Kyoto National Museum

Research Staff

Specialty	Name Title	Self-introduction
	SASAKI, Jōhei Director	I specialize in early modern Japanese painting, in particular I examine eighteenth-century literati painting (J.,bunjinga) and the Maruyama Shijō school. My research focuses on two groundbreaking Japanese artists—the medieval painter Sesshū Tōyō (1420–1506) and the early modern painter Maruyama ōkyo (1733–1795)—and how they influenced the periods in which they lived. I have also been closely involved in the overall administration of Japanese cultural properties in recent years.
Japanese Buddhist Painting	ŌHARA, Yoshitoyo Associate Curator	My specialty is Buddhist painting. I try my best to present an overview of its history but my primary task, at the moment, is to reassess the historical view of style in Buddhist paintings from the Kamakura (1185–1333) to Muromachi period (1333–1573). Though not within the area of my duties at work, I also do research on Chinese and Korean Buddhist painting.
Medieval Japanese Ink Painting and Zen Priest's Portrait	YAMAMOTO, Hideo Curator and Chair of the Department of Fine Arts	My research is in medieval and early modern Japanese painting. My specialty primarily includes the Kano, Oguri, Sesshū, and Unkoku schools. My favorite paintings are those that demonstrate exceptional technique and skill. I do not care very much for works that stress spirituality or are amateurish.
Early Modern Japanese Painting	KIHARA, Toshie Curator and Chair of the Department of Registration and Image Archives, Curator	My specialization is the history of early modern Japanese painting. I am especially interested in historical developments in medieval to early modern shōhekiga (screen and wall paintings) and byōbu-e (sliding screen paintings) and currents in the Japanization of paintings styles that were imported to Japan. Also, my many years of experience in teaching the conservation of designated cultural properties has given me appreciation in examining painting through conservation.
Early Modern Japanese Painting	YAMASHITA, Yoshiya Curator and Chair of the Department of Cooperation and Education	My specialty is the history of early modern Japanese painting. Until now, my research has focused on the Kano school though I have also been very interested in paintings of famous places (J., meisho-e) and landscapes (J., fūkeiga), especially of Mount Fuji, and have written several articles on these themes. I curated the special exhibitions [Kawanabe] Kyōsai’s Adventures in Painting (2008), The Treasures of Myōshin-ji Temple (2009), Treasures of the Habsburg Monarchy (2010), and Hasegawa Tōhaku (2010).
Medieval and Early Modern Japanese Painting/Education	MIZUTANI, Aki Associate Fellow　Researcher	My primary research theme has been the illustrated books and handscrolls known as nara ehon (literally, Nara picture books) and illustrated handscrolls (J., emaki). Currently, however, I am studying early modern Japanese painting focusing on Kyoto extra hard under the supervision of my seniors at the museum. I am especially interested in connections between literature and art as well as how animals and various things are depicted. My duties at the museum also include overseeing educational outreach programs such as visiting and teaching at elementary and middle schools in Kyoto and training student volunteers.
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy	NISHIGAMI, Minoru Head of Curatorial Board	I oversee the Chinese paintings collection at the museum. My specialty involves paintings from the Song dynasty to the modern era and the Westernization movement.
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy	KURE, Motoyuki Associate Curator	I am interested in works that have been created through the encounter with that which was considered “other” in China. Although my research theme until now has involved the relationship of Chinese painting to modern Western art, I would like to examine paintings from periods of dynastic change such as from the end of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) to the beginning of the Ming (1368–1644) or the end of the Ming to the beginning of the Qing (1644–1911). As an overseas Chinese born in Japan, I hope to present a new image of ‘China’ through exhibitions and such.
Budhist Manuscripts	AKAO, Eikei Special Research Chair	I have been conducting bibliographic research on ancient sutras transcribed in China, Korea, and Japan and on Dunhuang manuscripts. My expertise ranges in texts from fifth-century China to sixteenth-century Japan.
