, Anish Kapoor (United Kingdom) in the Sculpture category, and Ricardo Legorreta (Mexico) in the Architecture category. (Japanese)
The Ringa Art Encouragement Prize (organized by the Ringa Art Encouragement Fund), which publicly honors outstanding individuals for their exceptional achievements in the field of art criticism and art history research, announced the winners of the 23rd Ringa Art Encouragement Prize. In the Art History Research Division, HIRASE Reita (Curator, Himeji City Museum of Art) was awarded for his monograph titled ‘Dōzō junan no kindai’ (Yoshikawa kōbunkan). In the Art Criticism Division, YAMAGUCHI Yōzō (Curator, Fukuoka Art Museum) and NONAKA Akira (Curator, Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum) were awarded for their curated exhibition titled ‘Kikuhata Mokuma kaiko ten – Sengo / Kaiga’ and the contribution of their essays to its exhibition catalog. (Japanese)
Following the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ announcement on the ‘Project on Salvaging Cultural Properties and Other Materials from the Great East Japan Earthquake’ (Cultural Property Rescue Programme) on March 30, the Cultural Property Rescue Programme was launched to protect cultural properties damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, with its secretariat established within the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. Regardless of national or local designation status, this project targeted movable cultural properties and artworks, undertaking their rescue and emergency treatment, and providing temporary storage until they can be returned to their owners. The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage as well as nationwide organizations that own cultural properties and artworks participated in this initiative, conducting joint relief operations with the affected prefectures. (Japanese)
On July 15, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: NISHIHARA Suzuko) submitted a report on 178 structures to be designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to TAKAKI Yoshiaki, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Kamiya Bar Main Hall (Taitō Ward, Tokyo), considered the first bar in Asakusa, Tokyo, and the Yūbari Rokumeikan (Yūbari City, Hokkaidō), a reception facility reflecting the prosperity of the Yūbari coal mines. Meanwhile, they requested the withdrawal of the designation as an Important Cultural Properties for the water tank section of the Ishioka No. 1 Power Plant (Kitaibaraki City and Takahagi City), which had been severely damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake. (Japanese)
On November 18, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: NISHIHARA Suzuko) submitted a report on the following places to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty or Historic Sites to NAKAGAWA Masaharu, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes five places such as Jōdogahama (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture), damaged by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty; and eight places such as the precinct of Iwashimizu Hachimangū shrine (Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture), where Imperial family members and aristocrats visited since the Heian period, to be designated as Historic Sites; three places such as Moriaishi teien (Miyako City), constructed by a wealthy merchant of the Sanriku region, to be registered as Registered Monuments; and the cultural landscape of Shinkamigotō kitauome (Shinkamigotō Town, Nagasaki Prefecture), where a fishing port and farming village coexist in a narrow area on the island, to be selected as an Important Cultural Landscape. Meanwhile, the Council recommended the withdrawal of the designation as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties for six structures such as Rokkakudō, Izura Institute of Art and Culture, Ibaraki University, damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake. (Japanese)
The exhibition titled ‘Kansai Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Collections’, a collaborative project by nine neighboring exhibition venues to present an overview of Chinese painting collections located in the Kansai region, commenced with the exhibition titled ‘Celebrating Fifty Years of the Ueno Collection at the Kyoto National Museum: Spirit of Brush and Ink: The World of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphies’, held at the Kyoto National Museum from January 8 to February 20. The nine neighboring exhibition venues were Chōkaidō Museum; Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Cultures; Kampo Museum; Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi; Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum; Fuji Saiseikai Yūrinkan; Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts; and Museum Yamato Bunkakan. This series of exhibitions provided an opportunity to view outstanding Chinese artworks from the collections of UENO Riichi, ABE Fusajirō, YAMAMOTO Teijirō, KUROKAWA Kōshichi, FUJII Zensuke, YASHIRO Yukio, SUMA Yakichirō, SUMITOMO Kanichi, HASHIMOTO Suekichi, HARADA Kanpō, and HAYASHI Munetake. It also attracted attention as a collaborative project undertaken by neighboring institutions. (Japanese)
