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 1, the Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo in Kyōbashi, was reorganized into the National Film Archive of Japan (Director: OKAJIMA Hisashi), an institution specializing in film at the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art. The National Film Archive of Japan is coequal with other national museums and further strengthened its function as a national center for the promotion of Japanese film culture. (Japanese)
On July 20, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on three people to be designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) to HAYASHI Yoshimasa, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes KOMIYA Yasumasa, studied under his father Yasutaka, a Living National Treasure, who mastered the traditional techniques of Edo komon, realizing the exquisite patterns represented by the ‘renko pattern’ by paying thorough attention to the fabrics suitable for dyeing, Japanese stencil paper and glue; and YAMAGISHI Kazuo, studied chinkin (sunken gold) under MAE Taihō and makie lacquer technique under MATSUDA Gonroku, who refined his skills with originality and ingenuity and expanded the possibilities of expression by effectively interweaving the techniques of chinkin and other techniques. (Japanese)
On April 17, the Agency of Cultural Affairs submitted a document titled ‘Towards the revitalization of the art market’ to the fourth meeting for the through promotion of structural reforms of the Council on Investments for the Future “Regional Economy and Infrastructure” (SMEs, tourism, sports culture). The concept of ‘leading museums’ referred to in the document caused a stir in the art world, resulting in the Japanese Council of Art Museums issuing a statement on June 19 that museums should not engage in activities aimed at involvement in the art market. (Japanese)
On July 20, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on 209 structures to be designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to HAYASHI Yoshimasa, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Alps Wing of Mampei Hotel (Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture), which combines a European medieval townhouse style with taste of Japanese style; and the Saikai Bridge (Sasebo City and Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture), a large-scale steel bridge with the longest span in the East Asia when built in 1955. (Japanese)
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 recipients of the 12th Yomiuri Aoniyoshi Award (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 Award 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 Award 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 Award 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 recipients of the 30th Kokka Award, an award for remarkable research on Japanese and East Asian art, were announced. The Kokka Award was given to an article titled ‘Hishikawa Morobobu to ukiyoe no tanjō’ (published in ‘Kokka’, Vol. 1465, 2017) by TANABE Masako. The Kokka Special Award 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 March 7, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced the recipients of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for the fiscal year 2017. In the Fine Arts category, artist SUGITO Hiroshi for his exhibition titled ‘Hiroshi Sugito module and lacura’ and artist NISHINO Tastu (also known as Tatzu Nishi) for his exhibition titled ‘Tatzu Nishi in Beppu’ shared the prize. In the Criticism category, art historian Professor Emeritus at the University of Tsukuba, OMUKA Toshiharu for his monograph titled ‘Hijōji no modanizumu’ and art critic SAWARAGI Noi for his monograph titled ‘Shin nijutsu ron’ share the prize. In the Media Art category, animator YAMAMURA Kōji was awarded for his animation titled ‘Yamamura Kōji migime to hidarime de miru yume’. The three recipients of the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists were artist IWASAKI Takahiro for his exhibition titled ‘Turned Upside Down, It’s a Forest’ in the Fine Arts category; director of a non-profit organization (NPO), Creative Support LET’S, for her social inclusion project titled ‘Hyōgen miman, Jikkenshitsu’ in the Development of Art category; and artist WADA Ei for his music project titled ‘Electronicos Fantasticos!’ in the Media Art category. (Japanese)
On March 9, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on five assets to be designated as National Treasures and fifty assets to be designated as Important Cultural Properties to HAYASHI Yoshifumi, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The five assets to be designated as National Treasures were a pair of six-panel folding screen paintings, ‘The Four Seasons with the Sun and Moon’ (Amanosan Kongōji temple, Osaka); a wooden statue of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva Kannon, enshrined in the main hall of Rengeōin (Myōhōin temple, Kyoto); wooden statues of Four Heavenly Kings (Kōfukuji temple, Nara); Daebojagyeong Sutra, Volume 32 in Gold Characters (Kyoto National Museum); and Sugaura documents and illustrated map of Sugaura and Ōura shimo manors (Suga shrine, Shiga Prefecture). One of fifty assets to be designated as Important Cultural Properties was colored murals of Kitora Tumulus (Asuka village, Nara Prefecture). The Council for Cultural Affairs also recommended that 196 buildings, including the former Tōshōgū Treasure House, a modernist building designed by architect KISHIDA Hideto, be registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties. (Japanese)
On March 16, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced the winning works for the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival Awards that are given to excellent media artworks from inside and outside of Japan. The Grand Prizes were given to a video installation titled ‘Interstices / Opus I – Opus II’ by Haythem ZAKARIA (Tunisia) in the Art Division; a video game titled ‘The Last Guardian’ by ‘The Last Guardian’ Development Team (UEDA Fumito, Representative) in the Entertainment Division; an animated feature film titled ‘In This Corner of the World’ by KATABUCHI Sunao in the Animation Division; and a manga titled ‘Nee, mama (My Dear, Mom)’ by IKEBE Aoi in the Manga Division. (Japanese)
The recipients of the Asahi Prize for the fiscal year 2017 (sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun Foundation) were announced. In relation to art, art director KITAGAWA Fram received the prize for ‘revitalising local communities and culture with art festivals in satoyama and islands’. (Japanese)
