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 recipients of the 23rd Kokka Award, an award for remarkable research on Japanese and East Asian art, were announced. The Kokka Award was given to a monograph titled ‘Nara kacchūshi no kenkyū’ (Yoshikawa kōbunkan) by MIYAZAKI Takashi, and a monograph titled ‘Kinsei ikoku shumi bijutsu no shiteki kenkyū’ (Rinsen shoten) by KATSUMORI Noriko. The Kokka Exhibition Catalog Award was given to an exhibition catalog titled ‘Kōsō to kesa’ (Kyoto National Museum) by YAMAKAWA Aki. (Japanese)
On October 10, the Tōdai-ji Museum (Director: KIJITANI Ryōji) opened. This is the first facility to comprehensively display the treasures of Tōdaiji temple (Nara City). Located within the Tōdaiji Culture Center, completed in 2010 on the temple grounds, it comprises five exhibition rooms equipped with a seismic base isolation. A special opening commemorative exhibition titled ‘Nara jidai no Tōdaiji (Tōdaiji Temple in the Nara Period)’ was held until January 14, 2013. Following the dismantling and restoration of the Hokke-dō’s Shumidan (Buddhist altar), the principal image of the hall, the Standing Statue of Fuku Kensaku Kannon (National Treasure), had been enshrined in the museum. (Japanese)
The Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery Auction was held at the Tokyo Art Club in Minato Ward, Tokyo, from October 5 to 9. Co-organized by the Agency of Cultural Affairs, the Japanese Council of Art Museums, and the Japanese Art Dealer Association, the auction presented 399 works by 396 living artists and three deceased artists for sale. This initiative aimed to support the rescue of artworks damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake and sustained the activities of museums in the affected areas. The event attracted 3,360 visitors. ¥127 million in donations that was raised at the event was allocated towards the restoration of damaged artworks and the recovery of affected museums. (Japanese)
On September 27, the exhibition titled ‘The Splendor of the Khitan Dynasty’ opened at the Kyushu National Museum (until November 27). It introduced the culture of the Khitan (Liao), who ruled present-day Inner Mongolia for 200 years from the early tenth century. It consisted of four chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Bajō no geijutsu (Art on Horseback)’; Chapter 2 ‘Daitō no ifū (The Legacy of the Great Tang)’; Chapter 3 ‘Sōgen toshi (Steppe Cities)’; and Chapter 4 ‘Sōten no bukkokudo (The Buddha’s Realm)’. Comprising approximately 130 items, including ornaments and artifacts associated with three imperial women, the exhibition revealed the fusion of Tang culture – which collapsed almost simultaneously with the Khitan unification – and the culture of the steppe nomads. This exhibition proved its significance, contributing to comparative studies of East Asian art forms. It subsequently toured to the Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art (December 17 – March 4, 2012) and the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts (July 12 – September 17, 2012) (Japanese)
Due to Typhoon No. 12 (Talas), made landfall in Japan from September 3 to 4, Kumano Nachi Taisha in Wakayama Prefecture suffered damage. Part of its shrine building (Important Cultural Property) was buried by landslides from the mountain behind it, and part of the roof was also damaged. Furthermore, part of the cypress bark roof of the Zaōdō (main hall; National Treasure) of Kinpusenji temple in Nara Prefecture was also peeled off. (Japanese)
The exhibition titled ‘Omi: Spiritual Home of Kami and Hotoke’ opened, which showcased Buddhist and Shinto artifacts from Shiga Prefecture across three venues simultaneously: the exhibition titled ‘The Path to Tendai Buddhism – In Search of the Eternal Śākyamuni Buddha –’ was held at MIHO MUSEUM in Shigaraki (September 3 – December 11); the exhibition titled ‘Inori no kuni, Ōmi no butsuzō – Kodai kara chūsei e’ was held at the Shiga Prefectural Museum of Modern Art in Seta (September 17 – November 20); and the exhibition titled ‘Hiyoshi no kami to matsuri’ was held at the Otsu City Museum of History in Ōtsu (October 8 – November 23). The Ōmi region, where mountains encircle Lake Biwa, fostered ancient beliefs revering nature. When Buddhism was introduced from outside of Japan, Buddhist art flourished centered Mount Hiei. The exhibition ‘The Path to Tendai Buddhism’ featured 104 works organized into eight chapters: ‘The Passing of Shakyamuni’; ‘Cause and Effect of the Birth of Shakyamuni’; ‘Mahayana Bodhisattvas’; ‘Buddhas in Various Paradises’; ‘A Universe Filled