Resources+for+learning+about+Contemporary+art+in+Japan

= 1. General Resources & Organizations =

[|Ukiyo-e Database] The Ukiyo-e.org database and image similarity analysis engine, created by John Resig to aide researchers in the study of Japanese woodblock prints, was launched in December 2012. The database currently contains over 213,000 prints from 24 institutions and, as of September 2013, has received 3.4 million pageviews from 150,000 people.

[|Kōseisha Zasshi Kiji Sakuin Shūsei Database] The database combines content already previously available in other Zasshi Kiji Sakuin databases such as MagazinePLUS with indices of journals published in the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods, and is notable because it also indexes minor journals that were published in local prefectures and cities.

[|JAANUS: Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System] "This dictionary contains approximately 8000 terms related to traditional Japanese architecture and gardens, painting, sculpture and art-historical iconography from approximately the 1st century A.D. to the end of the Edo period (1868)."

[|Gunsho ruijū] This set consists of important collections relating to Japanese literary classics and historical records in a variety of areas such as history, literature & language, religion, customs, art, performing art, education, politics, economics, law and geography, etc. The database provides full-text search function of this very authoritative reference sources.

[|JAODB Search: The Japanese Art Open Database] A Japanese art database designed by Dr. Ross Walker that is geared towards non-Japanese language speakers, writers, and readers.

[|Museum of Fine Arts Boston | Art of Asia] Images of thousands of objects from the MFA Boston's collections, including many Japanese prints and other works of art.

[|Kotenseki Etsuran Portal Database] This database provides page images of yomihon from the Edo period, from Ritsumeikan's Art Research Center. Its interface is difficult to use, but if you click on "縮小画像一覧" you can view all thumbnails from a given book.

[|Image Database of Texts and Pictures on East Asian Publishing Culture] A searchable and browsable database of images of publishing culture throughout history from the Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University.

[|Kyōto Daigaku Denshi Toshokan Kichō Shiryō Gazō] A digital archive containing images of a wide variety of artifacts held by Kyōto University Library, including photographs, emaki, paintings, and more.

[|Oral History Archives of Japanese Art] A database of recordings of oral history interviews with figures in Japanese art.

[|The Japan Foundation - Arts and Cultural Exchange] The Japan Foundation organizes programs to introduce various aspects of Japanese arts and culture all over the world. In addition, it promotes networking and human resources development in arts and cultural fields by interactive collaboration/co-production, and through dispatching and invitation of specialists.

[|Japan Artists Association] JAA (established 1949) is an organization consisting of specialized artists in the field of painting, prints and sculpture, aiming at a sound development of the Japanese art world, diffusion of art, international exchange and protection of the artist's professional ability.

Major Museums in Japan:
[|Tokyo National Museum] The Tokyo National Museum was established in 1872 and is the oldest Japanese national museum, the largest art museum in Japan and one of the largest art museums in the world.The TNM collects, houses, and displays a comprehensive collection of art works and antiquities from Japan as well as other Asian countries. The museum also conducts research and investigations concerning its collection of books, rubbings, and photographs, related to fine art, and makes these items available to scholars. The Independent Administrative Institution National Museum and the Independent Administrative Institution Research Institute of Cultural Properties were merged as of April 1, 2007 to create the Independent Administrative Institution National Institute for Cultural Property. [|National Institutes for Cultural Heritage] was established in order to carry out preservation and utilization of cultural properties more efficiently and effectively. (From site)

[|Edo-Tokyo Museum] The Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum opened its doors in March 1993 as a space to reflect on the history and culture of Edo-Tokyo and envision the city and life of the future. Housed in a unique building modeled after an elevated-floor type warehouse, the museum has been a landmark and popular tourist attraction in Tokyo since its opening. The permanent exhibition, showcasing original objects and replicas, offers visitors a journey through the 400-year history of Edo-Tokyo since Tokugawa Ieyasu entered Edo. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum holds special exhibitions at the first floor gallery five to six times a year and carries out various other events, including lectures and workshops on the history and culture of Edo-Tokyo. We hope that the museum can be Tokyo’s center for the creation of new culture and a place of respite for visitors. (From site)

