The Domon Ken Award (sponsored by the Mainichi Newspapers Co.), the award for a photographer who has made excellent achievements in the previous year, announced that the 35th winner was YAMAUCHI Michio. The award was given for his photobook titled ‘DHAKA 2’. (Japanese)
On March 23, the Japan Art Academy (Director: KUROI Senji) announced the recipients of the 72nd Japan Art Academy Prize. In the Fine Arts category, the Imperial Prize and the Japan Art Academy Prize were given to GOTŌ Sumio (for his nihonga painting ‘Yamato no yuki’, exhibited at an exhibition of the Japan Art Institute’s Revival (Saikō Inten)). In the same category, YAMADA Asatomo (for his sculpture titled ‘Asa no hibiki’, exhibited at the first Kaiso Shin-Nitten) and HARUYAMA Fuminori (for his kōgei artwork titled ‘Sora no kawa’) received the Japan Art Academy Prize. (Japanese)
On March 22, the Headquarters for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan, established by the Cabinet of Prime Minister ABE Shinzō, which is committed to regional revitalization, decided on a basic policy on the relocation of relevant national institutions to local areas. It also announced that it would consider the full relocation of the Agency of Cultural Affairs to Kyoto Prefecture as well as the Crafts Gallery of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, to Ishikawa Prefecture within a few years. In response, the Agency for Cultural Affairs Relocation Council was established on April 26. On August 31, it announced that the basic policy for the relocation of the Crafts Gallery of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, would be to locate it to Honda no Mori Park in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and to open it the time of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games. (Japanese)
On March 16, the winner of the 41st 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 ARAI Takashi for his photo books ‘MONUMENTS’. (Japanese)
On March 11, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on four assets to be designated as National Treasures and 46 assets to be designated as Important Cultural Properties to HASE Hiroshi, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The four assets to be designated as National Treasures are ‘Scenes in and around the Capital (紙本金地著色洛中洛外図)’ (Tokyo National Museum), painted by IWASA Katsumochi (Matabei), who is regarded as the originator of ukiyo-e; Wooden seated statue of Eison and its assemblage of items deposited inside of the statue (木造叡尊坐像 像内納入品) (Saidaiji temple, Nara); Dōmaru with black leather lacing (黒韋威胴丸) (Kasuga taisha, Nara); and Shōmyōji shōgyō, documents in Kanazawa bunko (称名寺聖教金沢文庫文書) (Kanazawa bunko, Kanagawa), which inform the history of Buddhism in the Kamakura period. One of the 46 assets to be designated as Important Cultural Properties is ‘Sazanami (漣)’, a work by nihonga artist FUKUDA Heihachirō. The Council for Cultural Affairs also recommended that 199 buildings, including the Villa of the former Yamazaki family and the former Usui family (Sekisui House ‘Type A’), the only surviving example of the first domestically produced pre-fabricated house that still standing in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, be registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties. (Japanese)
Under the Restoration of Cultural Properties Government Subsidy Project, the conservation and restoration of the bronze statue of seated Amida Nyorai (known as The Great Buddha of Kamakura; National Treasure) in Kōtokuin temple located in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, was carried out from January 13 to March 10, with the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, taking charge of the major part of the survey and work management. This was the first large-scale work since the major restoration conducted in the Shōwa period from 1959 to 1961. Scaffolding was erected for cleaning to remove dust and bird dropping from areas that could not be reached by cleaning work from the ground. In addition, non-destructive analysis of the Buddha statue was carried out using X-ray fluorescence [XRF] and X-ray diffraction analysis [XRD] spectrometers, and the seismic isolation devices employed at the major restoration conducted in the Shōwa period was examined. (Japanese)
On March 9, 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 2015. In the Fine Arts category, ceramic artist HAYASHI Kyōsuke for his exhibition ‘Hayashi Kyōsuke’ and artist MURAKAMI Takashi for his exhibition ‘Takashi Murakami: The 500 Arhats’ shared the prize. In the Development of Art category, artist HIBINO Katsuhiko was awarded for his exhibition ‘Roppongi Art Night 2015’. In the Criticism category, KAMEI Wakana was awarded for her monograph ‘Kataridasu emaki: Kokawadera engi emaki, Shigisan engi emaki, Haizumimonogatari emaki, ron’. In the Media Art category, KUBOTA Akihiro, Professor at Tama Art University, was awarded for his ARTSAT project. The three recipients of the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists for the fiscal year 2015 were MINAGAWA Akira, fashion designer, for his exhibition ‘1 ∞ Minakakeru’ in the Fine Arts category; YAMAMOTO Satomi for her monograph ‘Kusōzu o yomu: Kuchiteyuku shitai no Bijutsushi’ in the Criticism category; and YAMAZAKI Mari, manga artist, for her manga ‘Steve Jobs’ in the Media Art category. (Japanese)
On January 1, the winners of the 57th Mainichi Art Award (sponsored by the Mainichi Newspapers Co.), the annual award given to outstanding individuals in art and culture, were announced. In Art Category I (Painting / Sculpture / Crafts / Graphics), modern artist SUGA Kishio won for his exhibitions, ‘Kishio Suga’ held at Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum and ‘KISHIO SUGA: Situated Latency’ held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. (Japanese)
On April 5, the government budget for the fiscal year 2012 (Heisei 24) was passed. The budget for the Agency for Cultural Affairs was ¥107.447 billion (including ¥1.8 billion for Reconstruction Grant Project on the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster), 4.2% or ¥4.32 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 Account for Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, ¥3.739 billion was appropriated for ‘Restoration of affected cultural properties’ and ¥507 million for ‘Restoration of affected museums’ in Project 2. In Project 3, ¥150 million was earmarked for ‘Collection and Preservation of Modern and Contemporary Architectural Materials’. (Japanese)
