ABSTRACT
The "discovery" of Japanese art followed close on the heels of the "reopening" of Japan in 1854. As Westerners were once again able to set foot in that long-secluded realm, they were fascinated anew by the expressiveness, humor, ingenuity and technical virtuosity of Japanese arts and handicrafts. The Japanese quickly realized the need to master mechanical drawing, drafting and other aspects of Western art. A year after the establishment of the Bansho Shirabesho in 1856, a scholar of Dutch studies trained in the traditional schools of painting, Kawakami Togai, was instructed to investigate Western methods of drawing and painting. In conjunction with the addition of architecture to the curriculum of the Imperial College of Engineering, an adjunct art school, known as the Technical Art School, was established in 1876 to train students in painting, sculpture and a wide range of related arts that were an integral part of the Beaux Arts tradition and nineteenth century architectural eclecticism.
