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).
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 28th Ringa Art Encouragement Prize. In the Art History Research Division, MASHIBUCHI Kyōko (Chief Curator, Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Fukushima) and UEDA Sayoko (Curator, The Museum of Kyoto) shared the award for their curated exhibition titled ‘Ogawa Senyō – Jūōmujin ni ikiru’ and for the contribution of their essays to its exhibition catalog. In the Art Criticism Division, ARAI Kei (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Fine Arts Department of Conservation, Tokyo University of the Arts) received the prize for his monograph titled ‘Nihonga to zairyō: Kindai ni tsukurareta dentō’. (Japanese)
On November 10, the 38th Suntory Prize for Social Science and Humanities (sponsored by the Suntory Foundation) announced that, in relation to art, IKEGAMI Hiroko (Associate Professor, Kobe University) for her monograph ‘Ekkyō to haken (The Great Migrator)’ and KANAZAWA Momoe (Professor, Tokai University) for her monograph ‘Romanesuku bijutsu kakumei’ were awarded in the Literary and Art Criticism Category. (Japanese)
On October 28, the Japanese government announced six recipients of the Order of Culture and 15 recipients of the Person of Cultural Merit for the fiscal year 2016. In relation to art, painter as well as sculptor KUSAMA Yayoi was awarded the Order of Culture, and calligrapher OZAKI Yūhō and art critic TSUJI Nobuo were awarded the Person of Cultural Merit. (Japanese)
On October 21, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on nine sites in total of 65 structures to be designated as Important Cultural Properties to MATSUNO Hirokazu, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the former Nara Prison, the oldest surviving prison built in the Meiji period, and Koiwai Farm (Shizuku City, Iwate Prefecture), a pioneer of Western-style farm. In addition to the list, two districts, monzen-machi of Togakushi Shrine (Nagano City), which retains its historical landscape, and the fishing village of Mugi Town in Tokushima Prefecture, which prospered from skipjack fishing, were also suggested to be the Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. (Japanese)
The winners of the 28th Kokka Prize, the award for remarkable research on Japanese and East Asian art, were announced. The Kokka Exhibition Catalog Prize was given to an exhibition catalog titled ‘Soshū no miru yume: Min Shin jidai no toshi no kaiga’ (The Museum Yamato Bunkakan, 2015) by UEMATSU Mizuki; and an exhibition catalog titled ‘Kiwami: In Praise of Tea Ceremony Kettles’ (MIHO MUSEUM, 2016) by HARADA Kazutoshi et al. (Japanese)
In the restoration report ‘Chōjū giga Shūri kara mietekita sekai’ (Kyoto National Museum ed.), it reported that the reordering of the pictures in the Kō scroll of the National Treasure, Chōjū jinbutsu giga (so-called Chōjū giga), from Kōzanji temple in Kyoto City, had been identified by brush marks on the paper. The restoration, starting in 2009, discovered that the 23rd paper and the 11th paper would have been connected, which was identified by streaks made when the papers were stroked with a brush during the papermaking process. Furthermore, it had been believed that the Kō scroll might have been divided into two scrolls: the 1st to the 10th papers and the 11th to the 23rd papers, due to difference in style. However, it was confirmed that those two potential scrolls have different paper qualities, raising the possibility that the Kō scroll might have been formed by combining the two scrolls. (Japanese)
On September 24, the Kitora Tumulus Mural Experiential Museum Shijin-no-yakata, a facility for preserving and exhibiting the mural paintings from the Kitora Tumulus (Special Historic Site) in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, was opened. Adjacent to the tumulus, the building, consisting of one-story and one basement, has a total floor area of approximately 2,500m2. Located on the first floor, the Center for Preservation of Kitora Tumulus Mural Paintings was installed by the Agency of Cultural Affairs, which consists of a room for preservation of the mural paintings, a room for preservation of burial objects excavated from the chamber, and an exhibit room. The mural paintings are open to the public for a limited period of time and on a pre-registration basis. (Japanese)
On September 13, the laureates of the 28th 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 Cindy Sharman (USA) in the Painting category, Annette Messager (France) in the Sculpture category, and Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Brazil) in the Architecture category. (Japanese)
On September 5, the National Museum of Western Art, which houses part of the Matsukata Collection, announced that a list of artworks that were destroyed in a fire in London in 1939 had been discovered. The Matsukata Collection was consisted of over ten thousand artworks collected by a businessman, MATSUKATA Kōjiro. The list was identified in February in Tate Archive, located at Tate Britain, in which 953 artworks were listed, including paintings by Édouard Manet and Vincent van Gogh and plaster figures by Auguste Rodin. (Japanese)
On May 17, 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 Le Corbusier’s architectural works, comprising seventeen properties in seven countries, including the National Museum of Western Art (Taitō Ward, Tokyo) on the World Heritage List. In response, on July 17, the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, held in Istanbul, Turkey, decided to inscribe them on the World Heritage List as Cultural Heritage Sites. (Japanese)
On July 15, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on 204 structures to be designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to HASE Hiroshi, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes Riverside Building (Kita Ward, Osaka), an office building designed by KISHIDA Hideto, and Tenjin Bridge, an arch bridge without piers over the Asano River in central Kanazawa. (Japanese)
