The subject of Japanese artwork is a very fascinating topic at the famous Ashmolean museum. According to folklore the people of Japan are direct descendants of the Sun Goddess. It is also thought that the land of Japan is itself of divine origin To anyone familiar with the history of East Asia the Japanese are indeed a very distinctive group of people. Of course they are very aware of their unique heritage. There does exist some common ties with the mainland of Asia but the Japanese have always lived their lives separately as an island people. It is with a sense of pride that there has been Japanese artwork in the Ashmolean collection from the very beginning of the museum's long history. There is the cabinet of curiosities assembled by the royal gardeners. The Tradescants in the early 17th century included a pair of Japanese zori. It was described in the 1656 catalogue of the collection as sandals made of twigs. There is a circular leather shield lacquered in Japan with a European coat of arms. However until the Ashmolean's Eastern Art Department was founded in 1961 the museum's Japanese holdings remained small. The highlight was a group of around 1300 tsuba sword guards created in the late 19th century by the eminent scientist Sir Arthur H. Church. Since 1961 the Ashmolean's Japanese collections have grown progressively. It has been steadily shaped by the generosity of patrons and also by the vision of the museum's curators. The most notable contribution came from Oliver Impey who was the curator of Japanese art at the Ashmolean museum from 19682005. During his very long career at the museum Oliver Impey build up a broad based collection of fine Japanese art. It now numbers around 5000 objects plus some 3000 potsherds. There is also a small amount of early material in the collection including haniwa a few Buddhist sculptures and some early lacquerware. Most of the collection dates from the Edo 16031867 CE and Meiji 18681912 CE periods. There were particular strengths in the fields of 17th to 18th century export porcelain as well as other export art of the Meiji period. The Ashmolean's new Japanese galleries opened in December 2009. They are designed around these very significant collections of export art. It is true they also reflect the museum's new approach to its displays. These displays emphasize connections contracts and cultural exchanges. It should be understood that the Japanese collections were formerly separated into decorative and fine art galleries. The two new Japanese galleries are organized as chronological displays Japan 16001850 and Japan from 1850. Furthermore Japanese displays are open in the thematic galleries around the facility. They illustrate the significance of international trade during the 17th century in West Meets East and also different approaches to conservation in Restoring the Past. Another reflection comes in the form of decorative uses of script in Reading and Writing. The Japanese collections are an important part of the Asian heritage present at the Ashmolean museum. To view classical Japanese artworks correctly one must reflect upon the unquestioned facts about ancient scholarship in East Asia. The scholars of both China and Japan were entirely distinct from the scholars of the West. In the West scholars tended to restrict their learning to specific areas of study through rigorous discipline of the mind. Asian scholars did not follow this same path toward understanding. They were at one and the same time scholars philosophers artists poets calligraphers essayists and very often historians. Quite naturally these scholars conceived of their culture as a cohesive organic whole. The artwork of Japan should be studied through all avenues of art religion and economic and social life. As one views such collections like the one at the Ashmolean it is necessary to contemplate the meaning of Japanese culture first. This is the best way to honor the people of Japan who painstakingly produced these excellent pieces for their civilization. Such artwork is a direct snapshot into the past which abides with us to the present. To know the present better we must understand the past.

• published: 11 May 2015
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