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 art in Japan. Our specific inclusion criteria are as follows:
- Japanese artists and groups whose works are housed in museums across Japan
- Artists and groups referenced in the resources on Art Platform Japan
- Artists and groups associated with the initiatives of the National Center for Art Research
- Other artists and groups proposed by members of the Research Resource Committee
- 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(PDF), Romanization follows the ALA-LC Japanese transliteration table(PDF) (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.
Record items
The record items 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 exhibitions of modern and contemporary Japanese art held at museums and related institutions in Japan and abroad in the postwar period. The data is drawn from sources including Contemporary Art Exhibitions in Japan (compiled by Nakajima Masatoshi) and Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions Held Overseas (compiled by Mitsuyama-Wdowiak Kiyoko), Nihon no Bijutsu Tenrankai Kiroku: 1945–2005 [Art Exhibitions in Japan: 1945–2005] (edited by the National Art Center, Tokyo; supervised by Nakajima Masatoshi), and Art Festivals and Art Projects in Japan (edited by the Nonprofit Organization Art & Society Research Center), among others.
In February 2026, additional information was incorporated from Nihon no Bijutsu Tenrankai Kiroku: 1945–2005 [Art Exhibitions in Japan: 1945–2005] and Art Festivals and Art Projects in Japan.
Content
Exhibition information is from the following sources:
- Nakajima Masatoshi, ed. "List of Contemporary Art Exhibitions from Enlarged edition of Contemporary Art Exhibitions in Japan (1953-2018)—Museum Exhibition List & Bibliography of Exhibition Catalogues." Tokyo: Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2021.
- Mitsuyama-Wdowiak Kiyoko, ed. "Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions Held Overseas (after 1945)." Tokyo: Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2021.
- Nakajima Masatoshi and The National Art Center, Tokyo, eds. Nihon no Bijutsu Tenrankai Kiroku: 1945-2005 [Art Exhibitions in Japan: 1945-2005]
- Nonprofit Organization Art & Society Research Center, ed. Art Festivals and Art Projects in Japan
- Others
About the sources
1. Nakajima Masatoshi, ed. "List of Contemporary Art Exhibitions from Enlarged edition of Contemporary Art Exhibitions in Japan (1953-2018)—Museum Exhibition List & Bibliography of Exhibition Catalogues." Tokyo: Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2021.
PDF(12 MB / 1,883 pages)- The list presents information on contemporary art exhibitions held at museums 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 title is in both Japanese and English. The information is as of June 3, 2021.
- The exhibitions listed are postwar contemporary Japanese art exhibitions planned and organized by curators and researchers at major national, public, and private art museums in Japan.
- The list does not include exhibitions held by third-parties who rented portions or the entirety of venues such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (Original Building, 1926-1975), exhibitions held at art museums affiliated with art universities, permanent exhibitions or small-scale exhibitions focused on museums’ own collection, open competition exhibitions, community-based international art festivals, solo exhibitions (including two- or three-person exhibitions), and other such showings.
- Total number of entries: 1,926.
- The PDF versions were released in March 2021, and in February 2022 the data was made publicly available as part of the database Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions.
2. Mitsuyama-Wdowiak Kiyoko, ed. "Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions Held Overseas (after 1945)." Tokyo: Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2021.
PDF(843 KB / 42 pages)- This list primarily covers contemporary Japanese art exhibitions held in the West during the years from 1945 to 1995.
- This list contains information on group exhibitions and thematic exhibitions that introduce artistic trends in Japan. Solo exhibitions and two-person exhibitions are excluded.
- It includes exhibitions held at museums or equivalent institutions, although some exceptions apply.
- The list is provided in both English and Japanese.
- Total number of entries: 31 (151 records in the database when counted by venue).
- The PDF versions were released in March 2021, and in February 2022 the data was made publicly available as part of the database Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions.
3. Nakajima Masatoshi and The National Art Center, Tokyo, eds. Nihon no Bijutsu Tenrankai Kiroku: 1945-2005 [Art Exhibitions in Japan: 1945-2005]
Website: Nihon no Bijutsu Tenrankai Kiroku: 1945-2005 [Art Exhibitions in Japan: 1945-2005]
- This list contains data extracted from the database Art Exhibitions in Japan: 1945–2005 (33,392 entries), comprising solo, two-person, three-person, and other exhibitions of Japanese modern and contemporary artists.
