OKAKURA TENSHIN (KAKUZO)
Okakura, Kakuzo (1863 AD-1913 AD),
Art critic who had great influence upon modern Japanese art. He worked under the
pseudonym, Okakura Tenshin. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University. He
became the preeminent voice in defending Japan?s traditional art forms against
modernization and westernization of the early Meiji Restoration. Under his
influence Okakura worked toward motivating the Japanese people to appreciate
their own cultural heritage. He was one of the principle founders of the Tokyo
Fine Arts School. Later he became its head. He and Fenollosa, an American art
critic and painter, intentionally omitted Western painting and sculpture from
the new school's curriculum. Okakura became curator of the Oriental art division
of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Many of his works: The Ideals of the East (1903),
The Awakening of Japan (1904), and The Book of Tea (1906), were written in
English.
Okakura, Kakuzo (1863 AD-1913 AD),
Art critic who had great influence upon modern Japanese art. He worked under the
pseudonym, Okakura Tenshin. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University. He
became the preeminent voice in defending Japan?s traditional art forms against
modernization and westernization of the early Meiji Restoration. Under his
influence Okakura worked toward motivating the Japanese people to appreciate
their own cultural heritage. He was one of the principle founders of the Tokyo
Fine Arts School. Later he became its head. He and Fenollosa, an American art
critic and painter, intentionally omitted Western painting and sculpture from
the new school's curriculum. Okakura became curator of the Oriental art division
of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Many of his works: The Ideals of the East (1903),
The Awakening of Japan (1904), and The Book of Tea (1906), were written in
English.