AZAMI Takako’s painting titled ‘Sakuragi yōgo zu’ was selected as the 7th Higashiyama Kaii Memorial Nikkei Nihonga Award, which was established to honor the achievements of nihonga artist, HIGASHIYAMA Kaii, and to recognize the next generation of nihonga artists. The exhibition featuring these works along with other selected paintings was held at the Ueno Royal Museum from May 18 to 28. (Japanese)
On July 27, the Denchū Hirakushi Award (sponsored by Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture), established to commemorate HIRAKUDHI Denchū’s achievements along with the promotion of wood carvings in Japan, announced that the 29th winner was IWAMA Hiroshi. The artist was commended for his attempt at a full-scale development of figurative art and his sustained willingness to question what sculpture is. (Japanese)
On April 25, the exhibition ‘Japan in Architecture: Genealogies of Its Transformation’ opened at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills (until September 17). The exhibition explored the inheritance of modern Japanese architecture, which had been attracting worldwide attention, from traditional architecture since antient times, and introduced a hundred projects ranging from Jōmon period dwellings to the latest architectural proposals through displays of architectural documents, models, and interactive installations. (Japanese)
The work titled ‘Sun Child’, a 6.2-meter-tall sculpture, by contemporary artist, YANOBE Kenji, was installed in front of the Komu Komu educational and cultural complex in Fukushima City. Since its unveiling on August 3, it was put in the center of criticism. In response to backlash, Mayor KOHAYA Hiroshi announced at a press conference on August 28 that the city decided to remove the sculpture. The work, a standing statue of a child wearing a hazmat suit, was created in 2011 in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and was intended to express hope and a world free from nuclear disasters, but it was being criticized one after another for promoting harmful rumors about the disaster at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plan, leading to its removal. With the artist’s agreement, the sculpture was removed from September 18. (Japanese)
The winners of the 12th Yomiuri Aoniyoshi Prize (sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun with special support from the Japan Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property), which publicly honors individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in the fields of conservation science and restoration, were announced. The Aoniyoshi Prize was given to Fukae Suge-zaiku Hozonkai group (Chair: SHIMATANI Mayumi, Higashinari Ward, Osaka City), which has carried out on the traditional techniques of making suge-grass weaving such as suge hats. The Encouragement Prize was given to Kunisaki Peninsula-Usa GIAHS Promotion Association (Kunisaki shichitō shinkōkai) (Chair: HAYASHI Hiroaki, Kunisaki City, Ōita Prefecture), which works to ensure the survival of shichitōi grass in the Kunisaki region of Ōita Prefecture, known as a material for high-quality tatami mats. The Special Prize went to Ancient Capital Asuka Preservation Foundation (Koto Asuka hozon zaidan) (Chair: WADABAYASHI Michiyoshi, Asuka Vilalge, Nara Prefecture), which works to preserve and utilize the historical heritage of the Asuka region of Nara Prefecture, which was the center of antient Japan. (Japanese)
On September 19, the exhibition titled ‘1968: Art in the Turbulent Age’ opened at the Chiba City Museum of Art. Focusing on the period around 1968, when society was in uproar with the rise of mass protests of the All-Campus Joint Struggle Committee (known as Zenkyōtō) and the Vietnam anti-war movement, and radical and eccentric culture such as underground scene and counterculture flourished, the exhibition presented approximately 400 works and materials on the avant-garde art movement and social background of that period. It also attempted to convey the excitement of the time by recreating the light show at the go-go club MUGEN, which opened in Akasaka. The exhibition toured to the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Riverwalk Gallery (December 1 – January 27, 2019) and Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art (February 10 – March 24, 2019). (Japanese)
On May 8, the University of Tokyo and the University Tokyo Co-op apologized and announced that USAMI Keiji’s major work titled ‘Kizuna’, which had been displayed on the wall of the University’s Central Cafeteria, had been disposed on September 14, 2017, following renovation work on the cafeteria. The work was commissioned in 1976 as part of the University Tokyo Co-op’s anniversary celebrations. In response to this incident, the university organized a symposium ‘Beginning with Keiji Usami’s Kizuna …’ on September 28, 2018, which questioned the future of cultural resources in the university and beyond. (Japanese)