[|Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum] The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (before known as “Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum”) was founded in 1926 in Ueno Park. It marked a transition from Taisho (1912-26) to a new era in Japan’s history, Showa (1926-89) and was a crucial venue for important annual exhibitions, such as the September Inten (Japan Art Institute Exhibition) and Nikaten (Nika Association), and the October Bunten (Ministry of Education Exhibition). There were no Public Museum of Art in Japan until Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum opened. “In Europe, the art museum is a visible symbol of a city’s cultural identity,” people said, and there was a groundswell of opinion: “Japan needs an art museum or it will fall behind the West.” TMAM prides itself as an innovative and accepting contemporary museum and in its mission statement, includes its goals as such:

1. To foster interchange among people and generate new values. 2. To impart vitality to people’s art activities and deepen their appreciation of art. 3. To respect tradition, give new life to tradition, and enable new fusions. 4. To offer encounters with art masterpieces from Japan and around the world.

The TMAM features: 1. “Exhibition Program”—Special Exhibitions and Thematic Exhibitions offering the joy of viewing and fun of learning. 2. “Art Communication Program”—Exploring new possibilities through exchange between people, such as by fostering “art communicators” in conjunction with Tokyo University of the Arts and holding workshops. 3. “Public Entry Exhibition Program”—Collaborating with art groups and sharing the joy of creating. 4. “Amenity Program”—The “Sato Keitaro Memorial Lounge,” Library, a museum shop, restaurants, and other functions adding richness to the enjoyment of museum visits.

[|Kyoto National Museum] The Kyoto National Museum, formerly known as the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, was established in 1889 and focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art. The museum was originally built to house and display art treasures privately owned by temples and shrines, and items donated by the Imperial Household Ministry. KNM is divided into three parts: Fine Arts (sculptures, paintings and works of calligraphy), Handicrafts (pottery, fabrics, lacquerwares and metalworks), and Archaeology (objects of archaeological and historical interest.) The museum is well known for its collections of rare and ancient Chinese and Japanese sutras.

[|Adachi Museum of Art] The Adachi Museum of Art opened in Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture, Japan in 1970. It boasts a collection of modern Japanese art, features a large collection of paintings by Taikan Yokoyama, and has a garden that contributes to the overall atmosphere of the museum. In addition to its Modern Japanese paintings, AMA has in its permanent collection Contemporary Japanese paintings, Ceramic works, a display of pictures for children, and woodcarvings.

Art Museums in Japan by Region:
Aichi [|Menard Art Museum]

Aomori [|Aomori Contemporary Art Centre]

Ashiya [|Ashiya City Museum of Art and History]

Atami [|MOA Museum of Art]

Fukuoka [|Fukuoka Art Museum] [|Fukuoka Asian Art Museum]

Gifu [|Museum of Fine Art]

Hiroshima [|Hiroshima Museum of Art]

Ibaraki [|Art Tower Mito] [|Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki]

Ishikawa [|Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art]

Itami [|Itami City Museum of Art]

Kanazawa [|21st Century Museum Of Contemporary Art]

Kariya [|Kariya City Art Museum]

Kitakyushu [|Center for Contemporary Art] [|Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art]

Kobe [|Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art]

Kochi-City [|Museum of Art, Kochi]

Kurashiki [|Ohara Museum of Art]

Kyoto [|Kyoto National Museum] [|Kyoto University Museum] [|National Museum of Modern Art]

Marugame [|Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art]

Matsumoto [|Matsumoto City Museum of Art] [|The Japan Ukiyo-e Museum]

Mie [|Mie Prefectural Art Museum]

Minamicho [|Kawanabe Kyosai Memorial Museum]

Mori [|Mori Art Museum]

Nagi [|Nagi Museum Of Contemporary Art]

Nagoya [|Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art] [|Matsuzakaya Museum] [|Nagoya City Art Museum] [|Nagoya City Museum] [|Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts] [|Tokugawa Art Museum]

Naoshima [|Chichu Art Museum] [|Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum]

Nara [|Nara National Museum] [|Nara Prefectural Museum of Art]

Nasu [|Niki Museum]

Niigata [|Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art]

Obuse [|Hokusai Museum]

Okayama [|Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art]

Okazaki [|Okazaki Mindscape Museum]

Osaka [|National Museum of Art] [|Osaka Municipal Museum of Art]

Rokuzan [|Rokuzan Art Museum]