On July 15, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on five people to be designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) to HASE Hiroshi, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes MURAKAMI Ryōko, tsumugi weaver whose works are characterized by the pellucid colors of plant dyes and the bold composition of colored surfaces achieved through her own unique techniques. (Japanese)
The winners of the 11th Western Art Foundation Prize, which publicly honor individuals and organizations 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 given to UEMATSU Yuka, Chief Curator of the National Museum of Art, Osaka (for the exhibition ‘Wolfgang Tillmans: Your Body’), and NONAKA Akira, Curator of the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum (for the exhibitions ‘Julio González Retrospective: Master of Iron Sculpture’). The Cultural Promotion Prize for institutions was given to Yoshino Gypsum Co., Ltd, which lent artworks from its collection to exhibitions such as ‘JAPANS LIEBE IMPRESSIONISMUS Von Monet bis Renoir’ held in Germany and contributed to the promotion of Western art research and cultural exchanges in Japan. (Japanese)
On June 17, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on the following places to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty or Historic Sites to HASE Hiroshi, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes twelve places such as the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Historic Ruins (Nagasaki City), which convey the tragedy of the atomic bombing, to be designated as Historic Sites; and two places such as the former Numazu Imperial Villa Garden (Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture), which was developed for the imperial household from the Meiji to Taishō periods, to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty; and three places such as Mount Mani (Tottori City), which is considered a sacred mountain for the Tendai sect of Buddhism, to be selected as Registered Monuments. (Japanese)
On May 20, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on twelve sites (fifty structures in total) to be designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties to HASE Hiroshi, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store (Chūō Ward, Tokyo) and the Jōdo-in, the mausoleum of Dengyō Daishi, at the Hieizan Enryakuji temple in Ōtsu City. In addition to the list, two areas, Arimatsu, Midori-ku, Nagoya City and Serimachi district, Kawaramachi, Hikone City (Shiga Prefecture) were also suggested to be the Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings. (Japanese)
The winners of the 10th 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 HIROSE Kenji (Kyoto Prefecture), who had been engaged in the production of antient textiles used for hanging scrolls and folding screens and had contributed to the restoration of many national treasures and important cultural properties. The Encouragement Prize was given to NAKANISHI Yoshihisa (Nara Prefecture), who produces smoked plums (ubai), used as a mordant for the natural red dyeing. The Special Prize went to Kongō Gumi, a construction company specialising in temples and shrines, which had carried out conservation, restoration and reconstruction of cultural property buildings. (Japanese)
On April 22, the exhibition entitled ‘The 300th Anniversary of his Birth: Jakuchu’ opened at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (until May 24). The exhibition brought together Jakuchū’s representative works from his early years to his later years, including the ‘Colorful Realm of Living Beings (Dōshoku sai-e)’, owned by the Imperial Household Agency. It recorded approximately 446,000 visitors over the 31 days of the exhibition, amidst the growing Jakuchū’s popularity that began after the exhibition ‘200th Anniversary of Jakuchū’s death: Jakuchū!’ was held at the Kyoto National Museum in 2000. (Japanese)
From April 14 onwards, many cultural properties were damaged by the earthquakes, which hit the Kumamoto region one after another. There were 134 damaged cultural properties designated by the national government, and more than 300 if those designated by local authorities were included. At Kumamoto Castle (Chūō Ward, Kumamoto City), two turrets, known as Higashi-jūhachiken yagura and Kita-jūhachiken yagura, which had remained since the castle was first built and were designated as Important Cultural Properties, collapsed and fell, along with the stonewalls. The building of the Kumamoto Western School Teachers’ Hall Jane’s Residence (Chūō Ward, Kumamoto City) was completely destroyed. At Aso Shrine (Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture), the tower gate and worshiping hall, designated as Important Cultural Properties, were also destroyed. (Japanese)
On March 31, the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura, closed. The museum, opened in 1951 in the precincts of Tsurugaoka Hachimangū shrine in Kamakura, was known for its modernist architecture designed by SAKAKURA Junzō. However, it was closed in the 2010s due to its aging and seismic issues, as well as the expiry of the lease agreement between the landowner, Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, and Kanagawa Prefecture. The building was designated an Important Cultural Property by Kanagawa Prefecture in November after closing its doors and was made a voluntary conveyance from Kanagawa Prefecture to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū on December 22. The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura Annex and Hayama would continue to open. (Japanese)
On March 29, the government budget for the fiscal year 2016 (Heisei 28) was passed. The budget for the Agency for Cultural Affairs became ¥103.965 billion, increasing by 0.2%, which is ¥172 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, ¥821 million for ‘Promotion of cultural programs to realize Nation Based on Culture and the Arts’; and in Project 2, ¥1.259 billion for ‘Strengthening the Strategic Plan for Integrated Use of Cultural Properties’. (Japanese)
