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 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)
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)
