Weeks 6-10: Art and the Allied Occupation (1945-1952)

Resplendent Sign

A bright red sun rising next to Mt. Fuji across an extravagant gold background. This painting by Yokoyama Taikan is a nationalistic painting that celebrates Japan's imperial glory. It is part of the series "Ten Mountain
Views and Ten Ocean Views",…

"Where are you going?" (Quo Vadis)

The title is a latin phrase with biblical origins that translates to "where are you marching?". This quote describes the lone Japanese soldier with his back turned to us, standing at the crossroads in a barren landscape, uncertain of where to go.…

War Defeat Group

A surrealist painting that depicts the artist's sentiment towards the defeat of Japan following the second world war. In the foreground, we see a heap of human bodies stacked up in a rough pyramid shape in front of a barren desolate landscape.…

Man -- Person Living in the Yellow Earth

This work is supposedly inspired by Fukuzawa's trip to China in 1939, where he sighted a poor man living among the deserts Loess Plateau. The figure also reflects Fukuzawa's spiritual condition and a representation of the tragedy suffered by Chinese…

On the Steps

There are many repetitions and multiplications in this painting. Waves are flowing like water that washes away or traps the figures with glasses. Steps and waves are the motifs that Nakamura repeatedly applies.

Portrait of Sakutarō Hagiwara

This print is dedicated to Onchi's friend of 20 years, famous modern Japanese poet Hagiwara Sakutarō. It was created one year after Hagiwara's death in 1942. In this print, Onchi illuminates the life-long hard work and anguish that Hagiwara endured…

At Ruin--Allegory No. 3

Bronze Statue of Yamagata Aritomo

A bronze statue of Field Marshal Yamagata Aritomo by Kitamura Seibō, unveiled near the Imperial Diet Building in 1929. Today, it was moved to Hagi in Yamaguchi prefecture due to its controversial imperialist connotations.

Nagasaki Peace Memorial

Serving as the centerpiece of Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park, this 13-meter tall bronze statue by Seibo Kitamura has various symbolism in its gestures. The right hand pointing toward the sky represent the threat of nuclear weapons coming from the sky.…

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Out of the multiple design proposals for Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, it was Kenzō Tange's design that is chosen in the end. Tange's architecture plans is a mixture of modernist design and Japanese tradition. For example, the cenotaph in front of…

Dublin Core

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