User guide
General information
APJ ID
Each record stored on this research portal is assigned a unique ID structured as follows.
- Artists: The letter A followed by a numeric code
- Works: The letter W followed by a numeric code
- Museums: The letter M followed by a numeric code
- Exhibitions: The letter E followed by a numeric code
- Galleries: The letter G followed by a numeric code
- Bibliographic Information: The letter B followed by a numeric code
Terms of use
Please see the Terms of Use for rules and conditions that apply to the use of information published on the APJ research portal.
Dictionary of Artists in Japan (DAJ)
Overview
The Dictionary of Artists in Japan (DAJ) is a resource for information on artists and groups that have contributed to the development of the arts in Japan since the Meiji era (1868-1912).
It is intended to help promote international research on Japanese art by serving as a full-fledged reference tool on Japanese artists that is accessible to users around the world.
Inclusion criteria
- This database comprises mainly artists and groups that have contributed to the development of the arts in Japan. It also includes Japanese artists whose works are housed in museums across Japan.
- In terms of the time range, the database covers artists who were active after 1867 and born before 1996 . In the case of groups, the representative or leading figure must have been born before 1996.
Record items
Names
- Various forms of the artist’s name that appear in the literature have been included to the widest extent possible. Therefore, not all of them are necessarily "correct."
- The name most commonly used and recommended in Japan and abroad is used for the display name and Japanese display name. Other forms are also listed, with the type of representation given in parentheses (see example below) .
- Index names are in the following order: family name, given name. The family name is in uppercase. If the artist’s culture normally places the given name before the family name, a comma is placed after the family name to make it clear that the order is reversed. Group names are given the same treatment as family names.
- As specified by the Bunka-cho Art Platform Japan Translation Project Style Guide, Romanization follows the ALA-LC Japanese transliteration table (modified Hepburn system) prepared by the U.S. Library of Congress.
- Exceptions are made for cases where the artist’s preference is different.
Example:
オノ・ヨーコ(Japanese display name)
小野洋子(Japanese birth name)
おの ようこ(transliterated hiragana)
Date of birth; Date of death
These dates are given according to the Western calendar, with the Japanese calendar date added if deemed necessary.
Gender
The gender notation indicates the artist’s assigned sex and does not necessarily represent the artist’s gender identity.
Fields of activity
The following classifications are used for artists’ fields of activity.
Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, Photography, Video, Illustration, Manga, Crafts, Design, Fashion, Performance Art, Performing Arts, Media Art, Sound Art, Installation, Architecture, Calligraphy, Ikebana, Poetry, Conceptual Art, Literature, Critic
- Painting: Categorized as "Painting" when the artist has created two-dimensional works, including Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) and Western-style painting.
- Sculpture: Categorized as "Sculpture" when the artist has created three-dimensional works, including sculptures and objets.
Biography
The name of the author and date of publication are noted at the end of the text. For translated works, the translator’s name is also included.
Exhibitions
Selected exhibitions on the artist are listed.
Museum holdings
Museums and collections that hold important works or many works by the artist are included.
Selected bibliography
Selected bibliographic references related to the artist are included. Those that are a catalogue raisonné and or a manuscript written by the artist are indicated as such at the end of the entry.
External sources
This section provides information on the artist excerpted from articles and other resources published on the following external websites.
Since the information is periodically refreshed, it may change due to revisions made on the source website.
Yearbook of Japanese Art
- Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties “Obituaries”: Where artist obituaries published in the Institute’s Yearbook of Japanese Art exist in the website’s database, up to 200 characters of text is displayed with the Institute’s consent.
- When citing these obituaries, please be sure to access the Institute’s original article and follow the sample notation provided at the bottom of the page. Please also refer to the Notes provided for the obituaries.
Wikipedia (Japanese), Wikipedia (English)
- Text in the Introduction section of Wikipedia articles about artists is displayed under a Creative Commons Attribution–Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (CC-BY-SA).
- When citing these sources, please observe the terms and conditions provided.
Authority files
Where one or more of the following authorities contain an entry for the artist in question, the relevant identifiers are listed.
VIAF
ULAN (Union List of Artist Names)
Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon Online (AKL)
Benezit Dictionary of Artists
Grove Art Online
Web NDL Authorities*
Wikidata
*Service for searching and downloading authority data created by the National Diet Library, Japan
Japanese Museum Collections Search (SHŪZŌ)
Overview
The Japanese Museum Collections Search (SHŪZŌ) system is a searchable database of artworks in collections held by registered museums and equivalent facilities throughout Japan.
Artwork data supplied by the collaborating museums form the core of the database.
The National Center for Art Research, Japan has added the Japanese and English renderings of the artist names and museum names as search tags to enable searches to be conducted in either Japanese or English. Additionally, for works by artists included in the Dictionary of Artists in Japan (DAJ), we have added the artist's name as a search tag. The details page for each artwork features an option for machine translation into English to help users not proficient in Japanese to better understand the title, medium, and other descriptions for which the source has not supplied English translations.
