Ichimatsu Tanaka



Ichimatsu Tanaka (田中 一松) was a Japanese academic, art historian, curator, editor, and sometime public servant who specialized in the history of Japanese art.

Early life and education
Tanaka was born in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture.

He attended Shōnai Middle School (庄内中学校) and Tsuruoka High School No. 1 (鶴岡第一高等学校), both in Tsuruoka, before entering Tokyo Imperial University (東京帝國大學) (presently, University of Tokyo) in 1918. He received an undergraduate degree from the Department of Aesthetics and Art History (美学美術史学科) at the same institution in 1923.

Professional career
From 1924-1926 Tanaka served on the staff of the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum (東京皇室博物館) (presently, Tokyo National Museum). From 1952-1953, he served as Chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (東京国立文化財研究所美術部長), and from 1953 to 1965, as 9th Director General (所長) of the same institute. After resigning as Director General, from 1965 to 1977 he was Editor in Chief (主幹) of the prominent art historical journal Kokka (國華). From 1977 until his death in 1983, he served as Editorial Advisor for the same journal.

Tanaka was also an assiduous public servant and active researcher. In 1926, he served on the Committee for the Preservation of Ancient Temples and Shrines (古社寺保存計画調査). In 1935, he participated in an investigate inquiry into the preservation of National Treasures (国宝). In 1936, he served as an {{nihongo|ad-hoc member of the {{nihongo|Investigative Committee on Important Art Objects|重要美術品等調査委員会}}. In 1945, he participated in an inquiry into the preservation of National Treasures for the {{nihongo|Social Education Bureau|社会教育局}} of the {{nihongo|Ministry of Education|文部省}}. In 1947, the Ministry of Education appointed him as a Technical Officer. Beginning in 1950, he worked in the {{nihongo|Applied Arts Section of the Conservation Division of the Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Properties|文化財保護委員会保存部美術工芸課}}, an external bureau of the Ministry of Education that was established this same year. From 1950 to 1966, he served as an Expert Advisor on the {{nihongo|Council of Experts on Cultural Properties for the Ministry of Education|文化財専門審議会}}. In 1958-1959, the Ministry of Education named him Chief Delegate of an official government delegation sent to Europe to facilitate exhibitions of ancient Japanese art in the UK, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. From 1966-1977, he served as a member of the Ministry of Education's {{nihongo|Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Properties|文化財保護委員会}}. From 1972-1973, he served as {{nihongo|Vice-Chairman|副会長}} of the {{nihongo|Comprehensive Scientific Research Committee on the Takamatsuzuka Tomb|高松塚古墳総合学術調査会}}.

In his later years, while serving as Editor in Chief and later Editorial Advisor at Kokka, he lectured at the following academic institutions: Joshibi University of Art and Design; Nihon University; Tōhoku University; Waseda University; Kanazawa College of Art; and the University of Tokyo.

He also served in various capacities at the following institutions: Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association; {{nihongo|Central Art School|中央美術学園|"Chūō Bijutsu Gakuen"}}; Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts; Nezu Institute of Fine Arts (presently, Nezu Museum); Hatakeyama Museum of Art; Idemitsu Museum of Arts; Egawa Museum of Art; Yamatane Museum; Chidō Museum; Museum Meijimura; and Homma Museum of Art, among others.

As a prolific scholar, Tanaka's published writings exhibit extensive range within the field of Japanese art history, including Buddhist art, narrative handscrolls, Yamato-e, ink painting, Rimpa, and Nanga, in addition to Song and Yuan Dynasty Chinese painting and calligraphy. In addition to many book-length works and edited volumes, he also regularly published articles in academic journals. The majority of these articles were republished in three later publications: Nihon kaiga shi no tenbō, Nihon kaiga ronshū, and the two-volume Tanaka Ichimatsu kaiga shi ronshū (see "Selected Works" below).

Honors

 * Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, 1967.
 * Charles Lang Freer Medal, May 2, 1973.
 * Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star, 1974.