The Denchū Hirakushi Award (sponsored by Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture), established to commemorate HIRAKUSHI Denchū’s achievements along with the promotion of wood carvings in Japan, announced that the 25th winner was ODANI Motohiko. He was awarded for his international achievements, including representing Japan at the Venice Biennale, which were recognized for pioneering new frontiers in the field of sculpture for the new era. (Japanese)
Welcoming ŌSAKA Eriko as General Director and MIKI Akiko as Artistic Director, the Yokohama Triennale, now in its fourth edition as it marks its tenth anniversary since its founding, took place from August 6 to November 6 at the Yokohama Museum of Art as its main venue. Centered the theme ‘OUR MAGIC HOUR – How much of the World Can We Know? – ’, it raised questions about the limits of modern scientific understanding of the work, intending to turn our gaze towards that which cannot be captured by science or reason. Aligned under the keywords ‘look’, ‘nurture’ and ‘connect’, it aimed not only at contemporary art but also at other genres and past artworks. It sought to deepen the act of viewing art, to invigorate both the power to create and the power to see, and to emphasize connections with the local communities. Alongside the main that displayed artworks by 79 artists across 77 art groups, collaborative projects included ‘BankART Life III: Shin Minatomura’ and ‘Koganecho Bazaar 2011’, attracting 330,000 visitors. (Japanese)
On December 1, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) announced at its General Assembly held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France, that the Gazzola Prize had been awarded to ITŌ Nobuo, an honorary member of the Japanese ICOMOS National Committee. The recognition honored his longstanding contributions as a bridge among Japan, Asia and the wider world. He advocated that the methods and traditions for preserving and restoring wooden architecture in Asia differ from those for European masonry structures, calling for understanding and respect for this diversity. He also contributed significantly to the adoption of new international standards for the protection of historic buildings. He is the second Japanese recipient of the award, following SEKINO Masaru in 1987. (Japanese)
On February 15, Kōzanji temple and the Kyoto National Museum announced that the third (hei) of the four-volume of emaki scrolls ‘Chōjū jinbutsu giga’ (so-called Chōju giga), owned by Kōzanji temple in Kyoto, had originally been ten sheets of washi paper with drawings on both sides, which was discovered during conservation work. These ten sheets then had been separated into twenty individual sheets and mounted into an emaki scroll. According to the temple’s records, it is believed that the scroll was assembled during the early Edo period. (Japanese)
On April 15, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: NISHIHARA Suzuko) submitted a report on eight assets to be designated as Important Cultural Properties to TAKAKI Yoshiaki, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes Yusuhara hachimangū (Ōita City), notable for its distinctive layout of buildings within the shrine precincts and the form of its main hall, and the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo), the central facility of the Meiji Jingū Gaien. In addition to the list, three districts, including the Asuke district in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, were also suggested to be Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings. (Japanese)
On August 30, the exhibition titled ‘Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Sakai Hoitsu’s Birth: Sakai Hoitsu and the Edo Rimpa School’ opened at the Himeji City Museum of Art (until October 2). It showcased artworks by SAKAI Hōitsu – who flourished in Edo in the late eighteenth century, admiring the style of artists in Kyoto such as TAWARAYA Sōtatsu and OGATA Kōrin – and Edo Rimpa artists who inherited his style. The exhibition displayed 338 works, including around 160 works by Hōitsu, such as his representative painting ‘Flowering Plants of Summer and Autumn (夏秋草図屏風)’, and around 60 works by his student SUZUKI Kiitsu. This was complemented by related materials and works by artists such as IKEDA Koson, SAKAI Ōho, and SUZUKI