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 year 2011 marked the 800th anniversary of the passing of Hōnen, the founder of the Jōdo sect of Buddhism, and the 750th anniversary of the passing of Shinran, the founder of the Jōdo Shinshū of Buddhism, prompting a series of commemorative exhibitions. On March 17, the exhibition titled ‘Shinran shōnin 750-kaiki shūkyōdan rengō 40-shūnen kinen Shinan ten shōgai to bijutsu’ opened at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art (until May 29) while on Mary 29, the exhibition titled ‘Honen: The Life and Art of the Founder of the Pure Land Buddhist Sect’ opened at the Kyoto National Museum (until May 8). The ‘Shinran’ exhibition displayed approximately 130 artworks, including 45 National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, consisting of three chapters: ‘Shinran shōnin no oshie to shōgai (The Teaching and Life of Shinran)’; ‘Jōdo shinshū no hirogari (The Dissemination of Jōdo Shinshū)’; and ‘Denrai no meihō to bijutsu (Treasures and Artworks)’. The ‘Hōnen’ exhibition comprised two chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Hōnen no shōgai to shisō (The Life and Thought of Hōnen)’, centered around the National Treasure ‘Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (法然上人絵伝)’; and Chapter 2 ‘Hōnen e no hōon to nenbutsu no keishō (Gratitude to Hōnen and the Continuation of Nenbutsu)’, displayed artworks created from the faith that emerged after Hōnen’s passing. Both exhibitions provided a rare opportunity to see outstanding works kept at associated temples, gathered together in one place. (Japanese)
On March 15, the exhibition titled ‘OBAKU: Kyoto Uji Manpukuji no meihō to zen no shinpū’ opened at the Kyushu National Museum to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the founding of Manpukuji temple, the head temple of the Ōbaku school of Zen Buddhism, established by Ingen Zenji who came from Ming China (until May 22). The exhibition featured 142 artefacts and materials preserved in Ōbaku temples, which brought the traditional Chinese Rinzai Zen teachings, Buddhist rituals, and life and culture in Ming China directly to seventeenth-century Japan. It consisted of five chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Hajimete no ōbakushū – mijikana ōbaku bunka (The First Encounter with Ōbaku – Ōbaku Culture Close at Hand)’; Chapter 2 ‘Tōjin tachi no Nagasaki (The Chinese in Nagasaki)’; Chapter 3 ‘Ingen tōrai (The Arrival of Ingen)’; Chapter 4 ‘Manpukuji no kaiso to kōryū (The Founding and Prosperity of Manpukuji Temple)’; and Chapter 5 ‘Ōbaku bunka (Ōbaku Cultural Renaissance)’. (Japanese)
On March 12, the exhibition titled ‘Nagasawa Rosetsu: The Fanciful Painter’ opened at the Miho Museum (until June 5). The exhibition showcased 110 works by the painter NAGASAWA Rosetsu, who was active primarily in Kyoto during the late eighteenth century and painted works that astonish the eye with their bold compositions and brushwork. The exhibition consisted of six chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Learn from Ōkyo’, presented Rosetsu’s early works demonstrating his studies under his master Maruyama Ōkyo; Chapter 2 ‘Journey to Nanki’, featured works created in Nanki, where he travelled as Ōkyo’s representative; Chapter 3 ‘The Stranger is New’, gathered his innovative works produced after returning from Nanki to Kyoto; Chapter 4 ‘People Surrounding Rosetsu’, examined the environment surrounding Rosetsu; Chapter 5 ‘Interest in Light’, focused on his expression of light, which resonates with modernity; and Chapter 6 displayed the newly re-discovered ‘Five Hundred Arhats (方寸五百羅漢図)’, painted on a piece of paper approximately one-inch square. The exhibition re-examined Rosetsu’s artistic career, which made a break with tradition after mastering his master’s style. (Japanese)
On March 11, 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 2010. The recipients of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize were artist ONODERA Yuki (for her exhibition titled ‘Onodera Yuki: Into the Labyrinth of Photography’) and architect KUMA Kengo (for his architectural design ‘Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum’) in the Fine Arts category; and game designer MIYAMOTO Shigeru (for his game ‘Super Mario Galaxy 2’) in the Media Art category. The recipients of the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists were contemporary artist Tabaimo (for her exhibition titled ‘Tabaimo: Danmen’) in the Fine Art category; artist NAKAMURA Masato (for his direction of opening and management of ‘3331 Arts Chiyoda’) in the Development of the Arts category; KuroDalaiJee (aka KURODA Raiji), researcher of post-war Japanese avant-garde art, (for his monograph titled ‘Anarchy of the Body’) in the Criticism category; and multimedia artist KUWAKUBO Ryōta (for his artwork titled ‘The Tenth Sentiment’) in the Media Art category. (Japanese)
Following the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, numerous exhibitions that had planned to borrow artworks from overseas were cancelled or postponed. The exhibition titled ‘The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow’, originally scheduled to run from April 2 to June 26 at the Yokohama Museum of Art, was postponed. This decision followed Russia’s assessment that the safety of the exhibition environment had not been ensured. Furthermore, the exhibition titled ‘La naissance de l’impressionnisme’, originally scheduled to open at the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum on April 5, was also cancelled due to the Directorate of Museums of the French Ministry of Culture advised a temporary suspension of art loans to Japan. Meanwhile, the exhibition titled ‘Genbaku o miru: 1945 – 1970’, originally scheduled to run from April 9 to May 29 at the Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo, was postponed following discussions between Meguro Ward and the Meguro Foundation of Art and Culture, which operates the museum. The decision was made out of consideration for the feelings of the people affected by the earthquake. (Japanese)
The Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11 caused damage and collapse to numerous cultural properties in the Tōhoku and Kantō regions. The number of nationally designated cultural properties affected reached 744. At Zuiganji temple in Matsushima Town, Miyagi Prefecture, part of the wall of the temple’s living quarter (National Treasure) collapsed. At the former Kōdōkan in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture (Special Historic Site and Important Cultural Property), the student alarm bell was completely destroyed. Damage from the tsunami triggered by the earthquake was also extensive. The Rokkakudō, part of the Izura Institute of Arts and Culture at the Ibaraki University, in Kitaibaraki City, Ibaraki Prefecture (Registered Tangible Cultural Property), was swept away, leaving only its foundations. Art galleries and museums also suffered damage from the earthquake and tsunami. The Ishinomaki Cultural Center saw its first floor almost completely destroyed by the direct impact of the tsunami. The Rikuzentakata City Museum was left only its building structure standing, with all its collections suffering water damage from the tsunami. (Japanese)
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 30thwinner was ISHIKAWA Naoki. The award was given for his photobook titled ‘CORONA’ (Seidosha), focusing on Polynesia in the South Pacific, was highly commended for in recognition of its consistent them exploring the new state of the world where countless centers coexist rather than a single, powerful central one, alongside his vigorous photographic endeavors. (Japanese)
On February 9, the winner of the 36th 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 SHIMOZONO Eiko for her photobook titled ‘Kizuna’ and the photographic exhibition of the same title. Her work, featuring women of her own generation, friends, and families as subjects, was highly commended for its style imbued with the sense of absurd. (Japanese)
On March 8, the exhibition titled, ‘Okamoto Taro – The 100th anniversary of His Birth’, opened at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (until May 8). Commemorating the centenary of the birth of OKAMOTO Tarō, renowned for works including the ‘Tower of the Sun’, known as the symbol of Expo ’70, the exhibition offered a retrospective overview of his entire oeuvre, featuring approximately 130 works. It consisted of nine sections: Prologue ‘Non!’; Chapter 1 ‘Confrontation with Picasso’; Chapter 2 ‘Confrontation with “Pretty” Art’; Chapter 3 ‘Confrontation with “Wabi-Sabi”’; Chapter 4 ‘Confrontation with “Progress and Harmony for Mankind”’; Chapter 5 ‘Confrontation with the War’; Chapter 6 ‘Confrontation with the Consumer Society’; Chapter 7 ‘Confrontation with Okamoto Taro’; and Epilogue ‘The Spirit of Okamoto Taro Inherited’. The exhibition traced his consistent challenge to established values chronologically. Amidst recent vigorous reappraisals, including the opening of the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum and Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki, this exhibition became an ambitious project seeking to reconsider Okamoto’s contemporary position. (Japanese)
On February 15, Kōzanji temple and the Kyoto National Museum announced that the third (hei) of the four-volume of emaki scrolls ‘Chōjū jinbutsu giga’ (so-called Chōju giga), owned by Kōzanji temple in Kyoto, had originally been ten sheets of washi paper with drawings on both sides, which was discovered during conservation work. These ten sheets then had been separated into twenty individual sheets and mounted into an emaki scroll. According to the temple’s records, it is believed that the scroll was assembled during the early Edo period. (Japanese)
The exhibition titled ‘Kansai Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Collections’, a collaborative project by nine neighboring exhibition venues to present an overview of Chinese painting collections located in the Kansai region, commenced with the exhibition titled ‘Celebrating Fifty Years of the Ueno Collection at the Kyoto National Museum: Spirit of Brush and Ink: The World of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphies’, held at the Kyoto National Museum from January 8 to February 20. The nine neighboring exhibition venues were Chōkaidō Museum; Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Cultures; Kampo Museum; Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi; Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum; Fuji Saiseikai Yūrinkan; Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts; and Museum Yamato Bunkakan. This series of exhibitions provided an opportunity to view outstanding Chinese artworks from the collections of UENO Riichi, ABE Fusajirō, YAMAMOTO Teijirō, KUROKAWA Kōshichi, FUJII Zensuke, YASHIRO Yukio, SUMA Yakichirō, SUMITOMO Kanichi, HASHIMOTO Suekichi, HARADA Kanpō, and HAYASHI Munetake. It also attracted attention as a collaborative project undertaken by neighboring institutions. (Japanese)
The winners of the 52nd 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, the award was given to ceramic artist AKIYAMA Yō for his solo exhibition titled ‘Yo Akiyama’, held at Art Court Gallery, Osaka; and artist MORIMURA Yasumasa for his solo exhibition titled ‘A Requiem: Art on Top of the Battlefield’, held at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum and other venues. (Japanese)
