The Nitten is the most popular of all the great art organizations in Japan. The Nitten has a long and industrious history, which began in 1907 as a result of the First Ministry of Education Art Exhibition. In the beginning, the Nitten was referred to as the Bunten. In 1919, the Imperial Art Academy was established, and following this the Imperial Art Exhibition or the Teiten. In the years 1935 and 1937, the Imperial Art Academy was re-organized, and once again was referred to as the Bunten. In 1946, after World War II, the management of the Imperial art Academy was taken over by the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition and the Nitten was formed. In 1958, there was further re-organization by the Nitten corporation and finally in 1969, the present structure was formulated.

Throughout Nitten's long and developing history, its contribution to the Modern Japanese Art World has been great. Today, the Nitten claims to be the largest combined art exhibition of its kind in the world, attracting a great number of fans and critics. The current management of Nitten is administered by Tadahiko Nakayama, the chief official. The Nitten comprises five art faculties; namely Japanese Style and Western Style Painting, Sculpture, Craft as Art and Calligraphy. Each of the departments features works of the great masters of the Modern Japanese Art World with works of the new but talented artists featured alongside.

Japanese Style Painting; features such names as Taiji Hamada, Chikuhaku Suzuki, Shigeo Iwasawa, Yujin Nakaji, Hisahi Iwakura and Haruhiko Kawasaki all of whom value the tradition of this style of art, and display their works with strong individuality, befitting this modern art.

*click image to enlarge

Chikuhaku Suzuki	Shigeo Iwasawa	Yujin Nakaji	Hisahi Iwakura
Haruhiko Kawasaki

Western Style Painting; is featured by Yuzuru Hiramatsu, Tadahiko Nakayama, Eikichi Shoji. Kei-ichi Kiyohara, Shoichiro Nushi, Tadao Terasaka, Shozo Murata and Kaneaki Fujimori who collectively have aimed at producing a modern interpretation, representative of the natural features of Japan.

Yuzuru Hiramatsu	Tadahiko Nakayama	Eikichi Shoji	Kei-ichi Kiyohara
Shoichiro Nushi	Tadao Terasaka	Shozo Murata

Leading artists engaged in Sculpture, include such names as, Shin-ya Nakamura, Keiko Amenomiya, Kentaro Hashimoto, Atsushi Amenomiya, Hiroteru Kawasaki, Jiro Hiruta, Seiji Nojima, Rokuro Ichimura, Shinsuke Yamamoto and all their works display character and expression in firm reality.

Shin-ya Nakamura	Keiko Amenomiya	Kentaro Hashimoto	Atsushi Amenomiya
Hiroteru Kawasaki	Jiro Hiruta	Seiji Nojima

Craft as Art; has been unfolded to present magnificent, innovative and intriguing qualities of the modern craft artists such as Shugoro Hasuda, Sayume Okuda, Toshiro Ohi. Goichi Mitani. Masayuki Imai, Seitoku Kawai and Teiji Nakai.

Shugoro Hasuda	Sayume Okuda	Toshiro Ohi	Goichi Mitani
Masayuki Imai	Seitoku Kawai

Calligraphy; traditionally profound, has been presented by Kason Sugioka, Soin Furutani and Koho Hibino to reveal to this modern world, new works in Kanji, Kana, Chowatai (Kanji and Kana) and Seal Engraving.

Kason Sugioka

Soin Furutani

In every autumn, the Nitten is opened to public viewing at The National Art Center, Tokyo. It is expected about 200,000 spectators will enjoy the exhibition, prior to its tour of the principle cities of Japan: after which, an estimated 500,000 people will have had the opportunity to have been part of the growing development of the Nitten in the Japanese art of today. So we, Nitten artists, are to be more responsible and self-confident in the future.

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