The winners of the 30th Kokka Prize, the award for remarkable research on Japanese and East Asian art, were announced. The Kokka Prize was given to an article titled ‘Hishikawa Morobobu to ukiyoe no tanjō’ (published in ‘Kokka’, Vol. 1465, 2017) by TANABE Masako. The Kokka Special Prize was given to a monograph titled ‘Nihon kaigashi ronkō’ (published in 2017) by ARIGA Yoshitaka. (Japanese)
In 2018-19, the major event titled ‘Japonismes 2018: les âmes en résonance’ was held in Paris and other parts of France to introduce Japanese culture to commemorate 160 years of friendship between France and Japan, starting with the exhibition titled ‘teamLab: Au-Delà des Limites’, which ran from May 15 to September 9, 2018, at La Villette in Paris. Under the agreement between the governments of Japan and France, the Japan Foundation played a leading role in ‘Japonismes 2018: les âmes en résonance’, which introduced art, theater, film and food culture. In addition to the abovementioned exhibition, a series of exhibitions were held, including the exhibition titled ‘Fukami: une plongée dans l’esthétique japonaise’ (July 14 – August 21, 2018) at Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild and the exhibition titled ‘Jakuchū (1716-1800), le Royaume coloré des êtres vivants (Jakuchū (1716-1800): The Colorful Realm of Living Beings)’ (September 15 – October 14, 2018) at Petit Palais in Paris. (Japanese)
On October 19, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on one structure to be designated as National Treasures and eight structures to be designated as Important Cultural Properties to SHIBAYAMA Masahiko, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes Tamaudun (Naha City), a royal mausoleum of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, to be designated as a National Treasure; and Ōsaki Shrine (Mooka City, Tochigi Prefecture), built between the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and decorated with geometric patterns on the pillars and walls of the shrine, to be designated an Important Cultural Property. This was the first time that a structure in Okinawa Prefecture was designated as a National Treasure. (Japanese)
On May 18, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on ten structures to be designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties to HAYASHI Yoshimasa, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the former Tōyama Family Residence (Kawajima Town, Saitama Prefecture) and the former Kawakami Family Residence (Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture), known for their pre-Shōwa period Japanese-style architecture that skillfully blends tradition with modern techniques. In addition to the list, the Otazuki area of Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, known as the ‘town of storehouses’, was also suggested to be the Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings. (Japanese)
On October 19, the winners of the ICOMOS Japan Prize 2018 as well as the ICOMOS Japan Honorable Mention Award were announced. The ICOMOS Japan Prize and the ICOMOS Japan Honorable Mention Award aim to encourage the preservation and conservation of structures, groups of historic buildings, cultural landscapes, monuments and historic ruins as well as historic sites. The ICOMOS Japan Prize was given to MATSUKUMA Akira (Representative director of General Incorporated Association Chōchikukyo Club) for his long-standing conservation activities and achievements of research and publications on Chōchikukyo; and KATŌ Tomoki (President, Ueyakato Landscape Co., Ltd.) for his research on conservation of Japanese gardens as cultural heritage and contemporary measures and practices for their use. The ICOMOS Japan Honorable Mention Award was given to EDANI Hiroko (Researcher, Cultural Landscape, Department of Cultural Heritage, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties) for her work on research, dissemination and conservation of cultural landscapes. (Japanese)
On June 8, the Bill for Partial Revision of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties and the Law concerning the Organization and Functions of Local Education Administration, which was passed by the Diet on June 1, promulgated. This was in response to the urgent issue of preventing the loss and dispersal of cultural properties as communities, which were the foundation for inheritance of cultural properties, had become increasingly fragile due to depopulation, falling birthrates and an aging population. The following three points were focused on; 1. Comprehensive conservation and utilization of cultural properties in the region; 2. Review of the conservation and utilization system for the secure inheritance of individual cultural properties; and 3. Review of the system pertaining to the administration of cultural property protection in local areas. This enables prefectures to formulate a general outline of comprehensive measures for the conservation and utilization of cultural properties. Taking this into account, municipalities are now able to draw up regional plans for protection and utilization of cultural properties and apply for accreditation by the government. In addition, the head of a local authority can now, by ordinance, take charge of the administration of cultural property protection, which were previously under jurisdiction of the local authority’s board of education. (Japanese)
