TOKYO, JAPAN.-The Tokyo National Museum presents Passing Traditions in Japanese Art - Study, Copy, Create. The words "copy" or "reproduction" often have a negative bias. However, from the artistic viewpoint, the rebirth of the classics through copys and reproductions are important steps in creating art. Since ancient times, artists all over the world, not just Asia, have repeatedly relied on the use of copies and reproductions for the "transmission" of art. In Roman times famous Greek sculptures were repeatedly replicated in marble. The Muromachi period (1392 - 1573) painter Sesshu traveled to China, studied the different styles of paintings and techniques - using them as the foundation for many of his works. In turn, during the Edo period, artists of the Kano school copied many of Sesshu's works.

Okakura Tenshin and the Masters of Modern Art
This exhibition focuses on the efforts of Okakura Tenshin, who was influenced by the philosophy of Ernest Fenollosa, an American poet, educator and expert in the Orient. Tenshin founded the modern Japanese art movement by stressing the importance of mastering copy and reproduction techniques. The head of Tokyo Art School as well as the head of the Imperial Museum's art department, Tenshin was the driving force for his students, painters Yokoyama Taikan and Shimomura Kanzan, wood sculptor Takeuchi Seiho, and others. He reinvigorated the studying of the classics through copying and reproduction methods. Tenshin's students' future successes are evident through his guidance in studying the Japanese arts. Although their copies and reproductions are rarely shown, to be in the same place is even rarer.

Reproductions and Copies Role in Transmitting Cultural Heritage
Items featured in the exhibition include replications of the Shosoin treasures, copies of wall murals from the Golden Hall of Horyu-ji temple and copies from the Takamatsuzaka burial mound. These items play a large role in transmitting cultural heritage.