Japan Art Academy
Encyclopedia
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
The , also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government.The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871....
on art-related issues, and promotes art (fine arts, music, literature, dance and drama though the annual Japan Art Academy Award (Nitten) , the premier art exhibition in Japan. As a legal entity, its status is that of a special independent organization under the aegis of the Agency for Cultural Affairs
Agency for Cultural Affairs
The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education . It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. As of April 2007, it is led by the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Tamotsu Aoki....
. Its headquarters is in Ueno Park
Ueno Park
is a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built the temple to guard Edo Castle against the north-east, then considered an unlucky direction...
, Tokyo.
The Japan Art Academy should not be confused with the Japan Art Institute, which is completely different organization.
History
The Japan Art Academy was founded in 1907 as the Fine Arts Screening Committee (Bijutsu Shinsa Inkai) of the Ministry of EducationMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
The , also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government.The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871....
. It was intended to provide quality standards and a venue for art exhibitions in Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
Japan. The first exhibition, or Bunten, was held in 1907. It was renamed the Imperial Fine Arts Academy (Teikoku Bijutsuin) in 1911, and headed by Mori Ōgai
Mori Ogai
was a Japanese physician, translator, novelist and poet. is considered his major work.- Early life :Mori was born as Mori Rintarō in Tsuwano, Iwami province . His family were hereditary physicians to the daimyō of the Tsuwano Domain...
. The Bunten exihibition was correspondingly renamed the Teiten.
After a period where it fell into inactivity, it was reorganized into the Imperial Art Academy (Teikoku Geijutsuin) in 1937. In 1947, after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Imperial Art Academy became the Japan Art Academy, and its annual exhibition was correspondingly renamed the , which was abbreviated to Nitten.
In 1958, there was further re-organization whereby the Japan Fine Arts Academy became a solely academic and consultative non-profit organization, and the organization of the Nitten annual exhibition was handled by a separate private company, the Nitten Corporation.
Membership
The Japan Art Academy is under the Minister of EducationMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
The , also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government.The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871....
. It consists of a maximum of 120 members, who are appointed for life.
Membership is divided into the following categories
A. Fine Arts
- NihongaNihongaor literally "Japanese-style paintings" is a term used to describe paintings that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials...
- Yōga
- Sculpture
- Crafts
- Calligraphy
- Architecture
B. Culture
- Novels, prose literature
- Poetry
- Essays, translation
C. Music & Drama
- Western music
- Traditional music
- Drama
- Dance
Nitten
The ' claims to be the largest combined art exhibition of its kind in the world, attracting a great number of fans and art criticArt critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
s. The exhibition consists five art categories: Nihonga and Western Style Painting, Sculpture, Crafts and Calligraphy. During each exhibition, works of the great masters are shown alongside works of the new but talented artists.