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Paper short abstract

This paper examines the reception of Persian art in Japan, illustrating how Japanese art historians categorized it as “Oriental art” and positioned it as an object of collection and study in the late 1920s, focusing on a major 1928 exhibition and the scholarly networks that shaped this perception.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines how Persian art came to be recognized as part of “Oriental art” in Japan and how it became an object of collection and study in the late 1920s. In early 20th-century Japan, the notion of “Oriental art” (Tōyō bijutsu) generally encompassed Japan, China, and India, while Persia was viewed as belonging to Western art history. At the same time, “Persian art” had not yet been established as an independent category within art-historical discourse.

This perception began to fundamentally shift in 1928 with the Keimeikai 10th Anniversary Exhibition of “Oriental Art,” which prominently featured Persian art. This was the earliest large-scale loan exhibition in Japan to incorporate Persia into the domain of Oriental art. By analyzing the curatorial structure and categorization of “Persian art,” this study highlights how the event challenged existing geographical and conceptual boundaries within Oriental art history. The paper further examines lectures delivered during the exhibition by art and architectural historians such as Itō Chūta and Yashiro Yukio. These lectures show perspectives on the historical and cultural position of Persia and illustrate how scholarly discourse contributed to redefining the boundaries of the “Orient” in Japan.

Then, the paper turns to the travels and publications of Wada Shin, a student of Yashiro who traveled to Persia in 1929 to study its arts. Through an analysis of his writings and visual documentation, this paper demonstrates how Persian art subsequently became a subject of academic study in Japan. By situating these developments within the broader context of global intellectual exchange in the interwar period, this study sheds light on how Japanese perceptions of Persian art evolved in alignment with the broader discourse emerging in the West and within Iran itself.