Japanese Literary Awards

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Okada Yuzuru

おかだ じょう

Okada Jō

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1911-01-02 （Tokyo）
Died
1981-06-26 age 70
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
art critic, art historian, curator, museum director, professor, lecturer
Active Years
1935-1981
Affiliations
Tokyo National Museum (Head of Curatorial Division), Agency for Cultural Affairs (Cultural Properties Inspector), The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (Director), Kyoritsu Women's University (Professor), Tama Art University (Lecturer / Institute Researcher), Cultural Properties Protection Committee (Specialist Member)
Memberships
Cultural Properties Protection Committee (Specialist Member)

Education

Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo)
Country: Japan

Awards

Art Selection — Minister of Education Award
1980
Work: Beauty and Locality: Encounters with Masterpieces and Masters
Organization: Geijutsu Senshō (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Wood and Bamboo Crafts of Shōsōin

1949 art history

An introductory study focusing on the wood and bamboo craftworks housed in the Shōsōin treasury.

Shōsōincraft historymaterial studies

Catalogue of Japanese Crafts

1952 catalogue / art book

A catalogue-style work compiling representative examples of Japanese crafts.

Japanese craftsdocumentation

Treasures of Shōsōin

1959 art history

An overview and commentary on the collection of the Shōsōin treasury.

Shōsōinantiquitiesconservation

Nikkō: Its Art and History

1961 art history / travel

Discusses the temples and art of Nikkō together with their historical backgrounds.

Nikkōreligious arthistoric sites

Japanese Crafts

1965 art introduction

A general introduction presenting crafts from various regions of Japan and their backgrounds.

regional culturecrafts

Japanese Lacquerware

1975 specialist book (lacquer art)

A study summarizing the history, techniques, and representative works of Japanese lacquerware.

lacquer arttechnique

Studies in East Asian Lacquer Art History

1978 research

An academic work organizing the history of lacquer art in East Asia.

East Asian lacquer artcomparative art history

Beauty and Locality: Encounters with Masterpieces and Masters

1979 essays / art criticism

An essay collection arguing the relationship between beauty and local environment through masterpieces and masters.

beauty and localityartist studiescraft criticism

Bibliography

  • Wood and Bamboo Crafts of Shōsōin
  • Catalogue of Japanese Crafts
  • Treasures of Shōsōin
  • Nikkō: Its Art and History
  • Japanese Crafts
  • Japanese Lacquerware
  • Studies in East Asian Lacquer Art History
  • Beauty and Locality: Encounters with Masterpieces and Masters

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly, objective expositioncritical and explanatory prose
Recurring Motifs
lacquer artShōsōintraditional craftsbeauty and locality

Legacy

An art critic and historian who contributed substantially to the study and dissemination of lacquer art and traditional crafts. Through roles such as director of a national modern art museum and head curator at a national museum, along with teaching and numerous publications, he advanced understanding of Japanese art.

Archives

  • Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties Archive (materials related to Okada Yuzuru)

Trivia

  • Served as director of The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo starting in 1972 (sources indicate tenure around 1972–1976).
  • Received the Geijutsu Senshō (Minister of Education Award) in 1980 for 'Beauty and Locality: Encounters with Masterpieces and Masters'.
  • Known for research and criticism on lacquer art and traditional crafts.