Saitama [|Museum of Modern Art, Saitama]

Sakima [|Sakima Art Museum]

Sakura [|Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art]

Sapporo [|Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art] [|Sapporo Art Park]

Shiga [|Miho Museum] [|Museum of Modern Art, Shiga]

Shimane [|Shimane Art Museum]

Shiodome [|Shiodome Museum]

Shizuoka [|Nichireiki Ikeda 20th Century Museum of Art]

Shizuoka-city [|Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art]

Tokyo [|National Museum of Western Art] [|Bridgestone Museum of Art] [|Bunkamura Museum of Art] [|Daimaru Museum] [|Hara Museum of Contemporary Art] [|Idemitsu Museum of Arts] [|Mitsui Memorial Museum] [|Musee Marie Laurencin] [|Museum of Contemporary Art] [|National Art Center, Tokyo] [|National Museum of Modern Art] [|New Otani Art Museum] [|Nezu Institute of Fine Arts] [|Setagaya Art Museum] [|Sompo Japan Museum of Art] [|Suntory Museum of Art] [|Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum] [|Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography] [|Tokyo National Museum] [|Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music Art Museum] [|Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery] [|Ueno Royal Museum] [|Watari Museum of Contemporary Art]

Toyama [|Museum of Modern Art, Toyama]

Toyota City [|Toyota Municipal Museum of Art]

Wakayama [|Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama]

Yamagata [|Yamagata Museum of Art]

Yamaguchi [|Hagi Uragami Museum]

Yokohama [|Yokohama Museum of Art]

Yoshiwa [|Wood One Museum of Art]

3.Galleries
[|Mori Art Museum] The Mori Art Museum is a major part of the Tokyo art scene. It is located at the top of a 54-story skyscraper in Roppongi and is best described as a fusion of contemporary fine arts and architecture that seeks to create a open space for discussion and learning. [|SCAI The Bathhouse] SCAI The Bathhouse is one of the city’s most prestigious contemporary art galleries and one of the most interesting art spaces in the city. This gallery used to be a 200-year-old bathhouse and was renovated into a modern art space. [| Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography] Japan’s only museum specializing in photography and imagery features three exhibition galleries that display works of photographers and image creators from within and outside Japan, as well as 28,000 collections. In addition, films specially selected are screened in the hall on the ground floor. Other facilities at the Yebisu Garden Place gallery include a museum shop, cafe, and a library.In addition, there is an annual World Press Photo Contest, where the winning shots of over 5,000 photojournalists from around the world are displayed. [|National Art Center, Tokyo] A unique and innovative art exhibition facility, the center focuses on serving as a venue for various art exhibitions instead of maintaining a permanent collection. In its 14,000 square meters of exhibition space—one of the largest in Japan—it houses several small exhibitions being run at the same time, focusing on ceramics, photography, drawings and paintings. Designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa, the center also promotes outreach activities through its educational programs, and the art library serves to collect and disseminate information related to art. [| National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT)] One of several museums and other attractions located in Kitanomaru Park, MOMAT displays an extensive collection spread out over three floors. The collection focuses mainly on Japanese modern art from around 1900 through the 1950s and 1960s, although there is also a small section of more contemporary art. Noteworthy features of the permanent collection are portraits by early Japanese modernist Kishida Ryusei and wartime paintings. [|Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo] As Japan’s most popular museum of contemporary art, this museum houses nearly 4,500 domestic and foreign works of art. It features an array of contemporary art exhibitions, including permanent collections, distinctive special exhibitions such as large-scale international exhibitions, as well as paintings, sculptures, fashion, architecture, and design. The museum facilities include an art library, where visitors can search for art-related information.

