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 April 25, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that conducts preliminary inspections to determine whether sites should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, recommended the inclusion of the Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites (Gunma Prefecture), which had been recommended by the Japanese government as the sites played an important role in the growth of silk industry around the world. In response, on June 21, the 38th World Heritage Committee, held in Doha, Qatar, decided to inscribe the Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites in the World Heritage List as Cultural Heritage Sites. (Japanese)
On November 12, the 36th Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities (sponsored by the Suntory Foundation) announced that, in relation to art, HONDA Akiko (Research Fellow at the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University) was awarded the prize for her monograph, ‘Tenkai kenchiku ron: Reodonifu to Sorenpō no shijō kenchiku jidai (Astroarchitecture: Ivan Leonidov and Unrealized Architecture Projects in the USSR between 1920s – 1950s)’ (University of Tokyo Press) in the Literary and Art Criticism category. (Japanese)
On July 4, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced that 109 items of fine art designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties had gone missing, including a tantō (short sword) signed by Kunimitsu, a National Treasure. Among those, 33 items had been stolen and some were cases there their current owners could not be traced due to changing their address or their death. The Agency for Cultural Affairs announced their new policies that would be implemented from the fiscal year 2015, which includes sending the owners of those items a postcard or mail to check their current status once a year and examining the items themselves in cooperation with each prefectural Board of Education every four years from the fiscal year 2015. (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 26th Ringa Art Encouragement Prize. In the Art History Research Division, TANAKA Shūji (Associate Professor, Oita University) was awarded for his editorial publication titled ‘Kindai nihon chōkoku shūsei’ Volume 3 (published by Kokusho kankōkai). In the Art Criticism Division, ARAKI Natsumi (Curator, Mori Art Museum) received the prize for her curating exhibition ‘Go-Betweens: The World Seen through Children’ held at the Mori Art Museum and her essay in the exhibition catalog. (Japanese)
On July 9, the winners of the 9th Western Art Foundation Prize, which publicly honor individuals and institutions involved in curating exhibitions that have contributed to the understanding of Western art and academic research in the field of Western art, were announced. The Academic Prizes for individuals were awarded to MAKIGUCHI Chinatsu, Researcher at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (for the exhibition ‘Reading Cinema, Finding Words: Art after Marcel Broodthaers’) and MORIZONO Atsushi, Curator at the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum (for the exhibition ‘Antonio López’). The Cultural Promotion Prizes for institutions were given to Aichi Triennale 2013 as well as NEC Display Solutions that had recently been supporting many exhibitions with their video installations in Japan by supplying equipment and providing technical support. (Japanese)
On November 21, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: MIYATA Ryōhei) submitted a report on the following places to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty or Historic Sites to SHIMOMURA Hakubun, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes ten places such as the Kaitokukan Garden, formerly part of the residence of the Maeda Clan of the Kaga Domain (Bunkyō Ward, Tokyo) and currently used as a facility welcoming distinguished guest, to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty; 13 places such as two gun battery sites at the Tokyo bay Fortress Remains (Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture), built in the Meiji period to protect the capital, to be designated as Historic Sites; five places such as the Nashōsō Gardens (Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture) to be registered as Registered Monuments; and three places such as the Misumiura Cultural Landscape (Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture) to be selected as Important Cultural Landscapes. (Japanese)
On July 16, the laureates of the 26th 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, the laureates are Martial Raysse (France) in the Painting category, Giuseppe Penone (Italy) in the Sculpture category and Steven Holl (America) in the Architecture category. (Japanese)
On November 21, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: MIYATA Ryōhei) submitted a report on 133 buildings to be registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to SHIMOMURA Hakubun, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the former Sonoda Family Residence Studio, designed by modernist architect YOSHIMURA Junzō and built for pianist SONODA Takahiro and his wife in 1955. (Japanese)
On March 18, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: MIYATA Ryōhei) submitted a report on 154 buildings to be registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to SHIMOMURA Hakubun, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes Moji Golf Clubhouse (Kitakyūshū City, Fukuoka Prefecture), designed by Raymond Architectural Design Company, which is modernistic architecture adopting Japanese design. (Japanese)
On July 18, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: MIYATA Ryōhei) submitted a report on seven people to be designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) to SHIMOMURA Hakubun, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes IMAIZUMI Imaemon XIV, HON’AMI Kōshū, YAMAMOTO Akira and SUDA Kenji. IMAIZUMI Imaemon XIV broke new ground by adding new techniques such as developing a technique of applying platinum enamel onto traditional Iro-Nabeshima porcelain (porcelain with multi-colored overglazed enamel). HON’AMI Kōshū acquired traditional techniques that had been handed down in the HON’AMI family, the official sword appraisers and polishers of successive shogunates from the Muromachi period. He has polished swords designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. YAMAMOTO Akira has been highly recognized for his modern style metalwork skillfully made with a heat welding method with a cut-out inlay. SUDA Kenji is a master woodworker who creates his original style maximizing the material’s natural colors by employing a sophisticated ‘sashimono’ technique, the Japanese traditional woodworking joints technique to create boxes and furniture. (Japanese)