Legacy
During his long career, Tanaka conducted research and in-depth investigations of a wide range of works of art, primarily Japanese and Chinese paintings. In 2008, twenty-five years after his death, Tanaka's personal research notes, written records, and photographic materials were donated to the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties by a surviving family member and the Idemitsu Museum of Arts. Much of this research was carried out prior to World War II, and his personal records include valuable information on many works of art that were subsequently lost during the war. These materials are administered by the Department of Research Programming at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

Selected works
Book-length Works, Edited Volumes, Compendia, and Exhibition Catalogues:


 * "Compilation of Japanese Scroll Paintings" (日本絵巻物集成), 22 vols. Tokyo: Yūzankaku, 1929-1932. (edited, with Mizoguchi Teijirō, Matsuoka Eikyū, Tanaka Chikamatsu, et al.)
 * "Survey of Wall and Partition Paintings from Nagoya Imperial Villa" (名古屋離宮障壁画大観). Tokyo: Jurakusha, 1930-31.
 * "Masterpieces of Calligraphy from Song and Yuan China" (宋元名画集). Tokyo: Jurakusha, 1936. (edited, with Akiyama Teruo and Aimi Kōu)
 * "Wall and Partition Paintings in the Kondō of Hōryūji Monastery" (法隆寺金堂壁畫集).Tokyo: Benridō, 1951.
 * "Masterpieces of Japanese Painting" (日本の名画). Tokyo: Dai Nihon Yūbenkai Kōdansha, 1953.
 * "[The Art of] Sōtatsu" (宗達). Tokyo: Dai Nihon Yūbenkai Kōdansha, 1955.
 * "Studying Old Art Objects with Optical Methods" (光学的方法による古美術品の研究). Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1955.
 * Tawaraya Sōtatsu. Kōdansha Library of Japanese Art, no. 6. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle, 1956. (edited, with English text by Elise Grilli)
 * "Narrating the History of Japanese Art" (日本美術史を語る). Tokyo: Gakueisha, 1956.
 * "Scroll Paintings" (絵巻物). Tokyo: Dai Nihon Yūbenkai Kōdansha, 1956.
 * "Art of the Momoyama Period" (桃山の美). Tokyo: Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 1957.
 * "Wall Paintings of Hōryūji Temple" (法隆寺壁画), "Masterpieces of Japanese Painting" (日本の名画), vol. 13. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1958.
 * "Survey of Japanese Painting History" (日本絵画史の展望). Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppansha, 1958.
 * "Comprehensive Collection of Japanese Scroll Paintings" (日本絵巻物全集), 32 volumes. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 1959-1969.
 * "The Art of Kōrin" (光琳). Tokyo: Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha, 1959.
 * "Survey of Japanese Art (日本美術大系), 11 volumes. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1959-1961. (edited, with Asano Nagatake)
 * "Ancient Painting" (古代絵画), Nihon bijutsu taikei, vol. 3. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1960.
 * "Masterpieces of World Painting" (世界名画全集), 40 vols. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 1960-1968. (edited, with Noma Seiroku, et al.)
 * "Japanese Buddhist Painting" (日本仏教絵画), "Masterpieces of World Painting" (世界名画全集), no. 18. Tokyo:1960.
 * "History of Japanese Art" (日本美術史). Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppan, 1961. (with Mushakōji Minoru)
 * "Art of [Watanabe] Kazan" (崋山). Tokyo: Tokyo Chūnichi Shinbun Shuppankyoku, 1962. (edited, with Teizō Suganuma, et al.)
 * "Ink Painting" (水墨画). "Japanese Art" (原色日本の美術), vol. 11. Tokyo: Shogakkan, 1970. (with Yonezawa Yoshiho)
 * "Japanese Wall and Partition Paintings" (障壁画全集), 10 vols. Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppansha, 1966-1972. (edited, with Doi Tsugiyoshi and Yamane Yūzō)
 * "Essays on the History of Japanese Painting" (日本絵画史論集). Tokyo: Chuo Koron Bijutsu Shuppan, 1966.
 * "Modern Nihonga" (現代の日本画), 3 vols. Tokyo: Sansaisha, 1967-1968. (with Kitagawa Momo'o and Kawakita Michiaki)
 * "Asiatic Art in Japanese Collections" (given English title) (東洋美術), 6 vols. Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1967-1969. (with Mizuno Seiichi, et al.)
 * "Masterpieces of the Sōtatsu and Kōrin School" (宗達光琳名作展). Fukuoka: Fukuoka Prefectural Cultural Center, 1967. (with Yamane Yūzō)
