Documenting the Internment Experience: Miné Okubo and Citizen 13660
Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, thousands of Japanese Americans were forcibly placed in concentration camps. Artist Miné Okubo was in two of...
Lauren Kraut 26 February 2024
#Japan
Maneki Neko – Those Lucky Cats
We’ve all seen those jovial, happy cat figurines in Asian restaurants and shops. Sitting upright with their raised paw, smiling face, and trademark...
Nadine Waldmann 17 February 2024
Dragons in East Asian Art
Imagination is the only limit to the stories and myths about dragons. From East to West, storytellers paint them as creatures of fire, of deep...
Yifan Xia 15 February 2024
Miyatake Gaikotsu and His Puzzling Postcards
At the beginning of the 20th century, when Japan started embracing the West and rapid industrialization of almost all aspects of life, Miyatake...
Magda Michalska 7 February 2024
Lee Ufan – The Beauty of Emptiness
Lee Ufan is a Korean-born international artist, whose work is key to the Mono-ha movement. If you have ever been lucky enough to encounter a Lee...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 13 January 2024
Hiroshige’s Winter Views of Edo
One of the most famous woodblock printers of the late Edo period in Japan, Utagawa Hiroshige, produced a series of a hundred views showing Edo city...
Magda Michalska 22 December 2023
Practical, Erotic and Magical: The Miniature World of Netsuke
Originating in 17th-century Japan during the Edo Period, Netsuke (pronounced nets-keh) are toggles that attach pouches to the traditional robes,...
Nadine Waldmann 16 December 2023
The Power of Compassion – Bodhisattvas in Art
Enlightening and radiant bodhisattvas are often depicted in art. With the opening of Buddhist practice to laypeople, active and compassionate...
Marina Kochetkova 8 December 2023
Journey to the East – Buddhist Art Across Cultures
From its beginnings in India, Buddhist art has traveled across cultures. Buddhism developed its character thanks to many pilgrims who made their...
Marina Kochetkova 7 December 2023
Rain in Japanese Art
Although Japanese weather varies greatly across the archipelago, the abundance of rain throughout the year remains a common phenomenon across Japan.
Maya M. Tola 29 November 2023
Masterpiece Story: Bridge in the Rain (after Hiroshige) by Vincent van Gogh
In the mid-19th century, Japanese ports were suddenly opened up to international trade, and Europeans went crazy for Japanese culture and art,...
Kelly Hill 29 November 2023
5 Japanese Contemporary Artists You Have to Know
Japanese artistic tradition spans centuries and has a far-reaching influence. Today, the artistic scene in Japan is more dynamic than ever, and these...
Carlotta Mazzoli 27 November 2023