Japanese Historical Documents and Calligraphy	HADA, Satoshi Associate Curator	I specialize in medieval Japanese history (specifically, the political history of the Muromachi period) and the study of Japanese documents. Recently, I have been engaged in various studies based on my fields of expertise. I have especially been interested in clarifying the processes of how historical sources have been collected, scattered and lost, and transmitted through the writings of emperors and other primary handwritten sources, and reconstructing the original “form” and “shape” of these manuscripts.
Japanese Sculpture	ASANUMA, Takeshi Curator	I specialize in Asian sculpture in general with a focus on religious art. My research involves an expansive area from India to Southeast Asia to Japan and covers an extensive period from B.C. to early modern times. My current interests are Thai and Cambodian sculptures, Japanese Shinto images, and Buddhist statuary from the age of Kōshō and his disciple Jōchō (d. 1057). I often get excited about subject matters that most people generally do not.
Architecture	NAKAMURA, Yasushi Cultural Properties　Administrator	My field is the history of Japanese sculpture. My job at the museum is to manage, inspect, coordinate, and liaise daily so that the museum can be a place where artworks and their legacy can be preserved and passed on. I also oversee the preservation and exhibition of the museum’s architectural artifacts.
Metal	KUBO, Tomoyasu Curator and Chair of the Department of Exhibitions and Public Relations	I worked at the Fukui Prefectural Museum for ten years before coming to the Kyoto National Museum in 1981. My focus is on metalwork primarily in Japan, Okinawa, China, and Korea. In particular, I investigate particularities of Japanese sculptural forms within the context of East Asia. Recently, I have been examining Buddhist applied art as an aspect of Tendai doctrine. I consider my lifework to be the study of ancient and medieval Japanese Buddhist temples in mountain forests and early modern red roof tiles. I am also a visiting associate professor at the School of Human and Environmental Studies at Kyoto University.
Ceramic	ONO, Yoshihiro Curator and Chair of the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts	My field is archaeology with an emphasis on the history of ceramics. I curated the special exhibitions The History and Aesthetics of Tea in Japan (2002), Kyoto Ware: Ceramic Design and Techniques of the Capital (2006), and Japan’s Encounter with European Ceramics: Meissen, Sevres, and Minton (2008).
Lacquer	NAGASHIMA, Meiko Curator	My primary area of research is Japanese makie (lacquerware decorated with metal powder) that were exported to Europe in the Edo period (1615–1868). I am also interested in Chinese, Korean, Ryukyu (Okinawan), and Southeast Asian lacquerware so I spent my days studying and surveying the collections of temples and shrines in Kyoto as well as those of collectors around the world. More than anything else, I enjoy being in contact with lacquer works during the surveys and when preparing for exhibitions. Nothing frightens me more than deadlines for papers.
Costume, Textile, and Japanese Dolls	YAMAKAWA, Aki Curator	My field of research is Japanese and Asian textiles. My specialty is religious textiles that have been preserved and passed down in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. I am also interested in the costume of performing arts that emerged and developed from temples and shrines. My mission is to study the bigger picture through the microcosms that can be viewed through the lens of a microscope and the window of textiles.
Archaeology	MIYAKAWA, Teiichi Curator and Chair of the Department of Archaeology	My expertise lies in East Asian archaeology. Specifically, I have been doing research on the chronology of Sue ware from the Kofun period (ca. 250–538) in Japan, developments in stamped patterns on unglazed earthenware from the Unified Silla dynasty (668–935) in Korea, and the chronology of ancient bronze drums that spread from southern China to Southeast Asia. Recently, I have also been looking at the history of archaeology in Japan and materials on the revolutionary figure Sakamoto Ryōma (1836–1867) as they relate to period at the end of the Tokugawa government (1615–1868) and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.
Conservation&Archaeomaterials Science	MURAKAMI, Ryū Special Research Chair	Applying the latest analytical methods of materials science, I have been investigating the historical changes that the quality and production techniques of cultural properties underwent. I am also involved with the preservation and conservation of cultural properties so that they can be passed down to future generations. These are my two tasks at the museum. Recently, I have also been working often with regional cultural and historical artifacts and sites such as at the site of Iwami silver mine site. All in all, one can say I am an advocate for the ‘science of cultural resources.’ I also formerly served as the honorary director of the Iwami Silver Mine Museum.