with Buddhas’; ‘Buddhism in the Nara Period’; ‘Lotus Sutra and Saicho’; and ‘After Saicho and the Rise of Tendai Esotericism’. The exhibition ‘Inori no kuni, Ōmi no butsuzō’ displayed 57 Buddhist statues from the early Heian period to the Muromachi period. The exhibition ‘Hiyoshi no kami to matsuri’ presented 101 works across two chapters: ‘Kamigami no sugata (The Forms of the Deities)’ and ‘Hiyoshi sannōsai (The Hiyoshi Sannō Festival)’. The exhibitions served to impress upon visitors the richness of Shinto and Buddhist art in the Ōmi region. They also drew attention as an initiative where three neighboring museums presented simultaneously held exhibitions under the same theme. (Japanese)
On August 30, the exhibition titled ‘Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Sakai Hoitsu’s Birth: Sakai Hoitsu and the Edo Rimpa School’ opened at the Himeji City Museum of Art (until October 2). It showcased artworks by SAKAI Hōitsu – who flourished in Edo in the late eighteenth century, admiring the style of artists in Kyoto such as TAWARAYA Sōtatsu and OGATA Kōrin – and Edo Rimpa artists who inherited his style. The exhibition displayed 338 works, including around 160 works by Hōitsu, such as his representative painting ‘Flowering Plants of Summer and Autumn (夏秋草図屏風)’, and around 60 works by his student SUZUKI Kiitsu. This was complemented by related materials and works by artists such as IKEDA Koson, SAKAI Ōho, and SUZUKI Shuitsu, who linked to the modern era. The exhibition consisted of nine chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Himeji sakaike to Hōitsu (The Himeji Sakai Family and Hōitsu)’; Chapter 2 ‘Ukiyo-e seisaku to kyōka (Ukiyo-e Production and Kyōka)’; Chapter 3 ‘Kōrin gafū e no keitō (Devotion to the Kōrin Style)’; Chapter 4 ‘Edo bunka no naka no Hōitsu (Hōitsu within Edo Culture)’; Chapter 5 ‘Ugean Hōitsu no butsuga seisaku (Hōitsu’s Buddhist Painting Production at Ugean)’; Chapter 6 ‘Edo rimpa no kakuritsu (The Establishment of the Edo Rimpa School)’; Chapter 7 ‘Kōgei ishō no tenkai (The Development of Kōgei Designs)’; Chapter 8 ‘Suzuki Kiitsu to sono shūhen (Suzuki Kiitsu and His Circle)’; and Chapter 9 ‘Edo rimpa no suimyaku (The Watercourse of the Edo Rimpa)’. The exhibition subsequently toured to the Chiba City Museum of Art (October 10 – November 13) and the Hosomi Museum (April 10 – May 13, 2012) (Japanese)
Welcoming ŌSAKA Eriko as General Director and MIKI Akiko as Artistic Director, the Yokohama Triennale, now in its fourth edition as it marks its tenth anniversary since its founding, took place from August 6 to November 6 at the Yokohama Museum of Art as its main venue. Centered the theme ‘OUR MAGIC HOUR – How much of the World Can We Know? – ’, it raised questions about the limits of modern scientific understanding of the work, intending to turn our gaze towards that which cannot be captured by science or reason. Aligned under the keywords ‘look’, ‘nurture’ and ‘connect’, it aimed not only at contemporary art but also at other genres and past artworks. It sought to deepen the act of viewing art, to invigorate both the power to create and the power to see, and to emphasize connections with the local communities. Alongside the main that displayed artworks by 79 artists across 77 art groups, collaborative projects included ‘BankART Life III: Shin Minatomura’ and ‘Koganecho Bazaar 2011’, attracting 330,000 visitors. (Japanese)
On July 15, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: NISHIHARA Suzuko) submitted a report on 178 structures to be designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to TAKAKI Yoshiaki, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Kamiya Bar Main Hall (Taitō Ward, Tokyo), considered the first bar in Asakusa, Tokyo, and the Yūbari Rokumeikan (Yūbari City, Hokkaidō), a reception facility reflecting the prosperity of the Yūbari coal mines. Meanwhile, they requested the withdrawal of the designation as an Important Cultural Properties for the water tank section of the Ishioka No. 1 Power Plant (Kitaibaraki City and Takahagi City), which had been severely damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake. (Japanese)
On July 11, the laureates of the 23rd 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, Bill Viola (USA) in the Painting category, Anish Kapoor (United Kingdom) in the Sculpture category, and Ricardo Legorreta (Mexico) in the Architecture category. (Japanese)