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4. Exhibitions & Collections
= COLLECTIONS: =

Cleveland Museum Of Art, Japanese Art Collection
The Cleveland Museum Of Art’s collection of some 1,950 Japanese artworks includes woodblock prints designed by such artists as Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764) and Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806). [=field_collection:83]]

Freer Sackler Collection
Huge collection of more than 11,000 objects including prints from the 18th–20th century, and 19th–20th century photographs of Japan. Also, Ukiyo-e paintings depicting Japanese theater, pleasure quarters, and landscapes from the early 17th–19th century, highlighted by the world's premier collection of paintings by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849). []

Honolulu Museum Of Art Japanese Woodblock Print Collection
In the collection are many masterworks by Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, and the world’s largest collection of prints designed by Utagawa Hiroshige. [] University Of California, San Francisco, Japanese Woodblock Print Collection The UCSF Library’s collection of Japanese woodblock prints illustrates a wide variety of health-related topics. The prints provide a window into traditional Japanese attitudes towards illness, the human body, women, religion, and the West. []

University Of Maryland Collection
In 1969, faculty of the UMUC Tokyo campus began purchasing and donating Japanese prints to the university as a way of building a collection to commemorate beloved colleagues. Choice of the Japanese print was due in great part to its traditional role as a popular and accessible art form. It can also be attributed to an appreciation of great craftsmanship and the art form's ability to capture the essence of a country where faculty members had lived and worked and that they had come to love and deeply appreciate. []

Victoria And Albert Museum Collection
The V&A has been collecting Japanese art and design since it was founded in 1852 and now holds one of the world's most comprehensive collections, including ceramics, lacquer, arms and armour, woodwork, metalwork, textiles and dress, prints, paintings, sculpture and modern & contemporary studio crafts. []

Worcester Art Museum Collection
Huge collection of over 3700 Japanese art objects. []

EXHIBITIONS:
Art of the Edo Period - []

[|DECO JAPAN: SHAPING ART AND CULTURE, 1920–1945]

[|Exhibit: A Century Of Japanese Prints]

[|Exhibits: Ishiuchi Miyako: Postwar Shadows and The Younger Generation: Contemporary Japanese Photography]

[|Takashi Murakami Exhibits One of the Biggest Paintings in the World, “The 500 Arhats”]


 * [|Exhibit: Living for the Moment: Japanese Prints from the Barbara S. Bowman Collection] ||

[|Exhibit: Gathering Whispers – Solo Exhibition by Edwin Ushiro]

[|Exhibit: New Way Forward: Japanese Hanga of the 20th Century] [|Exhibit: The Color of Life: Japanese Paintings from the Price Collection]

[|Exhibition: Japanese Prints, Hokusai at LACMA]

[|Art Exhibition: "Japan in Blue and White"]

[|Henry Sugimoto: Painting an American Experience]

[|Exhibit: DREAMS & DIVERSIONS: 250 Years of Japanese Woodblock Prints]

[|Japanese Paintings: Paths to Enlightenment]

[|Perfection in Details. The Art of Japan in the Meiji Period (1868-1912)]

[|Showdown! Kuniyoshi vs. Kunisada]

[|Prints from the Taisho Era (1912–1926) and Beyond]

[|Genji's World in Japanese Woodblock Prints]

[|EXHIBIT: THE PRINTER'S EYE: UKIYO-E FROM THE GRABHORN COLLECTION]

[|IN THE MOMENT: JAPANESE ART FROM THE LARRY ELLISON COLLECTION]

[|Ink and Gold: Art of the Kano]

5. Art Schools
Aichi Aichi University of the Arts and Music []

Akashi Kobe College of Fashion and Design []

Hamamatsu Shizuoka University of Art and Culture []

Kanagawa Joshibi University (Sagamihara campus) []

Kanazawa Kanazawa College of Art []

Kyoto Kyoto City University of Arts []

Okinawa Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts []

Osaka Osaka Municipal College of Design []

Tokyo Joshibi University of Art and Design (Suginami campus) []

Yamagata Tohoku University of Art and Design []

Katsushika Hokusai:
(1760-1840) Japanese wood cut artist most noteable for his piece called the 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' []

Ando/Utagawa Hiroshige:
(1797-1858) Japanese artist, considered as one of the last great [|ukiyo-e]  (“pictures of the floating world”) masters of the color woodblock print. []

Takahashi Yuichi:
(1855-1915) Japanese painter, noted for his pioneering work in developing the yoga art movement in the late 19th century []

Asai Chu:
(1856-1907) Western style painter, Born in Tokyo, and the son of a samurai of the Sakura clan []

Yamoto Hosui:
(1850-1906) Western style painter. He opened a painting academy called The Seikokan in Edo. []

Hashimoto Gaho:
(1885-1908) Japanese painter, one of the last to paint in the style of the Kano school. []