- This list was edited by the National Art Center, Tokyo and is based on Record of Past Art Exhibitions in Japan, 1945–2005, a consolidated volume summarizing the following reports, all supervised by Nakajima Masatoshi: Record of Past Art Exhibitions in Japan, 1945–2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs commissioned project, FY2002); Record of Past Art Exhibitions in Japan, 2001–2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs commissioned project, FY2003); and Record of Past Art Exhibitions in Japan, 2004–2005 (National Art Center, Tokyo, FY2007).
- As a general rule, this list includes information on special and curated exhibitions organized by museums.
- Total number of entries: Approx. 8,000.
- Released in February 2026 as part of the database Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions.
4. Nonprofit Organization Art & Society Research Center, ed. Art Festivals and Art Projects in Japan
- This list contains records of art festivals and art projects held in various regions across Japan.
- The scope of inclusion is based primarily on the Art Project Documentation Collection, a collection of materials managed by the Nonprofit Organization Art & Society Research Center, with reference to related materials.
- In principle, the original forms used in each source are retained; however, for ease of search, supplementary terms may be added in square brackets [ ].
- Total number of entries: 360.
- Released in February 2026 as part of the database Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions.
5. Others
Examples of data included in addition to items (1)–(4) above are listed below:
- Exhibition data identified through subsequent research after the compilation of category (2), provided by Mitsuyama-Wdowiak Kiyoko. This dataset also includes exhibitions of non-Western and non-fine art, as well as exhibitions held from 1996 onward.
- Data related to the Japan Art Festival exhibitions were received from Mitsuyama-Wdowiak Kiyoko in May 2025 (only information on the first exhibition is included in item (2) above). The data is based on notes concerning the Japan Art Festival found in the “Exhibition List” appendix (pp. 48–52) of her book Umi o wataru Nihon gendai bijutsu: Ōbei ni okeru tenrankai shi 1945–1995 [Japanese Contemporary Art Abroad: A History of Exhibitions in the West, 1945–1995] (Keisō Shobō, 2009). With the author’s permission, the relevant section is reproduced below.
There were several challenges in compiling the list of Japan Art Festival (JAF) exhibitions. No centralized repository of related materials exists, and it was not possible to obtain all materials believed to be extant. It is hoped that additional materials—such as exhibition catalogues and pamphlets produced locally—may be identified in the future.
This list was compiled through a comprehensive assessment of the historical context at the time, drawing on a range of reference materials, including Japan Art Festival (JAF) exhibition catalogues; the complete series of bulletins issued by the Japan Art Festival Association; the exhibition catalogue Japan Art Festival 10th Anniversary Exhibition (published for the exhibition held in 1977 at Nihonbashi Takashimaya Department Store, Tokyo); and Operations Summaries for fiscal years 1974 and 1976. Based on these sources, the list was prepared through an overall evaluative judgment of the circumstances at the time.
The greatest challenge in compiling this list was the inconsistencies found among the various sources. While not all discrepancies could be resolved, the list is considered sufficient to provide an overview of the JAF exhibitions. With regard to exhibition catalogues, it should be noted that, as they are typically produced prior to an exhibition, the information they contain may not always correspond exactly to the exhibitions as actually held. In the case of the JAF exhibitions, catalogues prepared for the first venue were sometimes reused at subsequent venues, while in other instances new catalogues were produced, or no catalogue was produced at all.
As discussed in this study, the numbering of the Japan Art Festival (JAF) exhibitions is based on fiscal years. For example, the works shown in the fourth JAF Exhibition, which toured Los Angeles and Phoenix in the United States, constituted an extension of the third JAF Exhibition that toured the United States. In contrast, the works selected through the open call for the fourth JAF Exhibition were sent to the Paris venue. These works were subsequently sent to Marseille and Munich; however, as these exhibitions were held in the following fiscal year, they were designated as the fifth JAF Exhibition . . .
The following notes outline points to be considered when using this list, including the methods employed in processing the data. In making judgments not only regarding the collection of materials but also the selection and interpretation of information, substantial assistance was provided by Kanazawa Takeshi, former Executive Director of the Japan Art Festival Association.