On March 16, the Japan Art Academy (Director: MIURA Shumon) announced the recipients of the 68th Japan Art Academy Prize. In the Fine Arts category, IKEGUCHI Chikako (for her yōga painting titled ‘Fukamaru aki’, exhibited at a Ryūkikai exhibition) received the Imperial Prize and the Japan Art Academy Prize. In the same category, YOSHINO Takeshi (for his sculpture titled ‘Natsu no owari ’11’, exhibited at a Nikakai exhibition), MIYATA Ryōhei (for his kōgei artwork titled ‘Springen “Shō”’, exhibited at a Nitten exhibition) and HOSHI Kōdō (for his calligraphy titled ‘Rikishi Chōkyoku ni okuru’, exhibited at a Nitten exhibition) received the Japan Art Academy Prize. (Japanese)
On February 18, the winner of the 37th Kimura Ihei Award (sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun Publications), the award given to exceptional new photographers in honor to photographer KIMURA Ihei’s achievements, was announced. The award was given to TATSUKI Masaru for his photobook ‘Tōhoku’ (Little More), in recognition of his sincere attitude towards the activities of the Tōhoku people, which are rooted in the climate of the region. (Japanese)
On September 21, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: MIYATA Ryōhei) submitted a report on 155 structures to be designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to HIRANO Hirofumi, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the old school building of the Toyosato elementary school in Toyosato-chō, Shiga Prefecture, designed by American architect William Merrell Vories and built in 1937; DeForest Memorial House, a former missionary residence in Sendai City; Shirakawa Bridge in Shirakawa-chō, Gifu Prefecture, a surviving suspension bridge built in the Taishō period; Ryokan Yoshino, a long-established Hitoyoshi hot spring inn in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. (Japanese)
On July 20, the Council for Cultural submitted a report on four 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 HAISOTO Tatsuya, who is highly skilled in the woodworking technique of bending thin sheets of wood into a circular shape, and FUJINUMA Noboru, bamboo craftsman who creates elegant yet original works applying a variety of techniques. (Japanese)
The winners of the 7th 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 ŌSHIMA Tetsuya, Curator at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art (for the exhibition ‘Jackson Pollock: A Centennial Retrospective’ held at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) and NIIMI Ryū, Professor at Musashino Art University (for the exhibition ‘Wiener Werkstatte 1903-1932, Multiplicative Decoration’ held at the Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art). The Cultural Promotion Prize for institutions was given to DIC (formerly Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.), which runs the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art. (Japanese)
On June 30, the exhibition ‘Masterpieces from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis’ opened at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (until September 17). The exhibition introduced the museum’s collection of seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings while the museum had been closed for a long period of time from April for major renovation work. Vermeer’s ‘Girls with a Pearl Earring’, one of the stars in the collection, was being shown for the first time since it was exhibited at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts in 2000. The exhibition travelled to the Kobe City Museum (September 29 – January 6, 2013). (Japanese)
On October 30, the Japanese government announced six recipients of the Order of Culture and 15 recipients of the Person of Cultural Merit for the fiscal year 2012. In relation to art, art critic TAKASHINA Shūji and nihonga artist MATSUO Toshio were awarded the Order of Culture, and artist as well as author of children’s books ANNO Mitsumasa, nihonga artist NAKAJI Yūjin, and animation film director MIYAZAKI Hayao were awarded the Person of Cultural Merit. (Japanese)
On October 1, the Marunouchi Station Building of Tokyo Station (Important Cultural Property) in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, designed by TATSUNO Kingo and KASAI Manji, which had been restored to its original form of the time when it was completed in 1914, was fully opened. Most parts of the station building were destroyed and burnt down in an air raid in 1945 (Shōwa 20). More than 60 years had passed since the original appearance, with wooden octagonal shaped roofs replacing the domed roofs that were lost during reconstruction work. Restoration work began in 2007 (Heisei 19). The exterior walls as well as the interior and exterior design of the north and south domes were recreated, and the first and second basement floors were newly extended where seismic isolation devices were installed. (Japanese)
The ‘Society for a Design Museum Japan’ was established by fashion designer MIYAKE Issey and, art historian and director of the National Museum of Western Art, AOYAGI Masanori, with the aim of disseminating the importance of design in Japan as well as enhancing opportunities for construction of a national design museum. On November 27, the first public symposium, titled ‘Kokuritsu dezain bijutsukan o tukurō! (Let’s build a national design museum!)’ was held at Tokyo Midtown Hall. (Japanese)
On October 19, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: MIYATA Ryōhei) submitted a report on six buildings to be designated as Important Cultural Properties to TANAKA Makiko, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the former Sado Mining sites (Sado City, Niigata Prefecture), which was developed in the early Shōwa period. In addition to the list, four districts, one of which was the Kanaya-machi district in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, where townhouses built between the Edo and the early Shōwa periods remain, were also suggested to be the Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings. (Japanese)
On August 29, the awards ceremony of the 13th Biennale Architettura was held in Venice, Italy. In the National Participations category, the Japan Pavilion’s exhibition ‘Architecture, Possible here? Home-for-All’, which focused on the role of architecture in the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, won the Golden Lion, the highest award. The exhibition introduced the design process of the project ‘Home-for-All’, which was a meeting place that was being constructed by architect ITO Toyo and his team in the affected area of Rikuzentakata, Iwata Prefecture. (Japanese)