Art Jul 23, 2020
Staying real for the sake of art: Museums and festivals proceed with caution
by Jae Lee
Japan’s artistic institutions stress the importance of in-person exhibitions and events after months of closures and COVID-19-related fears.
Art Jan 15, 2019
'Boars Galore': The Year of the Boar finally gets its day
by Matthew Larking
Despite being among the least popular, revered or symbolically loaded of zodiac animals, the boar still holds an aesthetic presence.
Art Apr 24, 2018
Ike no Taiga: The 'true view' travel painter
by Matthew Larking
"The Genius of Ike no Taiga: Carefree Traveler, Legendary Painter," at Kyoto National Museum, is magisterial. Edo Period (1603-1868) Kyoto teemed with big name painters, but Taiga (1723-1776) was superlative. Taiga began the practice of calligraphy when a child, and was pseudo-certified in 1729 as ...
Style & Design Dec 31, 2017
A few ways to go the whole dog in 2018
by Mio Yamada
Cats may have surpassed dogs as pets in Japan for the first time in more than 20 years, but that hasn't stopped the nation preparing for the year of the dog with canine events and all manner of engimono lucky charms to see you ...
Art Oct 31, 2017
What makes a National Treasure?
by Matthew Larking
Together, Japan's National Treasures provide a cacophonous ode to the nation and its heritage for its historical, cultural, geographical and stylistic dissonances. Yet, this is the first time in 41 years that 210 such works (or sets) have been displayed en masse. On their own, ...
Art Jan 3, 2017
Early birds do more than catch worms
by Matthew Larking
In the battle of Zodiac animals vs. all the others, it's the rooster who performs the victory dance.
Art Nov 1, 2016
Every hero has a few human flaws
by Matthew Larking
Ryoma Sakamoto (1835-1867), among Japan's most beloved heroes, came of age when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's Black Ships arrived demanding trade relations and ending the country's closed-door foreign policy. The old Japan ruled by the feudal Tokugawa shogunate was giving way to the modern ...
Art / Openings Outside Tokyo Oct 11, 2016
Sakamoto Ryoma: Japan's Favorite Hero
by Mark Jarnes
Oct. 15-Nov. 27 Sakamoto Ryoma, undoubtedly one of Japan's most influential and revered historical figures, played an essential role in the overthrow of the Edo Period (1603-1868) feudal shogunate, and helped pave the way toward the establishment of the Meiji government. A popular swordsman, politician and ...
Art May 3, 2016
Hakuin's picture of Zen Buddhism
by Matthew Larking
Zen, traced to the ancient teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni, took root in China via India around 1,500 years ago through the first Zen patriarch, Bodhidharma. Spread there by the priest Linji Yixuan (Rinzai Gigen, died 867), it was transmitted to Japan in the ...
Art Nov 3, 2015
Kyoto's Rinpa school is moving in many ways
by Hana Sakuma
At this moment, the Kyoto National Museum is showcasing some extraordinarily breathtaking work. Three sets of "Wind God" and "Thunder God" screens by three major Rinpa (also known as Rimpa) artists are being displayed together in the same location for the first time in ...
Art Jan 22, 2015
Where Buddhism and Shintoism meet
by Matthew Larking
Works from the Tendai Buddhist Gakuenji temple in Shimane Prefecture form the feature exhibition of Kyoto National Museum's New Year's show. Tradition tells that the priest Chishun established Gakuenji around the time of the Empress Suiko (554-628) though centuries passed before it was first ...
Art Oct 16, 2014
Kyoto's top treasures, all under one roof
by Sachiko Tamashige
Kyoto is at its most brilliant and beautiful in autumn, with its World Heritage scenery colored in red and golden leaves. This year, it's also a time when visitors have the rare opportunity to learn about the essence of Kyoto culture at the Kyoto ...