ABSTRACT
In his introduction to the first overview on Japonisme in Japanese, Japonisumu nyūmon (An Introduction to Japonisme, 2000), the eminent historian of French art Takashina Shūji (1932–2024) noted that “‘Japonisme’ is a word that is not yet well known among the Japanese.” 2 Takashina’s statement reveals the relatively recent origin of the word “Japonisme” (also seen as “Japonism” in English) as an umbrella term that refers to the Western interest in Japanese arts and culture as well as their impact on the development of various media and formats of modern Western arts and culture from the second half of the nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The French art critic Philippe Burty (1830–90) and other individuals who played seminal roles in the history of Japonisme used this word in their writings. It was not until a century later, however, in the late twentieth century that this French term acquired its present usage relating to the fascination, consumption, and appropriation of Japanese arts and culture in the West. 3 This historical Japonisme, if we may call it that, was manifest in diverse cultural expressions, ranging from the paintings of Vincent van Gogh, Tiffany glassware to Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
