Image: Yamatane Museum of Art, Tokyo
The article '今さら聞けない渋アート―山種美術館編―' was published on August 12, 2026. It is an installment in a series in which Shibu Art staff interview staff members at partner institutions about questions people may feel they can no longer ask, while rediscovering the appeal of each museum.
The interview also asks Yamazaki about the distinctive appeal of Japanese painting and ideas for enjoying its appreciation.
The Yamatane Museum of Art was established as Japan’s first museum specializing in Japanese painting and marks its 60th anniversary this year. Yamazaki explains that paintings made with ink and mineral pigments on washi paper or silk are generally called Japanese painting today. However, because works in recent years have also used materials including acrylic paint, she says the category cannot be determined simply by whether mineral pigments or washi paper were used.
The work is scheduled to be shown from October 10 through December 6, 2026, in the third 60th-anniversary special exhibition, 'The Best of the Yamatane Collection I—From Yokoyama Taikan and Takeuchi Seiho to Uemura Shoen and Hayami Gyoshu.'
Yamazaki adds that visitors would be welcome to enjoy art materials made from natural substances and scenes from the changing seasons as an entry point into Japanese culture.
