The Kobu Bijutsu Gakko and the Beginning of Design Education in Modern Japan

摘要

In November 1876, the Kobu Bijutsu Gakko (the Art School of the Ministry of Public Works) was established by the Japanese government and immediately after its opening several Italian artists began teaching elementary theory and practice in painting and sculpture to young Japanese students. Most studies of this school indicate that it was the first government school for orthodox, Western-style fine art in Japan. Today, generally speaking, by 'Bijutsu' we mean "fine art" or "visual art," namely painting and sculpture. However, the question of what Bijutsu meant in the 1870s still is open. And it has a close relation to the beginning of design education in modern Japan.