Russian icons in Japan

Research Project

Project/Area Number	13410020
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Fine art history
Research Institution	Okayama University
Principal Investigator	SUZUKI Michitaka Okayama University, Faculty of Letters, Associate Professor, 文学部, 助教授 (30135925)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	TANAKA Chieko Art Resotoration Studio 21, Researcher, 研究員 KATO Yuri Thukuba University, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Associate Professor, 人文社会科学研究科, 助教授 (50326815) 田中智恵子修復研究所21, 研究員
Project Period (FY)	2001 – 2002
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2002)
Budget Amount *help	¥8,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,500,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥2,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000) Fiscal Year 2001: ¥5,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,600,000)
Keywords	Russia / icon / Yamashita Rin / Alaska / Kriukov / Nicolai / Innocenti / Academy of Technology and Art / シトカ / 正教会 / ニコライ大主教 / ブルーニ
Research Abstract	As a result of researches in Alaska(Sitka, Juneau, Kodiak and Eklutna), we have found only four icons(three prints and one oil painting) which are the same as were transported to Japan. It means that there was actually no parallel between icons in Japan and Alaska. We can surmise also that there was no comprehensive system within the Russian Orthodox Church for deciding to send icons to countries outside Russia, and the selection of icons depended on the Russian patrons who took care of their protege countries. But during this research, there was an unexpected new discovery in Sitka. In Bishop Innocentis House we found the original drawing which had served as a model for the Resurrection icon by Rin Yamashita(1857-1939). This icon was donated to the then crown prince Nicolai(future Nicolai the Second) when he visited Japan in 1891. The original drawing is dated 1876. And the painter is presumably Vasily Kriukov. Vasily Kriukov was the first icon and Western-style painter among the indi … More genous Aleut people. He was educated by Innocenti and painted the icons in the newly built church in Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands in 1826. This means Bishop Nicoiai Kasatkin fostered Rin Yamashita as an icon painter in Japan and Bishop Innocenti Veniaminov fostered Vasily Kriukov as an icon painter in Alaska. Although there is a document apparently testifying to the death of Vasily before. 1830 in SPb, when he was a student in SPb Academy of Art, clearly this document should be re-examined. Whatever the result, we have now a radically new perspective for the future study of Japanese modern icons and culture. Furthermore we also conducted for the first time a scientific and chemical analysis of the Russian icons and constructed anew environment from concrete testimonies for the icons in Sirakawa. In addition we also analyzed from a comparative cultural perspective the educational system of the first Japanese Academy of Technology and Art, which was founded in 1876 and where Rin Yamashita studied Western Art. Less