Imperial princess doing research in California
Cultural News, May 2008
Princess Akiko of Misaka, right, studied the Japanese art collection of Bill Clark, left, at the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California on the Peter Drucker fellowship program. (Cultural News Photo)
HANFORD, California - Princess Akiko of Mikasa, 26, a member of Japan's Imperial family, spent the last three months in California to conduct research on her doctoral thesis.
After receiving her Bachelor degree in history from the Gakushuin University in Tokyo in March 2004, Princess Akiko went to the University of Oxford where she is now pursuing her doctoral degree at the Oriental Institute.
Her thesis deals with the Western interest in Japanese art in the nineteenth century, and she especially focuses on the Anderson collection in the British Museum.
William Anderson (1842-1900) was the medical officer to the British envoy in Japan in the 1870s, a position that enabled him to build an
extensive collection of Japanese art.
Princess Akiko is the second cousin to Crown Prince Naruhito and the great granddaughter of Emperor Taisho. Her grandfather, Prince Mikasa, is Emperor Taisho's fourth and youngest son, and her father, Prince Tomohito, is the cousin of the current Emperor Akihito. Her mother is the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and sister of former foreign minister Aso Taro.
With the support of the U.S.-Japan Foundation, the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford has established the Drucker Fellowship. This fellowship was created in honor of the late Professor Peter F. Drucker and his wife Doris.
Peter Drucker is considered the father of modern management
and he and his wife have been major collectors of Japanese art. Princess
Akiko was appointed the first Drucker Fellow, enabling her to visit the U.S.
and spend three months here to better understand present-day
American collectors of Japanese art.
Comparing the change of perception of British collectors in the past and American collectors today, she stayed at the Clark Center during her research period and concentrated on both the Libby and Bill Clark Collection at the Clark Center as well as on the Etsuko and Joe Price Collection in Orange County.
On Sunday, April 13, Princess Akiko ended her research in California with a lecture held at the Clark Center. The well-received lecture was attended by over seventy people, amongst them, from the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco, Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine and his wife Ayako, and from the Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles, the Director of the Japan Information and Culture Center, Katsumi Maruoka and his wife Keiko.
The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture located about 45 miles south of Fresno in the town of Hanford, was founded by Elizabeth and Willard Clark to "collect, conserve, study, and exhibit" the paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts of Japan in 1995.
Its comfortable facility and rural setting offer a modern "scholar's studio" environment for contemplation and study. As they enter the first gallery, visitors are greeted with paintings/single screens displayed in tokonoma (alcoves) with tatami (bamboo straw mats), integral elements to a traditional Japanese-style home. The main gallery is clean and spare, and features natural light diffused with ultraviolet protective glass.
A vital part of the Clark Center is the growing library specializing in volumes on Japanese art and a research facility for visiting scholars.
The Clark Center is open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with docent tours every Saturday at 1:00 pm. Admission is $5 for Adults and $3 for children and students with valid ID.
The current spring exhibition Traces of China: The Japanese Transformation of Chinese Theme and Techniques runs through August 2.
The Clark Center is at 15770 Tenth Ave., Hanford, CA 93230, (559) 582-4915. www.ccjac.org.