Shuitsu, who linked to the modern era. The exhibition consisted of nine chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Himeji sakaike to Hōitsu (The Himeji Sakai Family and Hōitsu)’; Chapter 2 ‘Ukiyo-e seisaku to kyōka (Ukiyo-e Production and Kyōka)’; Chapter 3 ‘Kōrin gafū e no keitō (Devotion to the Kōrin Style)’; Chapter 4 ‘Edo bunka no naka no Hōitsu (Hōitsu within Edo Culture)’; Chapter 5 ‘Ugean Hōitsu no butsuga seisaku (Hōitsu’s Buddhist Painting Production at Ugean)’; Chapter 6 ‘Edo rimpa no kakuritsu (The Establishment of the Edo Rimpa School)’; Chapter 7 ‘Kōgei ishō no tenkai (The Development of Kōgei Designs)’; Chapter 8 ‘Suzuki Kiitsu to sono shūhen (Suzuki Kiitsu and His Circle)’; and Chapter 9 ‘Edo rimpa no suimyaku (The Watercourse of the Edo Rimpa)’. The exhibition subsequently toured to the Chiba City Museum of Art (October 10 – November 13) and the Hosomi Museum (April 10 – May 13, 2012) (Japanese)
On December 1, the Japan Art Academy (Director: MIURA Shumon) announced that four new members had been elected to join their ranks for their distinguished artistic achievements. In relation to art, lacquer artist ITŌ Hiroshi was elected. It was officially announced by NAKAGAWA Masaharu, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on December 15. (Japanese)
On March 8, the exhibition titled, ‘Okamoto Taro – The 100th anniversary of His Birth’, opened at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (until May 8). Commemorating the centenary of the birth of OKAMOTO Tarō, renowned for works including the ‘Tower of the Sun’, known as the symbol of Expo ’70, the exhibition offered a retrospective overview of his entire oeuvre, featuring approximately 130 works. It consisted of nine sections: Prologue ‘Non!’; Chapter 1 ‘Confrontation with Picasso’; Chapter 2 ‘Confrontation with “Pretty” Art’; Chapter 3 ‘Confrontation with “Wabi-Sabi”’; Chapter 4 ‘Confrontation with “Progress and Harmony for Mankind”’; Chapter 5 ‘Confrontation with the War’; Chapter 6 ‘Confrontation with the Consumer Society’; Chapter 7 ‘Confrontation with Okamoto Taro’; and Epilogue ‘The Spirit of Okamoto Taro Inherited’. The exhibition traced his consistent challenge to established values chronologically. Amidst recent vigorous reappraisals, including the opening of the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum and Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki, this exhibition became an ambitious project seeking to reconsider Okamoto’s contemporary position. (Japanese)
On April 26, the Japan Art Academy (Director: MIURA Shumon) announced the recipients of the 67th Japan Art Academy Prize. In the Fine Arts category, the Imperial Prize was given to YAMAZAKI Takao (for his nihonga painting titled ‘Kaikō’, exhibited at a Nitten exhibition). In the same category, the Japan Art Prize was shared between KURODA Kenichi (for his calligraphy, titled ‘Ogurayama’, exhibited at a Nitten exhibition) and FURUYA Nobuaki (for his architectural design ‘Chino Cultural Complex’). (Japanese)
The exhibition titled ‘Omi: Spiritual Home of Kami and Hotoke’ opened, which showcased Buddhist and Shinto artifacts from Shiga Prefecture across three venues simultaneously: the exhibition titled ‘The Path to Tendai Buddhism – In Search of the Eternal Śākyamuni Buddha –’ was held at MIHO MUSEUM in Shigaraki (September 3 – December 11); the exhibition titled ‘Inori no kuni, Ōmi no butsuzō – Kodai kara chūsei e’ was held at the Shiga Prefectural Museum of Modern Art in Seta (September 17 – November 20); and the exhibition titled ‘Hiyoshi no kami to matsuri’ was held at the Otsu City Museum of History in Ōtsu (October 8 – November 23). The Ōmi region, where mountains encircle Lake Biwa, fostered ancient beliefs revering nature. When Buddhism was introduced from outside of Japan, Buddhist art flourished centered Mount Hiei. The exhibition ‘The Path to Tendai Buddhism’ featured 104 works organized into eight chapters: ‘The Passing of Shakyamuni’; ‘Cause and Effect of the Birth of Shakyamuni’; ‘Mahayana Bodhisattvas’; ‘Buddhas in Various Paradises’; ‘A Universe Filled with Buddhas’; ‘Buddhism in the Nara Period’; ‘Lotus Sutra and Saicho’; and ‘After Saicho and the Rise of Tendai Esotericism’. The exhibition ‘Inori no kuni, Ōmi no butsuzō’ displayed 57 Buddhist statues from the early Heian period to the Muromachi period. The exhibition ‘Hiyoshi no kami to matsuri’ presented 101 works across two chapters: ‘Kamigami no sugata (The Forms of the Deities)’ and ‘Hiyoshi sannōsai (The Hiyoshi Sannō Festival)’. The exhibitions served to impress upon visitors the richness of Shinto and Buddhist art in the Ōmi region. They also drew attention as an initiative where three neighboring museums presented simultaneously held exhibitions under the same theme. (Japanese)
