Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 19
January 2, 2011 (Sun) - March 6, 2011 (Sun)
Japan's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, enacted in 1950, covers not only tangible but also intangible cultural property. This includes traditional performing and decorative arts techniques.
As part of the program for preserving the decorative arts, the Japanese government records techniques with the assistance of individual artists and artist groups. In addition to photographic and written information, records also include materials, tools and stage-by-stage examples of production processes in order to effectively transmit techniques to future generations. The records sometimes serve to revive forgotten techniques, resulting in considerable influence on contemporary art and crafts.
This exhibition introduces the world of Japanese craftsmanship through records transferred to the museum from the Agency for Cultural Affairs which illustrate traditional lacquer, ceramic and metalworking techniques.
Major works in this exhibition
