Origin

Western art was imported in the Meiji era. As a result, the concept of “美術-bijyutsu-” was born in Japan.Until the Edo period, paintings, sculptures and crafts were supplied as a collection of powers or as a pleasure for the people.

Fenollosa was invited to Japan to educate “western art”. However, he was impressed by the paintings that were originally in Japan, and carried out activities that respected them.

Tenshin Okakura, who acted as an interpreter for Fenollosa, became the principal of the Tokyo Academy of Fine Arts.

He was the first person in Japan to give a lecture on Japanese art history and was an important person involved in the promotion of ”Nihon-ga”.