On December 23, the Agency for Cultural Affairs formulated and announced the ‘Five-Year Plan for Fire Prevention Measures for World Heritage Sites, National Treasures, and Other Properties’. In response to the fire at the Notre-Dame de Paris in April 2019 and the fire at Shuri Castle (Naha City) on October 31 of the same year, the plan focuses on World Heritage Sites, National Treasures (structures) and museums that house National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties (fine art and crafts). It aims to implement comprehensive and planned fire prevention measures by the fiscal year 2024. (Japanese)
On December 19, the winners of the VOCA Prize, which encourages young artists who create two-dimensional artworks, were announced. The Grant Prize of the VOCA was given to Nerhol (‘Remove’). KAN Mika (‘A Happy Birthday, #selfiewithme’) and RI Jong Ok (‘Olympia 2020’) jointly received the VOCA Encouragement Prize. KUROMIYA Nana (‘Image – Owarishi michi no shirube ni’) and MIYAMOTO Hanako (‘Shiro ga kieteiku. – Mein Tagebuch –’) jointly received the VOCA Honorable Mention Prize. The Ohara Museum of Art Prize was given to ASANO Yuriko (‘Kuchiake’). The VOCA exhibition 2020, where the winners’ works were exhibited, was held at the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo from March 12 to March 27 in 2020. (Japanese)
On November 29, the Japan Art Academy (Director: KUROI Senji) announced that it had elected two seven members to the Japan Art Academy for their outstanding achievements in artistic activities. In relation to art, kōgei artist HARUYAMA Fuminori and calligrapher KURODA Kenichi were elected. The election was officially announced by HAGIUDA Kōichi, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on December 15. (Japanese)
On November 15, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on the following places to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty or Historic Sites to HAGIUDA Kōichi, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Sakitama Kofun Cluster (Gyōda City, Saitama Prefecture), which includes the Inariyama kofun where the National Treasure ‘iron Inariyama burial-mound sword (J: kinsakumei tekken)’ was excavated, to be designated as a Special Historic Site; fifteen sites such as the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Site (Ishigaki City, Okinawa), where the oldest human remains from the Paleolithic period in Japan were excavated, to be designated as Historic Sites; four sites such as the Sudō Family Garden (Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture), constructed at the end of the Meiji Period, to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty; five sites such as the Nagamine Family Garden (Nagano City), where its Edo-period waterways have been maintained to the present day, to be designated as Registered Monuments. The Council also suggested 133 structures to be registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, including the Totsuna Bridge (Fukushima City), the oldest surviving steel arch bridges in Japan. (Japanese)
On November 12, the 41st Suntory Prize for Social Science and Humanities (Sponsored by the Suntory Foundation) announced that, in relation to art, KUWAKINO Kōji (Associate Professor, Osaka University) for his monograph ‘Runessansu teien no seishin shi’ was awarded in the Literary and Art Criticism category. (Japanese)
On November 7, 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 31st Ringa Art Encouragement Prize. In the Art History Research Division, ITŌ Yoshiyuki (Researcher, advisor of Fukuzawa Memorial Foundation), co-author of ‘Chōgenjitsu shugi no 1937 nen Fukuzawa Ichirō “Shūrurearizumu” o yominaosu’, was awarded. In the Art Criticism Division, KATADA Yūko (Curator, Yokohama Museum of Art) received the prize for her curatorial exhibition titled ‘Tetsuro Komai: A Pioneer of Modern Japanese Copperplate Prints’ and contribution of her essay to its catalog. (Japanese)
In the early hours of October 31, a fire broke out at Shuri Castle (Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture), completely destroying the Main Hall, North Hall, and South Hall, as well as damaging a total of nine other buildings. The complex centered around the Main Hall was rebuilt in 1992 after being burned down during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Additionally, the buildings that were destroyed housed over 1,500 paintings, lacquerware, and other craftworks dating back to the time of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Among these, 421 permanent displayed items in the Main Hall were either destroyed or damaged by the fire. (Japanese)
On October 29, the Japanese government announced six recipients of the Order of Culture and 21 recipients of the Person of Cultural Merit for the fiscal year 2019. In relation to art, the Order of Culture was given to photographer TANUMA Takeyoshi, who began his career as a press photographer and dedicated himself to elevating the status of photographers by creating a unique world on children both in Japan and abroad. The Person of Cultural Merit was given to lighting designer ISHII Motoko, who advocates for designing spaces through lighting to revitalize environments and has been involved in the lighting design of landmarks such as the Tokyo Tower and Himeji Castle; nihonga artist TABUCHI Toshio, whose works, meticulously researched in terms of nature and history, combine decorative and spiritual elements, and who has been highly praised for establishing a distinctive style in nihonga painting; and manga artist HAGIO Moto, who developed shōjo manga into a genre capable of diverse and profound expression. (Japanese)