 * "Japanese Culture" (原色日本の文化). Tokyo: Shōgakkan, 1968. (edited with Sakamoto Tarō, et al.)
 * "From Shūbun to Sesshū" (周文から雪舟へ). "Japanese Art" (日本の美術), no. 12. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1969.
 * "The Development of Japanese Art" (日本美の展開). "World Cultural Heritage" (世界の文化史跡), vol. 8. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1969. (with Mushakōji Minoru)
 * Gotoh Art Museum (五島美術館). "Japanese Art Museums" (日本の美術館) series. Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1971. (edited with Koyama Fujio, et al.)
 * "Masterpieces of Japanese Painting" (日本の名画), 50 volumes. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1972-. (edited with Hijikata Tei'ichi and Kawakita Michiaki)
 * Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art, 31 volumes. New York: Weatherhill, 1972-. (edited, with Takahashi Sei'ichirō, et al.)
 * Japanese Ink Painting. Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art, vol 12 . New York: Weatherhill, 1974. (translated by Bruce Darling)
 * "Secret Treasures of Japanese Buddhist Art in Private Collections" (日本仏教美術の秘宝). Tokyo: Sansaisha, 1973.
 * "Survey of Ink Painting" (水墨美術大系), 15 volumes. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1973-1977. (edited with Daiichi Shuppan Sentā, et al)
 * "Sesshū and Sesson" (雪舟・雪村). Suiboku bijutsu taikei, vol. 7. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1973. (with Nakamura Tanio)
 * "Kaō, Mokuan, and Minchō" (可翁・黙庵・明兆). Suiboku bijutsu taikei, vol. 5. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1974.
 * "The Development from Plain-line Painting to Ink Painting" (白描画から水墨画への展開). Suiboku bijutsu taikai, vol. 1. Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1975. (with Yonezawa Yoshiho)
 * "Japanese Buddhist Paintings, Series I" (日本の仏画第一期), 10 volumes. Tokyo: Gakushū Kenkyūsha, 1976-1977. (edited, with Kameda Tsutomu and Takasaki Fujihiko).
 * "Japanese Buddhist Paintings, Series II" (日本の仏画第二期), 10 volumes. Tokyo: Gakushū Kenkyūsha, 1977-1978. (edited, with Kameda Tsutomu and Takasaki Fujihiko).
 * "Exhibition of Japanese Landscape Painting" (日本の山水画展). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbun Tōkyō Honsha Kikakubu, 1977. (with Yonezawa Yoshiho and Kikuchi Sadao)
 * "Comprehensive Survey of Japanese Painting" (日本美術絵画全集), 25 volumes. Tokyo: Shūeisha, 1977-1980. (edited, with Matsushita Takaaki, et al.)
 * "Comprehensive Survey of Japanese Art" (日本美術全集), 25 vols. Tokyo: Gakken, 1977-1981. (edited, et al.)
 * "Uemura Shōen: Her and her Art" (上村松園：その人と芸術). Tokyo: Yamatane Bijutsukan, 1978. (with Tajika Kenzō, et al.)
 * Study of Paintings in Gold and Silver by Sōtatsu with Calligraphy by Kōetsu"|光悦書宗達金銀泥絵研究編|Kōetsu-sho Sōtatsu kingin doroe kenkyū hen}}. Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1978.
 * "National Treasure: Taima Mandala Tapestry" (国宝綴織大麻曼荼羅). Tokyo: Kōsei Shuppansha, 1978. (with Tatsumura Heizō)
 * "Catalog Commemorating the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Opening of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts" (開館十五周年展図録). Tokyo: Idemitsu Bijutsukan, 1981.
 * "Exhibition of the Kobayashi Collection" (小林コレクション展). Tokyo: Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, 1981. (with Kawai Masatomo)
 * "Treasures of Painting from the MOA Museum of Art" (MOA美術館名宝大成絵画編). Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1983. (edited with Tanikawa Tetsuzō, et al.)
 * "Treasures of Calligraphy, Sculpture, and Applied Arts from the MOA Museum of Art" (MOA美術館名宝大成絵画編). Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1983. (edited with Tanikawa Tetsuzō, et al.)
 * "Unpublished Paper by Mr. Ichimatsu Tanaka" (田中一松先生遺文). Tokyo: Tanaka Ichimatsu Sensei Tsuitōshiki Sewanin kai, 1983. (posthumous publication)
 * "Sesshū: Catalogue Raisonné" (雪舟：画業聚成). Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1984. (with Matsushita Takaaki, Nakamura Tanio, and Kanagawa Hiroshi)
 * "Collection of Essays by Tanaka Ichimatsu on the History of Painting" (田中一松絵画史論集), 2 vols. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Bijutsu Shuppan, 1985-1986. (posthumously published; edited by Tanaka Ichimatsu Kaigashi Ronshū Kankōkai)