Treasures of the Nation: Japanese Paintings in the Fine Arts Palace

This chapter analyses the contents of the painting section in order to clarify the intention of the Japanese selection committee, and considers the impact of the Exhibition on the perception of Japanese art, and in extension the image of Japan, in Britain. There is a substantial number of newspaper articles focuses on the Fine Arts Exhibition, indicating the extraordinary level of interest in Japanese art this Exhibition generated. It includes two hanging scrolls by Shubun, the celebrated monk painter of the Zen monastery Shokokuji in Kyoto. The paintings included Buddhist paintings from the Heian period, through Muromachi to Edo periods as well as the works by contemporary artists. The quality of the paintings can be surmised from the fact that many are considered to be the representative masterpieces of each genre, and are designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties today. Keywords:artists; Britain; Buddhist paintings; Fine Arts Exhibition; Japan; Japanese art; treasures