On November 22, the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum reopened after three years of major renovation work. The Main Building, the former Prince Asaka Residence, had an extensive refurbishment and updated facilities, and was also brought closer to the original built in 1933 by carefully researching the historical records. In the new Annex constructed next to the Main Building, a modern white cube exhibition space was created. Hiroshi Sugimoto, contemporary photographer as well as artist, joined the advisory board for its planning. The inaugural exhibitions titled ‘Architects / 1933 / Shirokane: Looking at Art Deco Architecture’ at the Main Building and ‘Rei Naito: the emotion of belief’ at the new Annex (both November 22 – December 25) were held to celebrate the reopening. (Japanese)
On March 20, the government budget for the fiscal year 2014 (Heisei 26) was passed. The budget for the Agency for Cultural Affairs became ¥103.592 billion, increasing by 0.24%, which is a ¥250 million increase compared to the previous year. The budget is divided into four 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; 3. Dissemination of Japan’s outstanding culture and arts / promotion of international cultural exchange; and 4. Improvement / enhancement of the foundation for the promotion of culture. Major categories whose budget increased in each project are as follows: in Project 1, ¥584 million for ‘Development of Imagination and Creativity of children and young people through culture and arts’; in Project 2, ¥383 million for ‘Radical strengthening of restoration of cultural properties / enhancement of disaster prevention’; and in Project 3, ¥431 million for ‘Implementation of the promotion / exchange of Japanese culture’. (Japanese)
On July 18, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: MIYATA Ryōhei) submitted a report on 166 structures to be designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to SHIMOMURA Hakubun, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Kobe Port Tower, completed in 1963, which is a sightseeing tower attracting popularity as a symbol of the port city of Kobe. (Japanese)
On November 26, the Japan Art Academy (Director: KUROI Senji) announced that four new members had been selected to join their ranks for their distinguished artistic achievements. However, no selection was made for the Fine Art category due to the past corrupt jury problems at Nitten. (Japanese)
The Domon Ken Award (sponsored by the Mainichi Newspapers Co.), an award for a photographer who has made excellent achievements in the previous year, announced that the 33rd winner was KUWABARA Shisei. The award-winning works were his photographic exhibition, ‘Shiranui kai: The Minamata disease Disaster’ (held at the Nikon Salon), and his photography book, ‘Minamata jiken: The MINAMATA Disaster’ (published by Fujiwara shoten). KUWABARA has frequently visited Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, since 1960s, and painstakingly recorded patients of Minamata disease along with their families, court cases, and activities in fishing communities for half a century, which were highly acclaimed. (Japanese)
On July 23, the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage established the National Task Force for the Cultural Heritage Disaster Risk Mitigation Network (CH-DRM Network). Based on experiences such as the Cultural Property Rescue Program at the Great East Japan Earthquake, it builds up a network concerned with disaster prevention of cultural properties, fosters human resources and collects and analyzes information in order to secure the rescue and relief system for the cultural properties in large-scale disasters. The First Executive Committee of the National Task Force for CH-DRM Network was planned to be held at the Tokyo National Museum on October 21 in order to ask the participating organizations to establish networks and to share common understanding of its future activities. (Japanese)
On November 28, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced the winning works for the 18th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards that are given to excellent media artworks from inside and outside of Japan. The Grand Prizes were given to ‘Ingress’ a US mobile gaming application that merge GPS and a global mapping database in the Entertainment Division; ‘The Wound’ a Russian animation that depicts an emotional wound of a little girl in the Animation Division; and KONDŌ Yōko’s ‘Goshiki no fune’ (The Five-Colored Boat) based on TSUHARA Yasumi’s short story in the Manga Division. No Grand Prize was given in the Art Division. (Japanese)
On January 1, the winners of the 55th Mainichi Art Award (sponsored by the Mainichi Newspapers Co.), the annual award given to outstanding individuals in art and culture, were announced. In relation to art, sculptor AOKI Noe won the award for her solo exhibition titled ‘Aoki Noe | All that floats down’ held at the Nagoya City Art Museum and the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.Mainichi Art Award Winners Announced (Japanese)
On February 5, the winner of the 39th Kimura Ihei Award (sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun Company and the Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.), the award given to exceptional new photographers in honor of photographer KIMURA Ihei’s achievements, was announced. The award was given to MORI Eiki for his photo book ‘intimacy’. (Japanese)
On February 13, the exhibition titled ‘Toward the Modernity: Images of Self & Other in East Asian Art Competitions’ opened at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (until March 18). The exhibition introduced art through government sponsored art competitions (kanten) that took place in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Northeast China (former Manchuria) under the Japanese occupation. It revealed local trends where their own modernity was sought in connection with Japanese contemporary art. The exhibition travelled to the Fuchu Art Museum (May 14 – June 8) and the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (June 14 – July 21). (Japanese)
