Global fascination for Japan’s decorative arts

Official policy cut the country off from the outside world during most of the Edo period, although the export of ceramics, lacquer ware and other works decorated with ornate patterns was permitted from the port of Dejima in Nagasaki, bound for Europe. After the country opened up and political circumstances changed with the Meiji period (1868-1912), many more works of art were sent overseas, helping to meet the government’s foreign currency needs. The first time Japan exhibited in a world fair was the Paris Exposition of 1867. This was followed by exhibitions in Vienna, Philadelphia and elsewhere, all offering opportunities for the presentation of Japan’s decorative arts. The response was enthusiastic.

Western aesthetic curiosity for Japan led to Japonisme fads in the latter part of the 19th century and the early part of the next. It is well known that the Impressionists were strongly influenced by ukiyoe woodblock prints. But Japan’s decorative arts also struck the eyes of European artists as highly innovative, especially the choice of insects for motifs, and inlay works that combined metals of different colors. Émile Gallé (1846-1904) and René Lalique (1860-1945) are good examples of the art nouveau masters whose works include insect and bird motifs. In Japan, within the history of nature motifs, cultural trends had favored the flowers, birds, insect sounds and other natural phenomena of the current season since the Heian period (794-1192). Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) and his contemporaries drew meticulous illustrations with insect and bird motifs, basing their work on realistic sketches, and above all, their art still attracts admiration today.

The Meiji Restoration ended the Edo period, and the rank of samurai was abolished. When a decree was issued prohibiting the carrying of swords, metalwork artisans faced the risk of losing their jobs. What saved them was keen overseas demand for their work. Eager to encourage industry, the Meiji government promoted the export of industrial arts, bringing renewed prosperity to metalworkers.

Another example of Japanese art attracting the attention of overseas markets is jizai okimono, lifelike models of animals and insects assembled from intricately worked metal pieces but look so realistic they seem alive. Such works were discovered by art lovers outside Japan during the Meiji period, and this resulted in the export of superior pieces. Meanwhile, in the Japan of today, the surprising sophistication of the various forms created by the armor craftsmen of Edo is finally attracting the respect it deserves.

The spirit of traditions that paid such exquisite attention to detail remains alive even today in the cornerstone of Japanese industry, manufacturing. And all those figurines and other modern trinkets that seem to have adopted the role of netsuke toggles, like key chains and cellphone straps, display the same fondness for detail, as is also seen in elaborate miniature figurines.

Kurokawa Hiroko
Associate professor at the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, and specialist in the history of early modern Japanese industrial art and handcrafts. Author of Meiji Taisho Zuan-shu no Kenkyu: Kindai ni Ikasareta Edo no Dezain (“How Edo Design Influenced the Art of Early Modern Times: A Study of the Meiji and Taisho Periods”), and other works.