- Duration of the Exhibitions
- The duration of JAF exhibitions is not always recorded in the JAF exhibition catalogues. While the exhibition dates listed in the Japan Art Festival 10th Anniversary Exhibition catalogue are consistent with those given in the Operations Summaries for fiscal years 1974 and 1976, discrepancies were observed between these sources and the data published in the bulletins. In such cases, this list, as a general rule, gives priority to the information recorded in the bulletins, as they were published closer to the time the exhibitions were held.
- Names of Exhibitions and Co-organizers
- Exhibition titles sometimes carried subtitles that varied by venue, or were modified as the exhibition toured. In addition, co-organizers were typically the institutions serving as host venues, and the extent of their actual involvement is understood to have varied from case to case. In order to avoid unnecessary complexity in the list, subtitles of exhibition titles and the names of co-organizers have therefore been omitted.
- Selection Committee and Panel of Adjudicators
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Individuals responsible for selecting invited artists are listed under Selection Committee, while those responsible for selecting artists through the open call are listed under the Panel of Adjudicators. The first and second JAF exhibitions consisted solely of invited artists and therefore list only the Selection Committee. The fourth JAF exhibition consisted solely of artists selected through the open call and accordingly lists only the Panel of Adjudicators.
The third JAF exhibition, as well as the fifth and subsequent exhibitions, comprised both invited artists and artists selected through the open call. In the case of the third exhibition, differences in membership between the Selection Committee and the Panel of Adjudicators were confirmed. In the other exhibitions, the two bodies were composed of the same members. Minor discrepancies may be observed between the members listed in sources such as bulletins and domestically published exhibition pamphlets and those listed in the JAF exhibition catalogues. These differences are understood to have arisen from various circumstances, such as the addition of members shortly before an exhibition. For the purposes of this list, the information recorded in the JAF exhibition catalogues has been adopted as the final data. - Numbers of Participating Artists and Artworks
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A defining characteristic of the JAF exhibitions was their itinerant nature, which often required adjustments to the exhibition content in response to local conditions at each venue. During the course of the tour, artworks were sometimes sold or donated, and local artists were occasionally added as invited participants. As a result, the content of exhibitions as actually presented may have differed from the original exhibition plans prepared in Japan. However, as noted above, obtaining precise information on these changes has been difficult due to limitations and inconsistencies in the available source materials.
With regard to the number of exhibited artworks, the exhibition data recorded in the Japan Art Festival 10th Anniversary Exhibition catalogue are consistent with those given in the Operations Summaries for fiscal years 1974 and 1976; however, these figures do not always correspond with the data published in the bulletins or listed in the JAF exhibition catalogues. With a few exceptions, the figures from the 10th Anniversary Exhibition catalogue and the Operations Summaries have therefore been adopted.
As for the number of exhibiting artists, figures were seldom published in a consolidated form, and published numbers did not always correspond with those listed in the JAF exhibition catalogues. Accordingly, an overall assessment was made by cross-referencing multiple sources, including bulletins, domestically published exhibition pamphlets, and JAF exhibition catalogues.
For the purpose of understanding the JAF exhibitions, it is useful to view their development from the third exhibition onward—excluding the first and second exhibitions, which were composed entirely of invited artists—as consisting of two major stages. In the first stage, exhibitions were formed by combining artists selected through the open call with invited artists (with the fourth exhibition comprising only open-call artists). These exhibitions were first shown domestically and then sent overseas, with the opening at the first overseas venue marking the conclusion of this initial stage. The second stage consisted of the subsequent touring period, during which the content of the exhibitions was modified as necessary to accommodate local circumstances at each venue.
In most cases, the content presented at the first venue is the most significant for understanding the scope and operation of a JAF exhibition. Accordingly, the numbers of exhibiting artists and artworks recorded in this list are based primarily on data from the first venue, while data for touring venues has been included where possible in a manner that reflects actual conditions. In any case, these figures should be regarded as approximate numbers intended to provide a general indication of the scale of the exhibitions. - Exhibiting Artists
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As the JAF exhibitions were traveling exhibitions, it can be inferred that there were some changes to the lineup of exhibiting artists over the course of the tour. In addition, inconsistencies among the source materials made it difficult in some cases to ascertain the precise details.