Kano Hogai:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">(1828-1888) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">A 19th century painter of the Kano school <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Adachi Ginko:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">(1853-1908) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Japanese artist best known for his prints in the Ukiyo-e style as a member of the Utagawa school. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">[]

Yayoi Kusama:
(1929-Present) Japanese artist and writer. Throughout her career she has working in a wide variety of media. Including but not limited to painting, collage, soft sculpture, performance art, and environmental installations. Her main thematic interest is psychedelic colors, repetition, and pattern. []

Takashi Murakami:
(1962-Present) Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media as well as commercial media and is known for blurring the line between low art and high art. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

Yoshitoma Nara:
(1959-Present) Japanese artist who lives and works in tokyo. His main interest is pop art and is influenced by manga and anime. []

Moriko Mori:
(1967-Present) Japanese contemporary artist. She uses her art to reference traditional Japanese culture as well as ancient history but characterizes the work with futuristic themes and characters. []

Chiho Aoshima:
(1974-Present) Japanese Pop artist and member of Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki Collective. Her artwork comes from somewhere in between innocent reality and a twisted dream world. []

Yoko Ono:
(1933-Present) Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist who is also known for her performance art and filmmaking. []

Tatsuo Miyajima:
(1957-Present) Japanese sculptor and installation artist who lives in Moriya. His work frequently employs digital LED counters and is primarily concerned with the function and significance of time and space. []

Makoto Aida:
(1965-Present) Contemporary Japanese artist known for his provocative works of manga, painting, video,photography,sculpture, and installation. []

Takahiro Iwasaki:
(1975-Present) Japanese sculptor artist. A very well studied individual who has is work all over the world. []

Hiroshi Sugimoto:
(1948-Present) Japanese photographer currently dividing his time between Tokyo and New York. []

Kishio Suga:
(1944-Present) Japanese sculptor and installation artist. He is a key member of Mono-ha, a group of artists who became prominent int the late 1960s and 70s. Exploring the encounter between nature and industrial material. []

Keiichi Tanaami:
(1936-Present) Japanese post war pop artist. Working as a multi-genre artist in graphic design, illustration, video, and fine arts. []

Miwa Yanagi:
(1967-Present) Japanese photographic artist who uses elaborate and often costly staged events using female models ranging in different ages. []

On Kawara:
(1932-2014) Japanese conceptual artist who stripped down art of personal emotion, and reduced it to pure information or idea and greatly played down the art objects. []

Hiroshi Senju:
(1958-Present) Japanese painter known for his large scale waterfall paintings. []

Nobuo Sekine:
(1942-Present) Japanese sculptor, and a key member of the artist group Mono-ha. And studies the encounter between natural and industrial materials. []

Nahoko Kojima:
(1981-Present) Professional Japanese paper cut artist. Much of her inspiration is taken from fashion and the city. []

Ushio Shinohara:
(1932-Present) Japanes Neo-Dadaist artist who's bright, large scale works have been exhibited internationally. []

Nobuyoshi Araki:
(1940-Present) Japanese photographer and contemporary artist. Worked for an advertising agency Dentsu. He is considered one of the most prolific artists alive or dead in japan and around the world. []

Tomoko Konoike:
(1960-Present) Japanese artist and surrealist painter. Also worked with installations often featuring wolves and other regular motifs. []

Tomoko Takahashi:
(1966-Present) Japanese artist who's main medium is installation art that is often made of garbage. []

Junichi Kakizaki:
(1971-Present) Japanese sculptor, floral artist, land and environment artist. [|https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2007/09/20/stage/butoh-flowers-of-life-and-decay/#.WdG16mK3y1s]

Koji Enokura:
(1942-1995) Japanese artist and Key member of artist group Mono-ha. []

Shinji Turner-Yamamoto:
(1965-Present) Japanese visual artist. Known for his paintings, sculptures and site-specific art installations. []

7. Videos & Other Media
[|Arts of Japan] Podcast series that covers the history of Japanese art

[|Harvard College Library] Early photography of Japan.

[|Facing History] History focused on the Meiji Period

[|Fuji Arts] Woodblock Print Retailer

Ukiyo-e Art Lesson Exploring the Floating World and Influences on the West

[|Tale Of Genji Ukifune] Tale of Japan’s greatest novel, seen via woodblock prints.