A scholar whose work focused on the research and preservation of Japanese and Asian art, Kakuzo Okakura was a highly influential figure whose influence can still be felt today. He was born in February 1863, at a time when Japan was still isolated from the outside world. His father was a samurai of the Fukui domain but relinquished his rank so he could devote himself to mercantile affairs in Tokyo and Yokohama, a choice which led him to amass a comfortable fortune (Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin). Okakura, who had an interest in English and Chinese, graduated in 1880 from the Department of Literature at the Imperial University of Tokyo with a degree in Philosophy and English Literature.
A year after graduating, Okakura began working as an official with the Ministry of Education. He was given the task of carrying out a survey on ancient art of the Kyoto-Osaka region with Earnest Fenollosa (Kawatani). The two had met when Fenollosa, a historian of Japanese art who would later become curator of Asian Art for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), was serving as lecturer during Okakura’s university studies. Okakura acted as an interpreter at Fenollosa’s lectures and accompanied him on research tours to different temples (Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin). The work they did in researching and preserving works of art was just the beginning of the accomplishments Okakura would achieve throughout his life and career. During their time in the Kyoto-Osaka region, they investigated treasures they found that had not been made public, classifying them as national treasures to secure their protection (Kawatani).
In 1884, Okakura’s travels brought him to Horyu-ji Temple in Nara that had “hidden Buddhas,” called hibutsu. These statues or paintings are traditionally kept in temples and either displayed once within a certain period such as three, ten, or sixty years or not displayed at all (Suzuki). He was able to persuade the monks to display the temple’s hibutsu for the first time in 200 years to which he expressed, “This is truly the greatest thing that has happened in my life (Kawatani).”
By 1886, Okakura and Fenollosa made their way to Europe to continue their research. Through these tours, Okakura came to the conclusion that Japanese people should not simply introduce Western art to Japan and imitate it, but should develop Japanese art under Japanese traditions in a way that suited overseas needs, since it could become a major trade item (Izumi). One way Okakura implemented this in his own career in the publishing of “The Book of Tea.” A literary accomplishment that focuses on the aesthetic and culture of Japan through tea.
Okakura held many positions over his career that further increased his influence on the way Japanese art is perceived by the West. This included becoming council member of the 1893 Canadian Exposition where he made various efforts to have the true value of paintings and sculptures recognized as works of art rather than decorative items which gave them a lower value (Izumi). He succeeded by prioritizing portraits and other subjects that are easily recognized as paintings in the West. He also influenced and befriended key figures in the art world such as Isabella Stewart Gardner during his time in Boston.
Arguably, the most important contribution he made during his career was during his time at the MFA. He collected art from China, India and Japan for the MFA in addition to writing books and giving lectures to introduce Japanese and other Asian art to the West (”Tenshin’s Life”). By 1910 he was appointed director of the Chinese and Japanese Art Department at the museum. One of the first things he did was to start arranging and classifying the vast collections of the Department with the intent of cataloguing them (Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin). It remains a model of what a catalogue should be. The number of objects the MFA has acquired over the years until now is estimated to be around 100,000 making this no small task.
In September of 1913, Okakura died after a brief illness, but his mark of influence still continued to resonate even after his death. An article published in October 1913 by the Boston Evening Transcript writes:
The Museum of Fine Arts has received from Dr. Denman W. Ros, as a memorial to the
late Okakura Kakuzo, what many of the experts consider the most important piece of
sculpture that has come out of China. It is a large stone figure of Kouan Yin. It may be
dated in the fifth century A.D (”Art Museum’s Gift”).
This gift symbolizes the magnitude of the work he did during his lifetime. His efforts were not only groundbreaking for his time, but have also proven instrumental in preserving the collection we see today. Perhaps the most fitting tribute to his legacy comes from the MFA itself. In a notice sent to Japan and the Japanese Embassy in Washington, the Trustees of the Museum wrote:
The Museum of Fine Arts learns with deepest sorrow of the death of Okakura-Kakuzo.
His pro-found and varied scholarship, his keen and sound judgment, his rare
combination of technical knowledge and poetic insight, his absolute honesty of
purpose, and his unwavering devotion to the highest ideals have rendered him not
only to the Museum of Fine Arts, but to America, a typical representative of Japan in
those high qualities which command respect, admiration, and love.
By teaching and example he labored unremittingly to promote the establishment and
maintenance of mutual appreciation and respect between Japan and America on the
highest plane of art, literature, philosophy, and religion. His death is a loss to both
countries (Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin).
Selected Notable Work
The Book of Tea
Available in English at Project Gutenburg
Available in Japanese at Aozora
Related Media
“Song to the Moon” from The White Fox, an aria from the libretto adaptation by Okakura of the Japanese legend of Kuzunoha that he dedicated to Isabella Stewart Gardner
Visit
Tenshin Memorial Museum of Art in Ibaraki
Works Cited
“Art Museum’s Gift, Memorial to Okakura.” Newspapers.com, 15 Oct. 1913, www.newspapers.com/image/735688012/?match=1&terms=okakura. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
Eliopoulos, Alex. "Isabella and Okakura Kakuzō’s Impactful Friendship." 10 May. 2022. https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabella-and-okakura-kakuzos-impactful-friendship. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
Izumi. “岡倉天心（覚三）：明治の日本美術の発掘.” 歴史ト物語, 12 Nov. 2024, rekishi-to-monogatari.net/okakura/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
Kawatani, Tokiko. “岡倉天心とは？日本美術を世界に知らしめた激動の人生を辿る.” 藝大アートプラザ, 2 July 2022, artplaza.geidai.ac.jp/column/12488/. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
“Okakura-Kakuzo, 1862-1913.” Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, vol. 11, no. 67, 1913, pp. 72–75. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4423613. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
Suzuki, Michitaka. Hibutsu (Hidden Buddha): Living Images in Japan and the Orthodox Icons. 31 Mar. 2011, ousar.lib.okayama-u.ac.jp/44671. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“Tenshin’s Life.” Ibk.ed.jp, 2010, www.tenshin.museum.ibk.ed.jp/05_tenshin/01_tenshin1.html. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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