As noted above, given the view that the first venue is the most important for understanding the content of an exhibition, the names of artists published in the bulletins were adopted as the primary data when compiling this list. Nevertheless, it is possible that minor changes were made when the exhibition was launched at the first venue, and in particular, local artists were sometimes added at subsequent touring venues. . . - Categorization of Works
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The system used to classify artworks—such as “painting,” “print,” and “sculpture,” or alternatively “two-dimensional” and “three-dimensional”—underwent a significant change beginning with the fourth JAF exhibition. Up through the third exhibition, traditional categories such as painting, print, and sculpture were used in both the bulletins and the JAF exhibition catalogues. From the fourth exhibition onward, however, the categories “two-dimensional” and “three-dimensional” were adopted in both sources, likely reflecting contemporary trends in art at the time.
However, from the fourth exhibition onward, the bulletins frequently treated prints as an independent category alongside “two-dimensional” and “three-dimensional” works. By contrast, the overseas JAF exhibition catalogues from the sixth exhibition onward were limited to the two categories of “two-dimensional” and “three-dimensional” works. While this dual approach to the categorization of prints is suggestive and merits further consideration, it is noted here only insofar as it relates to the compilation of this list. In the case of the fifth JAF Exhibition, which was held in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum, the bulletin employed the categories “two-dimensional,” “prints,” and “three-dimensional,” whereas the Guggenheim exhibition catalogue used the classifications “Painting,” “Graphics and Photographs,” and “Sculpture and Concept.” This difference is understood to reflect the curatorial preferences of the Guggenheim Museum.
Although an initial attempt was made to standardize these categories for the sake of consistency in compiling the list, such changes in classification are themselves considered to reflect the historical development of the JAF exhibitions. For this reason, the categories were deliberately not unified. Accordingly, for the first through third exhibitions, the categories “painting,” “prints,” and “sculpture” have been adopted. From the fourth exhibition onward, the classification terms used in the bulletins—namely “two-dimensional,” “prints,” and “three-dimensional,” or, in some cases, “two-dimensional” and “three-dimensional”—have been retained. In some instances, the same artwork was assigned a different category in the JAF exhibition catalogues than in the bulletins; however, for the purposes of this list, the classifications announced in the bulletins have generally been adopted for consistency.
Record items
The following record items are included for each exhibition:
APJ ID, Exhibition Title(s), Venue(s), Location, Exhibition Dates, Organizer(s), Artists Exhibited, Commissioner(s) and Curator(s), Notes, Exhibition Catalogues, Source, Last modified
Search specs
Advanced search
You can narrow down your search by selecting sources (1)–(5) listed in the “Content” section above.
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.
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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.
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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.
APJ Bibliography
Overview
The “APJ Bibliography” is a database of literature related to modern and contemporary Japanese art that has been referenced and introduced within Art Platform Japan (APJ). As of February 2026, the database contains 1,782 records.
Contents
This database includes bibliographic information on literature referenced and introduced within Art Platform Japan. Examples include the following:
- Collection catalogues and annual reports that serve as source references for individual artwork records in the Japanese Museum Collections Search (SHŪZŌ).
- Japanese-language publications that serve as the original texts for English-translated materials included on the Reading Lists.
- Exhibition catalogues for exhibitions included in Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibitions from 1945.
- Comprehensive catalogues of museum and art museum collections in Japan included in Catalogues of Japanese Museum Collections 1967–1986.
- Other related materials.
Record items
The following fields are included for each bibliographic record:
APJ ID, Bibliographic information, Abbr. (abbreviation), Author, Year, Notes, Last modified
In addition, a “Find in libraries” section is provided on individual detail pages. This section includes links to the corresponding bibliographic records in services such as NDL Search (operated by the National Diet Library) and CiNii (operated by the National Institute of Informatics), where available.
Search specs
Advanced search
By checking “English Translation” in the keyword search, you can limit the search results to publications for which English translations are provided on this site (translations produced through the National Center for Art Research translation program and its predecessor, the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Art Platform Japan initiative).
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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