SHŪZŌ is intended to fulfill the longstanding need of art researchers and other professionals in Japan and abroad for a serious research tool that enables acquisition of information on specific artists’ works held in collections in Japan .
SHŪZŌ Roadmap (PDF, as of July 23, 2024)
Origin of the name “SHŪZŌ”
The Japanese name of this search system is Zenkoku Bijūtsukan Shūzōhin Sāchi: SHŪZŌ and the English name is Japanese Museum Collections Search (SHŪZŌ). The nickname “SHŪZŌ” was selected because it represents the Japanese word for “collections” and is a homonym for a popular personal name in Japan.
Inclusion criteria
- SHŪZŌ covers artworks in the collections of public institutions such as museums and other facilities in Japan.
- The database scope is limited to artworks created after 1801. However, even if a work is clearly from after 1801, if the artist's name or the creation date is unspecified or missing, the work may not be included due to data processing constraints.
Data record policy
- The records stored in this system are based on data provided by collaborating institutions (hereinafter, "source data"). This includes unpublished internal-use records, as well as collection catalogues and annual reports that were previously unavailable online. However, not all source data provided by the institutions is necessarily made public, in accordance with the inclusion criteria outlined above.
- In principle, the original notation of the source data has been maintained, and standardization has not been applied. However, minor additions or modifications may be made to correct obvious misspellings or typographical errors, or to supplement information such as cultural property designations.
- In cases where it proved difficult to adhere to the entries in paper catalogues due to the use of outdated kanji characters or the like, kanji approximating the original characters were entered instead, followed by the reading in katakana script in brackets (or by 〓 if the reading is unknown).
- For greater convenience in searches, controlled vocabularies for artist names and museum names are assigned as search tags to some of the work data.
- In some cases, the source data did not include English translations for the artwork descriptions (title, year, medium, etc.). To aid understanding of those entries, a machine translation option has been added to the artwork details page. This feature can be enabled or disabled using the machine translation toggle switch in the upper right corner of the page.
Categorization titles
The categorization titles used in each artwork entry are as follows.
Artist, Title, Series title, Year, Medium, Dimensions/Duration, Edition/State, Inscriptions/Marks, Designation, Collection, Accession number, Provenance, Exhibition history, Notes, Source, Last confirmed by the collection
Artist
- As mentioned above, artist names have been entered in accordance with the original notation of the source data. As a result, there may be inconsistencies in how an artist’s name is rendered in different records, such as in the use of a space to separate the family name and given name, and the order of the family and given names (this is especially true for names in alphabetical notation.
- In cases where an artwork involved multiple artists and information on their respective roles was provided in the source data, this information was entered as: “{Artist Name}({Role})”.
- In addition to the artist's name as it appears in the source data, a search tag with the artist's name has been added when the artist is included in the Dictionary of Artists in Japan (DAJ).
Title
- The title is rendered in accordance with the notation in the source data. The original title or the Japanese translation thereof was entered as Japanese data, while an English translation or the original title that was the source of the Japanese translation was entered as English data. Whether the original title is entered in Japanese, English, or another language varies according to the work.
- In cases where the title of the work was not included in the source data, the title was listed as “[Blank]”.
Year
If the source data included dates in both the Western and Japanese calendars, the Western calendar was used. In cases where only Japanese dates were provided, the Japanese date was recorded in the Japanese database.
Medium
This information is presented as it appeared in the source data.
To improve the convenience of searching the source data, variant spellings and terms have been registered as synonyms as described in the following appendix (also see “Search specs” below).
List of synonymous media (PDF, as of January 1, 2022)
Dimensions/Duration
This information was entered as it appeared in the source data. For this reason, there may be inconsistencies in the order of notation.
Designation
National and prefectural cultural property designations are listed. When applicable, the designation date and designation number are also included.
Collection
In cases where the source data did not include information on the collector, the name of the organization providing the data is listed instead.
Provenance
- This field lists the type of acquisition (purchase, donation, change of management) and year of acquisition, formatted as “{type of acquisition} {year} ” including in cases where the provenance is not specifically stated in the source data, but can still be determined from other references (e.g., if the work was listed among “works purchased” in the institution’s annual report for FY1991, the Provenance listing would be “Purchased FY1991”).
- In some cases where the name of a specific individual is mentioned in the source data as a donor, etc., this may be entered as “{name of individual}”.
Source
- In cases where the source data was provided in digital form, the Source field lists “Data provided by {institution name}”.
- For cases where digital data was created based on a print catalogue supplied by the institution, bibliographic information was recorded.
Handling of source data
Categorization title table (mapping)
Correspondences between the categorization titles in SHŪZŌ and source data from each institution are as listed in the following appendix.
