Meeting for Japanese Art Specialists
February 10 (Thu.), 2022
Online MeetingFebruary 10 (Thu.), 2022
Meeting for Japanese Art Specialists
Summary
Curators of Japanese art and museum staff from related departments within Japan and overseas held
discussions and shared information about operational difficulties and other issues. New participants thisyear included specialists affiliated with museums in Asia and Oceania.
Venue: Online Meeting
Chair Parson: Mr. Matsushima Masato (Tokyo National Museum)
Facilitator: Ms. Kito Satomi (Tokyo National Museum)
Participants
North America: 14 people; Europe: 15 people; Asia/Oceania: 3 people; Japan: 15 people
Conference Outline
As with the previous fiscal year, this year’s conference was held remotely using web conferencing
software. The meeting was shorter than usual owing to the participation of people in several different
time zones. However, with face-to-face meetings difficult due to COVID-19, the event provided avaluable opportunity to exchange information and build networks.
Discussion Topic 1. Digitizing Vocabulary for Japanese Art
Wibke Schrape, MK&G
Introduction
Vocabulary thesauri are vital for cross-database searches and trans-lingual searches, but the thesauriused by European museums and galleries are Eurocentric, sometimes even racist, and unacceptable froma specialist’s point of view. For example, one database of religious art iconography only has two
categories: Christianity and non-Christian religions. As such, it doesn’t allow for distinctions between
Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism, for example, nor the naming of specific deities in a picture. There isalso a lack of suitable vocabulary when categorizing Japanese art, so objects are categorized underdifferent names. Changing the names at a later date involves a lot of time and discussion.
National libraries have joined forces to establish a shared web portal. Another promising project isthe Chinese Iconography Thesaurus. I would like to ask whether any museums or galleries are using ordeveloping an iconography thesaurus suitable for Japanese art. I would also like to discuss how can we
improve the digitization of vocabulary thesauri for Japanese art.
Discussion Points
・Tokyo National Museum (TNM) is preparing a Japanese/English translation guide that aims to streamline
English translation work, boost foreign visitor satisfaction levels, and produce translations that are easy tounderstand for regular non-specialist visitors.
・Other museums outside of Japan are also preparing translation glossaries for Japanese art terms, so it might
be beneficial to share these lists and exchange information.
・The digitization process will also require suitable categories for art from other non-Western regions.
・Though Chinese and South Korean museums are in a different situation from their North American andEuropean counterparts when it comes to translating Japanese art terms, they still face translation challenges
and they would be interesting in sharing lists.

Discussion Topic 2. The Changing Approach to Loan Exhibitions
Jeannie Kenmotsu, Portland Art Museum
Introduction
Exhibitions have been cancelled or postponed and transportation costs have risen during the global
spread of COVID-19. How should the approach to loan exhibitions change in the wake of the pandemic?
One potential strategy involves a new approach to couriers. Couriers are quite expensive for a loan
exhibition’s bottom line. Though there are pros and cons, more museums are using ‘virtual couriers’
amid pandemic-related restrictions on mobility. Other strategies involve reducing the number of exhibits,
reducing costs by borrowing proportionally more from private collections, or working with regional
partner institutions. In these ways, museums could reduce costs and become more resilient to sudden
exhibition cancellations or postponements. Human relationships will be critical whatever approach istaken. I would like to share information about approaches adopted by museums in the wake of COVID19 and how exhibitions have changed.
Discussion Points
・There are times when loans are approved using only virtual couriers, but there are pros and cons to thisapproach. The approach reduces costs and enables loans even during pandemic conditions, but it takes a longtime to set up displays or make small adjustments, so it is easier to dispatch people. Even with virtual couriers,
manpower will still be needed to operate cameras and so on.
・Trust and transparency between participating museums is vital when using virtual couriers.
・ Museums should review their collections, but the utilization of objects from these collections will
sometimes require considerable time and money for repairs and research.
・Given the uncertainties involved with shipping and transportation during pandemic conditions, museums
will probably build up more regional partnerships going forward. This could provide an opportunity to forge
new relations.