Vases de Namikawa Sosuke (Musée Guimet, Paris) (31023042187) CROP

An was an artist who was officially appointed by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan to create works of art for the

Tokyo Imperial Palace The is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor has his living quarters, the where va ...

and other imperial residences.

History

The system came into being during the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

in 1890 and was discontinued after the end of World War II. From 1890 to 1944, seventy-nine individuals were appointed to the position, from both the fine and decorative arts. These tended to be artists who had already had a long and distinguished career. The programme was created to promote Japanese art, inspire new generations of artists, and preserve old techniques. Imperial Household Artists received 100

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

each year. They were expected to submit one example of their work on being appointed and to accept commissions from the Imperial Household Agency. Some of the works commissioned were for presentation to foreign dignitaries. Many presentation wares were commissioned and then put into storage, to be gifted when the need came. Often these wares would bear the Imperial crest, a sixteen-petalled chrysanthemum. In 1912, all twenty-four of the current artists were commissioned to create gifts for the

Meiji Emperor , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figure ...

to celebrate his 61st birthday. The Emperor died before the presentation could take place, so the items were placed in the Imperial Household Museum, which later became the Tokyo National Museum. Most pieces of work cannot be seen in public except for some in the

Museum of the Imperial Collections The Museum of the Imperial Collections is located on the grounds of the East Garden of Tokyo Imperial Palace. It showcases a changing exhibition of a part of the imperial household treasures. History The Museum of the Imperial Collections was con ...

, as well as pieces in the Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum ( ja), the

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage ( :ja:国立文化財機構), is considered the oldest national museum in Japan, ...

and the

Khalili Collection of Japanese Art The Khalili Collection of Japanese Art is a private collection of decorative art from Meiji-era (1868–1912) Japan, assembled by the British-Iranian scholar, collector and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili. Its 1,400 art works include metalwor ...

. Important artists are still designated and protected by the government under the system of Living National Treasures.

List of artists

References

* http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/11/27/arts/the-imperial-household-of-tradition/

Sources

* {{japan-artist-stub 1890 establishments in Japan 1947 disestablishments in Japan