On October 26, the Japanese government announced five recipients of the Order of Culture and twenty recipients of the Person of Cultural Merit for the fiscal year 2018. In relation to art, the Order of Culture was given to ceramic artist IMAI Masayuki, who developed the technically difficult inlaying technique into a wide-surface inlaying technique and opened up new possibilities for ceramic art. The Person of Cultural Merit was given to highl acclaimed calligraphy artist ISHIGE Keidō, whose innovative scattered writing combines traditional elegance with a modern sense of formality; architect Toyo ITO), who attracted attention with his methodology of ‘lightness in architecture’ and whose projects were developed through Japan, contributed to the development of contemporary architecture; and art director KITAGAWA Fram, who is a leading figure in the unprecedented field of art projects that lead to regional development. (Japanese)
On June 4, the reconstruction work of the Honmaru Palace (total area 3,100 m2) at Nagoya Castle, destroyed by fire during a World War II air raid, which had been under reconstruction by Nagoya City since 2009, was completed and opened to the press (open to the public from June 8). The Honmaru Palace was reconstructed using techniques to faithfully reproduce the wooden structure as it was in the past. The paintings by Kanō school painters such as KANŌ Sadanobu and Tanyū were reconstructed by copying from surviving sliding doors and dry plate glass negatives taken before the fire. (Japanese)
The Ringa Art Encouragement Award (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 30th Ringa Art Encouragement Prize. In the Art History Research Division, MATSUKAWA Ayako (Curator, Nara Prefectural Museum of Art) was awarded for her curated exhibition titled ‘Tetsu Fusen: A Retrospective – 40th Anniversary of His Death’ and contribution of her essay to its exhibition catalog. In Art Criticism Division, KITA Takaomi (Curator, Nerima Art Museum) received the prize for his curated exhibition titled ‘Ikeda Tatsuo: An Elliptical Visionary: The Present Tense of Postwar Art’ and contribution of his essay to its catalog. (Japanese)
On June 15, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on the following places to be designated as Special Historic Site, Places of Scenic Beauty or Historic Sites to HAYASHI Yoshimasa, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes nine sites such as the remains of Niitsu Oil Mining and Refine System at Kanazu Oil field (Niigata City) to be designated as Historic Sites; four sites such as Hakusan Park (Niigata City) to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty; the Itohara Family Garden (Okuizumo Town, Shimane Prefecture) to be registered as Registered Monuments; the rural landscape of Lake Ibanai (Higashiōmi City, Shiga Prefecture) and the cultural landscape of Kitadaitō Island derived from the phosphate mine on Kitadaitō Island (Kitadaitō Island, Okinawa Prefecture) to be selected as Important Cultural Landscapes. (Japanese)
On November 16, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on the following places to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty or Historic Sites to SHIBAYAMA Masahiko, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes nine sites such as the remains of Kōfu Castle (Kōfu City) to be designated as Historic Sites; the former Ekishūkan Garden to be designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty; three sites such as Byakkotai cemetary on Mr Iimori in Aizu (Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukuoka Prefecture) to be registered as Registered Monuments; and the landscape of terraced fields and agricultural and fishing villages at Uwakai Karihama (Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture) to be selected as an Important Cultural Landscape. The Council also suggested 185 structures to be registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, including the solarium of the former residence of YOSHIDA Shigeru, designed by architect YOSHIDA Isoya. (Japanese)
On March 17, the winner of the 43rd 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 KOMATSU Hiroko for her installations such as ‘The Execution of Personal Autonomy’ and FUJIOKA Aya for her photobooks such as ‘Kawa wa yuku’. (Japanese)
In May, 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 a site should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, recommended the inclusion of the ‘Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region’, which had been nominated by the Japanese government on the World Heritage List. In response, on June 30, at the 42nd session of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, held in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, it decided to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List as a Cultural Heritage Site. (Japanese)