The exhibition titled ‘Kikuhata Mokuma kaiko ten – Sengo / Kaiga’ opened at the Fukuoka Art Museum (July 9 – August 28) and the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum (July 16 – August 13). They traced the works of KIKUHATA Mokuma, one of the leading figures in postwar Japanese art, from his debut to the present day. To comprehensively showcase the full scope of KIKUHATA’s diverse output – encompassing objets d’ art, paintings, drawings, and television programs, the exhibitions were divided across two venues: the Fukuoka City Museum focuses on the ‘postwar’ period, primarily showcasing objets d’ art, while the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum presented the ‘paintings’ section, including major works from the mid-1980s onwards. Each venue functioned as an independent exhibition, allowing visitors to appreciate the works in this distinct format. After gaining attention in the 1950s as a leading figure of the ‘Kyūshū School (Kyūshū-ha)’, KIKUHATA engaged in writing and television program production, distancing himself from the so-called art world for approximately twenty years from the late 1960s. His trajectory, marked by the successive unveiling of large-scale paintings from the mid-1980s onwards, reflected how the avant-garde movements that emerged across postwar Japan transformed within the new art world order centered on major cities, following the Expo ’70 and the period of high economic growth. His works raised questions that prompted a reconsideration of postwar art. (Japanese)
On June 17, the recipients of the 6th Western Art Foundation for Promotion Award 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 Award for Individuals was awarded to ŌYA Mina (for the exhibition titled ‘Exhibition of Frank Brangwyn’, held at the National Museum of Western Art) and KAMIYA Yukie (for the exhibition titled ‘Simon Starling: Project for a Masquerade (Hiroshima)’, held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art). The Cultural Promotion Award for Institutions was given to Mitsubishi Estate (for the exhibition titled ‘Manet and Modern Paris’, held at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo). (Japanese)
On June 1, the ‘Act on the Indemnification of Damage to Works of Art in Exhibition’, promulgated on April 4, came into force. This legislation enables the government to compensate for damage to exhibited artworks up to a maximum of ¥95 billion, allowing more citizens to appreciate outstanding artworks, which had been under consideration since the 1990s, against a backdrop of rising art valuations and soaring insurance premiums. Following the law’s implementation, the first exhibition to be applied was the exhibition titled ‘Goya: Lights and Shadows’ (National Museum of Western Art), opening in October, and the exhibition titled ‘Jackson Pollock: A Centennial Retrospective’ (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art), opening in November. (Japanese)
On May 25, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova announced that the approval of the registration of 697 items comprising annotated paintings and diaries of the Chikuhō coal mines by YAMAMOTO Sakubei as a UNESCO Memory of the World. Nominated by the local city of Tagawa City in Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefectural University, this marks the first such registration in Japan. (Japanese)
On May 20, the Council for Cultural Affairs (Commissioner: NISHIHARA Suzuko) submitted a report on four places to be designated as Places of Scenic Beauty and four places to be designated as Historic Sites to TAKAKI Yoshiaki, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Fuji Five Lakes (Yamanashi Prefecture), formed by volcanic activity of Mount Fuji, to be designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty; Umamukaiyama kofun (Shikokuchūō City, Ehime Prefecture), believed to be the largest rectangular burial mound in Shikoku, constructed in the seventh century, to be designated a Historic Site. The Fuji Five Lakes are deeply associated with the worship of Mount Fuji and have been the subject of numerous artworks, such as ukiyo-e prints, which are highly valued for their aesthetic appeal. In addition to the list, the Council also suggested two places such as Kobe East Park (Kobe City), one of Japan’s oldest parks where memorial services for the Great Hanshin Earthquake are held, to be registered as Registered Monuments; and five places such as agricultural and mountainous landscape of Sado Nishimikawa trace back to Sado Gold Mine to be selected as an Important Cultural Landscapes. (Japanese)
