Department of History of Art

e-mail:	artist(at)l.u-tokyo.ac.jp *Replace (at) with @.
Tel:	03-5841-3800

The Department of History of Art covers the areas from the ancient to contemporary art of Japan, the East, and the West. Art works under study range from traditional art works such as paintings, sculptures, and crafts to architecture and design. By analyzing the iconography, styles, and techniques shown in such works, as well as by carefully examining historical texts, we aim to clarify the social structure of the region and period in which the art was produced and received, and to approach the origins of human creativity.

Teaching staff

Akira AKIYAMA (Professor) Western Art History

Research fields:	History of German art in the Middle Ages, correlation between veneration of saints and holy relics and art forms, comparative history of religious art, promotion of local culture and international communication through application of humanities, and so on.
Courses taught:	Lectures on the overview of Western art including German art, the state of research, introductory lectures on iconography, and the relationship between the veneration of saints and holy relics and plastic arts, and so on. In his seminars, students learn the basic knowledge and skills essential for the study of Western art history through the reading of research literature and exhibition catalogs on medieval and early modern Western art.

Research fields:

History of German art in the Middle Ages, correlation between veneration of saints and holy relics and art forms, comparative history of religious art, promotion of local culture and international communication through application of humanities, and so on.

Courses taught:

Lectures on the overview of Western art including German art, the state of research, introductory lectures on iconography, and the relationship between the veneration of saints and holy relics and plastic arts, and so on. In his seminars, students learn the basic knowledge and skills essential for the study of Western art history through the reading of research literature and exhibition catalogs on medieval and early modern Western art.

Akira TAKAGISHI (Professor) Japanese Art History

Research fields:	History of medieval paintings, Yamato-e, Painters and schools, Art patronage, Japanese art collections abroad, Digital humanities
Courses taught:	The main subject of his courses is paintings such as emaki (picture scrolls), portraits, and byobu-e (folding screen paintings) produced in the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods, revealing the actual activities of painters and patrons. In his seminars, students engage in close reading of the miraculous origin of temple and shrine, biographies of high priests, and sermons written in cursive script in the forewords of picture scrolls, and then compare them with pictorial representations, ultimately aiming for a comprehensive understanding of the texts and images.

Research fields:

History of medieval paintings, Yamato-e, Painters and schools, Art patronage, Japanese art collections abroad, Digital humanities

Courses taught:

The main subject of his courses is paintings such as emaki (picture scrolls), portraits, and byobu-e (folding screen paintings) produced in the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods, revealing the actual activities of painters and patrons. In his seminars, students engage in close reading of the miraculous origin of temple and shrine, biographies of high priests, and sermons written in cursive script in the forewords of picture scrolls, and then compare them with pictorial representations, ultimately aiming for a comprehensive understanding of the texts and images.

Ryusuke MASUKI (Associate Professor) Japanese Art History

Research fields:	History of Buddhist paintings mainly in the Heian period, comparative history of paintings with those of the Tang and Song dynasties, restoration of cultural properties, history of the system of protection of cultural properties, and so on.
Courses taught:	Lectures on Japanese and East Asian painting, with a focus on Buddhist painting, mainly from the viewpoints of technique and style. In his seminars, students learn how to read textual documents related to the history of ancient paintings, survey works, and write about them.