Categorization title table (mapping) (PDF, as of February 1, 2022)
Integration of data bridging multiple categorization titles
In some records, information from multiple categorization titles in the source data has been integrated under a single categorization title in SHŪZŌ. The original categorization titles were added for reference, except in the following cases.
- Dimensions/Duration: Cases where it is clear that individual numerical values had been divided into multiple categorization titles, such as vertical and horizontal dimensions. Multiplication signs (×) were used to link the values.
- Accession number: Cases where it is clear that the symbol or number separated into multiple categorization titles represented a subordinate enumeration. Hyphens (-) were used to link such symbols or numbers.
- Provenance: Cases where the year of acquisition, type of acquisition, and similar details were separated into more than one categorization title.
Handling of images
The National Museum of Art has been designated by the Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs as an "entity equivalent to the exhibitor of the original work" under Article 47, Paragraph 3 of the Copyright Act and Article 7-2, Paragraph 1 of the Enforcement Order of the Copyright Act (designated on February 8, 2022) with regard to images on the Japanese Museum Collections Search (SHŪZŌ) system. This has made it possible to post images of copyrighted artworks under certain conditions.
Related laws and regulations
Article 47, Paragraph 3 of the Copyright Act
Article 7-2, Paragraph 1 of the Enforcement Order of the Copyright Act
Size conversion of posted images
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Works with expired copyright protection or with permission for use from the copyright holder(s)
The images were converted to a size suitable for online viewing before being posted on SHŪZŌ. -
Works under copyright protection (including photographer copyrights)
The images were converted to a size of 32,400 pixels for the following reasons:
1. To use the work "to the extent considered to be necessary" under Article 47 of the Copyright Act, and not to "unreasonably prejudice the interests of the copyright owner".
2. To comply with the standard of 32,400 pixels or less set in the Article 47 Guidelines for Reproduction, etc. in Connection with the Exhibition of Artistic Works, etc. , which was established by relevant organizations based on discussions.
About use of images
Please follow the instructions displayed below the images on each work's page when using images on the site.
Search specs
Keyword search
- Search across a variety of data concerning works of art, including Title, Artist, Year, and Medium.
- An inclusionary AND search can be performed by entering multiple keywords separated by spaces.
Advanced search
Because multiple categorization titles are linked by the inclusionary AND operator, you can further narrow your search results by increasing the number of inputs.
The following categorization titles can be used for searches.
- APJ ID, Classification, Artist, Title and Series title, Year, Medium, Dimensions/Duration, Inscriptions/Remarks, Collection, Accession number, Provenance, Exhibition History
- Year: Search results also include artworks whose production year was recorded in the database as "circa” the year entered in these fields. If an entry is made for only “From,” the search will cover that year and all following years. If only “From” is specified, the target date range will be that year and subsequent years. If only “To” is specified, the targeted date range will be that year or earlier.
- Medium: As mentioned earlier, the information stored in SHŪZŌ is based on the source data provided by each institution. Consequently, there may be variations in spelling or terminology for certain media, but those variants have been registered as synonyms in order to improve the accuracy of searches.
List of synonymous media (PDF, as of January 1, 2022)
Other specs
- Both keyword search and advanced search can be refined by partial matches at the individual word level.
- There are several options for sorting search results, such as date (oldest or newest) and artists (A-Z or Z-A).
Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions from 1945
Overview
Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions from 1945 is a resource offering information on Japanese art exhibitions held at museums and other institutions in Japan and abroad.
Content
Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions from 1945 is a database based on the results of the following two surveys. Data records are added and updated as needed.
1. Nakajima Masatoshi, “List of Contemporary Art Exhibitions from Enlarged edition of Contemporary Art Exhibitions in Japan (1953-2018)—Museum Exhibition List & Bibliography of Exhibition Catalogues”
PDF(12 MB / 1,883 pages)- The list presents information on exhibitions held in Japan and is divided into two parts: 1. List of Contemporary Art Exhibitions, 2. List of Exhibition Catalogues. The text is in Japanese only. The information is as of June 3, 2021.
- The exhibitions listed are contemporary Japanese art exhibitions planned and organized by curators and researchers at major national, public, and private art museums in Japan during the years from 1945 to 2018.
- The list does not include permanent exhibitions focused on a particular collection, small-scale exhibitions, independent exhibitions, open competition exhibitions, community-based international art festivals, and other such showings.
2. Mitsuyama-Wdowiak Kiyoko , “Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions Held Overseas (after 1945): Report on Exhibitions Held in the West Between 1945 and 1995—A Work in Progress”
PDF(843 KB / 42 pages)- This report lists information on exhibitions held overseas. The text is in English and Japanese. The information is as of March 17, 2021.
- It primarily covers contemporary Japanese art exhibitions held in the West during the years from 1945 to 1995.