On May 7, 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 that Hiraizumi (Hiraizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture), resubmitted by Japan, be inscribed as a World Heritage Site. In response, on June 26, the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee decided to inscribe Hiraizumi on the World Heritage List as a Cultural Heritage Site. ICOMOS had deferred the examination of the nomination of Hiraizumi in 2008 and the World Heritage Committee had also instructed a recommendation be made, leading to its registration being postponed. However, the Japanese government had resubmitted the nomination, clarifying that it represents the concept of Pure Land Buddhism. Meanwhile, concerning the buildings, including the main building of the National Museum of Western Art, designed by architect Le Corbusier that Japan had jointly nominated with France and others, ICOMOS recommended ‘non-inscription’, and their registration as a World Heritage Site was postponed. (Japanese)
The recipients of the 5th 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 OZAWA Masami, the solo inheritor engaged in the restoration of armor that are designated national cultural properties. The Encouragement Award went to Ōyama Akihiko, Associate Professor at Nara University of Education, who has worked on recapturing color on drawings for various historical structures including the Kondō Hall at Toshōdaiji temple in Nara. The Special Award was given to Nihon urushikaki gijutsu hozonkai, which works tirelessly in Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture, to secure the domestically produced urushi lacquer essential for restoration of cultural properties and to pass on its collecting techniques to the next generation. (Japanese)
On May 1, it was discovered that an additional painting, rendered on plywood, had been fitted into a corner of OKAMOTO Tarō’s mural painting ‘Myth of Tomorrow’, displayed within Tokyo’s Shibuya Station. The image evoked the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident that occurred in March. On May 18, the artist collective Chim↑Pom publicly displayed a video work showing the act of attaching the panel to the mural, along with the original artwork, during a preview of their solo exhibition, thereby announcing their involvement. On July 4, the Shibuya Police Station of the Metropolitan Police Department filed criminal papers with prosecutors against three individuals, including the collective’s leader, on violating the Minor Offenses Act (posting unauthorized notices). (Japanese)
On May 1, the special exhibition titled ‘SHARAKU’ opened at the Tokyo National Museum (until June 12). It showcased 142 woodblock prints by the enigmatic ukiyo-e artist TŌSHŪSAI Sharaku, who vanished just ten months after his striking debut. Originally scheduled to open on April 5, the exhibition was postponed due to the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11. It consisted of five chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Sharaku izen no yakusha-e (Yakusha-e Prints before Sharaku)’; Chapter 2 ‘Sharaku o umidashita Tsutaya Jūzaburō (Tsutaya Jūzaburō, the Man Who Produced Sharaku)’; Chapter 3 ‘Sharaku no zenbō (The Complete Works of Sharaku)’; Chapter 4 ‘Sharaku to raibaru (Sharaku and His Rivals)’; and Chapter 5 ‘Sharaku no zanei (Afterimage of Sharaku)’. The exhibition identified the actors and plays depicted by comparing the prints with theatre programs and traced the chronological evolution of Sharaku’s artistic career according to the performance dates. Alongside works by other ukiyo-e artists depicting the same roles, this substantial exhibition highlighted the distinctive characteristics of Sharaku’s artistic style. (Japanese)
On April 29, the exhibition titled ‘Five Hundred Disciples of Buddha by Kano Kazunobu, Zojoji Temple Treasures: Buddhist Images and the Artist Kano Kazunobu at the End of the Edo Period’ opened at the Edo-Tokyo Museum (until July 3). It brought together the complete set of one hundred scrolls depicting the Five Hundred Arhats painted mainly by the late-Edo period artist KANŌ Kazunobu, which was devoted to Zōjōji temple, alongside other works by Kazunobu, depicting the Five Hundred Arhats. Originally scheduled to open on March 15, the exhibition was postponed due to the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11. Commemorating the 800th anniversary of the death of Hōnen, the special exhibition featured the complete Zōjōji temple collection – previously only partially displayed due to the large scale of the works. It offered a rare opportunity to appreciate the profoundly distinctive artistic style of KANŌ Kazunobu, characterized by his rich use of Western-inspired perspective and chiaroscuro techniques. (Japanese)
