Greeting
In recent years, large-scale exhibitions held at major museums—such as those featuring Ito Jakuchu or the Impressionists—have drawn enormous crowds, with visitors waiting for hours just to enter. Meanwhile, Japan’s art market accounts for less than one percent of the global market.
What does this disparity signify? Perhaps it suggests that the channels connecting those who create art and those who receive it are no longer functioning effectively. In the past, when art dealers, mass media, and art organizations were flourishing—despite both their merits and shortcomings—these systems appeared to work to a certain extent.
Today, however, these foundations are gradually eroding. Although there are many people who consider themselves art lovers, artists and those involved in artistic production often struggle to make a living. I feel that opportunities to encounter living, real-time art are being lost.
What is now needed is a mechanism that allows more people to share and engage with the current environment surrounding art, including fine art. Such initiatives have already begun to emerge across Japan.
Through ART JAPAN Wa SOCIETY, we aim to further encourage these movements and work toward building a new art environment for the future.
The era of material abundance has come to an end. We hope to take a step forward toward an era of greater spiritual richness.
Representative Director
Masatsugu Ito
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Organization Overview
Legal Name
Ippan Shadan Hojin (General Incorporated Association) ART JAPAN Wa SOCIETY
（Japanese: 一般社団法人 ARTJAPAN和SOCIETY）
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Principal Activities
1. Art management
2. Organizing art events in collaboration with local communities
3. Cultural exchange with overseas regions and communities
4. Art education and outreach programs for children and young people
5. Developing art communities that provide spiritual and emotional support for life in later years
6. Promoting Japanese cultural traditions such as Nihonga and Yamato-e, and encouraging their integration into daily life
7. Broad economic activities through art
8. Painting and art as art therapy
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Date of Establishment
July 3, 2020
Originally operating as Azamino Artist Village, we established Ippan Shadan Hojin (General Incorporated Association) ART JAPAN Wa SOCIETY as a new organization on July 5, 2020.
Representative Director: Masatsugu Ito
Website (Nihonga & Yamato-e Artist Masatsugu Ito):
https://www.ito-masatsugu.com/
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Azamino Artist Village
Ippan Shadan Hojin ART JAPAN Wa SOCIETY was launched as a new organization following its predecessor, Azamino Artist Village.
The link to Azamino Artist Village is available here.
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Address
1-1-18 Higashi-Tokura, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo 185-0002, Japan
E-mail: wu6m-itu@asahi-net.or.jp
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Masatsugu Ito
Representative Director
Profile
1962 Born in Kumakogen Town, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
1988 Completed the Master’s Program, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tama Art University
2004 Excellence Award, Garyu-zakura Nihonga Grand Prize Exhibition
2011 Jury Recommendation, Triennale Toyohashi – Shingo Hoshino Award Exhibition
2013 Special Prize, Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition)
2014 Encouragement Prize, Nisshun Exhibition
2015 Two-person exhibition at Shanghai Yun Jian Art Museum; Solo exhibition at Keio Plaza Hotel, Shinjuku
2016 Solo exhibition at Seiyo City Art Museum; Solo exhibition at Nagoya Ceramic Hall
2019 Jury Member, Nitten
In addition to the above, he has held numerous solo and group exhibitions.
He is currently a member of Nitten, one of Japan’s most prestigious national art exhibitions.
While studying in the Nihonga Department at Tama Art University, he trained under leading Nihonga artists Matazo Kayama and Kiyokazu Yoneya. After completing graduate school, he explored object-based works and installations. Later, an encounter with Toshimi Ito, a member of the Inten Exhibition (one of Japan’s major Nihonga exhibition groups), led him back to Nihonga painting.
He began creating fusuma-e (traditional paintings on sliding doors), focusing on themes of trees and flowers. Since then, he has presented his work through competitions, solo exhibitions, and group exhibitions.
Currently, while affiliated with Nitten, he collaborates with museums and galleries to exhibit fusuma-e in public and everyday spaces such as traditional Japanese houses, hotels, temples and shrines, and senior care facilities. Aiming to bring art closer to daily life, he continues to create opportunities for people who do not usually visit museums to experience and enjoy Nihonga.
Website:
https://www.ito-masatsugu.com/
Blog:
https://profile.ameba.jp/ameba/wu6m-itu2019
Overview of Our Activities
Art Management
We support a wide range of art-related activities. In addition to assisting with in-person creation and exhibitions, we also support new forms of artistic production and appreciation suited to today’s society, including digital and online viewing experiences.
Organizing Art Events Connected with Local Communities
At present, we support activities in local communities within Yamanashi Prefecture. Moving forward, we aim to promote regional revitalization through art by organizing exhibitions and events across Japan, helping communities strengthen their cultural identity and vitality.
Cultural Exchange with Overseas Regions and People
Through exhibitions, lectures, and workshops, we will introduce and present Japanese culture internationally. We hope to share with people abroad the strengths of Japanese culture and art—its richness, depth, and spirituality.
Art Education and Outreach for Children and Young People
The role once played by local communities has been rapidly diminishing, and many children and young people are losing a sense of belonging and a place where they feel supported. Through art, we aim to provide emotional and spiritual support for them. Specifically, we will support art university students and young art enthusiasts in activities carried out in natural environments, and provide opportunities for children to experience art within their homes and everyday living environments.
Developing Art Communities that Support Life in Later Years
As society moves toward rapid population aging, we aim to create communities through art that help older adults live long and healthy lives. We will begin by forming gentle, welcoming communities through activities such as painting classes, where participants can receive creative support and regain a sense of purpose through art visits, lectures, and workshops.
Promoting Japanese Cultural Traditions such as Nihonga and Yamato-e, and Integrating Them into Daily Life
Japan has long cherished cultural traditions dating back to before the Edo period. However, these traditions are being rapidly lost due to Westernization and globalization. In particular, the custom sometimes referred to as “tokonoma art”—enjoying hanging scrolls, ikebana, tea, shamisen, and other arts in the tokonoma alcove—was a uniquely Japanese way of appreciating art through all five senses. Today, such practices are steadily disappearing. We hope to revive these spaces and the quiet presence they bring to everyday life.
Providing Painting and Art as Art Therapy
Today, the way people engage with art is often shaped by personal preferences, ideology, or opinions. However, we believe it is important to reconsider whether such choices truly contribute to the viewer’s inner well-being. By considering how art displayed in living spaces influences those who live with it, we aim to further develop and promote the function of art as a form of art therapy.
Broad Economic Activities Through Art
We hope to bring the art economy—often distorted by speculative activity—back toward a form that is more closely connected to everyday life and genuine cultural value.
Virtual Art Appreciation
By creating a virtual viewing platform, we aim to build a system that allows anyone to experience exhibitions and gallery presentations anytime and anywhere.