- Information on other contemporary Japanese art exhibitions—those held in 1996 and later, in non-Western countries, or featuring works other than fine art—will be periodically added to the online database.
Record items
The main items included in each exhibition record are as follows.
Exhibition Title(s), Exhibition Dates, Venue(s), Organizer(s), Artists Exhibited, Commissioner(s) and Curator(s), Notes
Exhibition Title(s)
Both the Japanese title and the English title are listed.
Commissioner(s) and Curator(s)
This information is provided only for exhibitions held outside Japan (as of February 2022).
Japanese Galleries and Art Spaces
Overview
This resource provides basic information on galleries and art spaces that have played major roles in the development of art in Japan and have been important hubs for international networks.
Inclusion criteria
The venues included in this database are primarily galleries and art spaces listed in the following sources. The scope of venues included will be expanded in the future.
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“Bijutsu nenkan: Bijutsu techō zōkan (Annual of Arts in Japan)” (hereinafter referred to as Bijutsu techō nenkan):
1957, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 - “Ketteiban: Tokyo āto gaido.” Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppan Sha, 2013.
-
In some cases, galleries and art spaces listed in those issues and that correspond to the following have been excluded.
- Those that refer to themselves as art museums or museums
- Those established by public institutions
- Those established as annexes of department stores, bookstores, coffee shops, etc.
- Those established by educational institutions
- Those operated by a company whose main business does not involve exhibiting or selling artworks
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Database records have been added and updated based on a review of information in each venue’s exhibition announcements and official website, and on interviews with experts.
-
In cases where it proved difficult to adhere to the entries in paper catalogues due to the use of outdated kanji characters or the like, kanji approximating the original characters were entered instead, followed by the reading in katakana script in brackets (or by 〓 if the reading is unknown).
Record creation criteria pertaining to gallery transitions
- In cases where it can be clearly established from literature, records, or other sources that a gallery underwent a change of name, a single record is kept for both the gallery under the original name and the gallery under the new name.
- Separate records were created in the following cases:
- A gallery operated at different establishments at the same time (including cases where the establishments share the same address).
- Multiple galleries were merged into one gallery, or one gallery was divided into multiple galleries.
- Two or more galleries are known to be related but it is difficult to establish that they are the same gallery.
Record items
Region
- This item lists the prefecture where the gallery is/was located.
- If the gallery moved to different prefectures during its history, all those prefectures are listed.
Name(s)
- As specified by the Bunka-cho Art Platform Japan Translation Project Style Guide(PDF), Romanization follows the ALA-LC Japanese transliteration table(PDF) (modified Hepburn system) prepared by the U.S. Library of Congress.
- Romanized names are capitalized, except for initialisms/acronyms, which are written in all capitals.
- The gallery’s name in English or other Latin script language is used for the index name if research has established that the gallery officially used that name. Otherwise, the Romanized version of the gallery’s Japanese name is used.
- For the convenience of users who refer to the English listings, the following katakana loanwords in the galleries’ Japanese names have been rendered in the donor language instead of the Romanized reading.
- ギャラリー⇒Gallery
- ギャルリー, ギャルリ⇒Galerie
- ガレリア⇒Galleria
- アート⇒Art
- スペース⇒Space
- コンテンポラリー⇒Contemporary
- フォト⇒Photo
- アトリエ⇒Atelier
- サロン⇒Salon
- Other names are also indicated when available, such as transliterated hiragana, display names, and former names.
Year opened
- Notes in parentheses have been added in some cases where the year opened is unclear.
Year closed
- Notes in parentheses have been added in some cases where the year closed is unclear.
Location(s)
- The years listed in parentheses following each location are the publication years of the issues of Bijutsu techō nenkan used to verify the location.
- Changes in the name of a building but not the street number are indicated by “(change of building name),” and changes in the district name and street number are indicated by “(change of district name).”
- Some of the notations have been standardized, such as adding single-byte spaces in front of building names and using a single-byte "F" for all instances where this letter is used for describing floor numbers. Obvious errors were corrected.
Owner(s), Founder(s)
- The information in parentheses following each name indicates the year in which the listing was verified, and the reference source used. The following codes are used for the sources:
- BT: Bijutsu techō nenkan
- WEB: Website
- INT: Interview
- RES: Research conducted under the Art Platform Japan project
Bibliography
- This lists the references used in the creation of data, such as Bijutsu techō nenkan and official websites.
- "Gallery file, Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties" indicates that information on the gallery kept by the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties was used as a reference.
- The format of bibliography entries is loosely based on The Chicago Manual of Style.
Active years
- This lists decades in which the gallery was active, as determined from Bijutsu techō nenkan and other resources. Information may be added or updated in the future.
Use of readings
Please refer to the Terms of Use for conditions and rules that apply to the use of readings (PDF files) made available on APJ.
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