Before 17c -----Sense of Beauty is in Daily Life & Tools
8C? The word "mitate" is used in literature ("in "Kojiki", the first book of Japanese history")
10C "Mitate" is often used in literature as a method of metaphor, association and double meanings so that a short poem can have a rich meaning
11C Garden design is theorized with "mitate" as its part , Beautifully painted sliding doors and screens are used, without a border between fine art and applied art
12C Playfulness is appreciated; a lyric praising children playing (in "Ryojin Hisho", an official compilation of contemporary popular songs) and humorous illustrations of "Choju Giga"
(Scrolls of Frolicking Animals, attributed to a highest rank priest Toba Sojo) are examples
16C Tea ceremony is theorized by SEN-NO Rikyu,
Flower arrangement is theorized by IKENOBO Senei
Early 17C Closure of its border to most countries nurses growth of a unique culture
18-19c -----Culture of Play and Fun
(Hyakunin Isshu, official compilation of 100 medieval poems from 100 poets) is popular among ordinary people
1760s Inexpensive color woodblock printing technology is developed by a painter SUZUKI Harunobu and used in Ukiyo-e (woodblock) prints
Late18C Scientific devices from Europe such as microscope and magic lantern become popular entertainment
1776 Hand-crank electric generator was made and used for entertainment by HIRAGA Gennai
1796 Book of "karakuri"
(automata) making by HOSOKAWA Hanzo becomes a bestseller
1820s Hisashige Tanaka shows his Arrow Shooting Boy, Calligraphy Writer and other sophisticated "karakuri" dolls
1830s Tanaka invents and sells devices (light, clock, etc. with special mechanisms)
1853 Commodore Matthew C. Perry (US) arrives to ask for opening of Japan
1859 5 ports including Yokohama and Kobe open to foreigners
1868 Meiji Restoration: rapid modernization starts
1873 Japanese art and design objects are shown at Vienna World Exposition (some of them are kept in MAK in Vienna)
1875 Tanaka founds company that later becomes Toshiba
1889 Nintendo is founded as a publisher of poem playing card and other card games
After WWII -----From Avant-garde to Media Art
1945 Japan loses WWII
1949 Yomiuri Independent art exhibition starts; anyone is allowed to exhibit
1951 Jikken Kobo (Experimental Workshop) is formed by Toru Takemitsu, Katsuhiro Yamaguchi and others
1954 GUTAI is formed as an avant-garde artist group
1956 Atsuko Tanaka (a GUTAI member) makes and wears "Electric Dress" made of blinking colorful light bulbs
1970 Futuristic pavilions at Osaka World Exposition are designed by avant-garde artists, architects and composers
1985 Tsukuba Science Expo showcases robots, digital images, large and 3D screens, an interactive theatre, etc. Real time audiovisual performance by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Radical TV (supervised by Akira Asada) on Sony's huge JUMBOTRON display.
Toshio Iwai's installation "Time Stratum II" was awarded the Grand Prize at the 17th Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibition.
1989 ARTEC annual exhibition starts in Nagoya focusing on "technology art".
1990 Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography opens with a collection of precinema devices and exhibitions of media art
1991 NTT/ICC opens its first online exhibition
Canon Art Lab starts
1993 ~ 2003 -----Device Art Starts to Appear
1993 Novmichi Tosa formed Maywa Denki with his brother Masamichi Tosa with "Naki" and "Tsukuba" Series
"Inter Dis-Communication Machine"
(Kazuhiko Hachiya, later shown at Ars Electronica '96)
International collegiate Virtual Reality Contest (IVRC) starts
(Maywa Denki)
SIGGRAPH's E-Tech becomes a showcase of works from Japan. Kusahara and Iwata show their projects. Iwata shows new works every year until 2007 : an unbreakable record.
1995 Registrations of "Naki-EX" and "MI-02" designs are approved (Maywa Denki)
1996 IAMAS is founded
Ars Electronica 96 Interactive Category: Masaki Fujihata wins Golden Nica; Iwata's Cross-active System
, Hachiya's Inter Dis-Communication Machine are exhibited.
(Hachiya, later shown at Ars Electronica '97)
Registration of Na-cord design is approved (Maywa Denki)
Virtual Reality Society of Japan launches, Hachiya's "Inter Dis-Communication Machine" is invited for its first annual assembly
(Hachiya)
1997 ICC opens in its permanent space
Ars Electronica '97 Interactive Category: Toshio Iwai + Ryuichi Sakamoto win Golden Nica; Hachiya's "Seeing is Believing", Iwata's "Garnet Vision" are shown
, a commercial email software with virtual pets attracts young women (Hachiya)
Japan Media Arts Festival starts
1998 "BitMan"
(Ryota Kuwakubo / Maywa Denki)
"PostPet" is given Prix Ars Electronica '98 Distinction Award for its artistic identity
"Optical Camouflage" (Masahiko Inami, SIGGRAPH)
1999 "ANOMALOCARIS" (Iwata, Ars Electronica Center )
2000 Inami's "RobotPHONE" is shown at SIGGRAPH
(Kuwakubo)
Maywa Denki receives Good Design Award
NHK's weekly "Digital Stadium" TV program starts, dedicated to media art
2001 "Floating Eye"
(Iwata, Ars Electronica 2001) "AirBoard final version" (Hachiya)
"Centrifuge" (Hachiya)
(Maywa Denki)
"PLX-parallax of the game" (Kuwakubo, Ars Electronica 2002)
(Kodama, SIGGRAPH, Ars Electronica Center 2003-2006)
Mirai-kan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) opens
2002 "BlockJam"
(Kuwakubo/Sony, SIGGRAPH 02, Ars Electronica 2003)
2003 "Tsukuba Series1"
by Maywa Denki wins Ars Electronica 2003 Distinction Award
(Maywa Denki, commercial products) "Maywa Arclassy series" launch (Maywa Denki)
"LoopScape" (Kuwakubo)
"Open Sky", a project to design and fly a personal jet glider(Hachiya)
"Food Simulator" (Iwata, Hiroaki Yano)
2004 -----Device Art Project Launches
2004 "ThanksTail" commercial product (Hachiya / Wako Co. Ltd.)
commercial product (Maywa Denki)
Maywa Denki solo exhibition Nonsense Machines at ICC
"Circula Floor" (Robot Tile) by Iwata attracts attention at SIGGRAPH
CREST starts to give public support to creative use of technology
Device Art Project launches
2005 Device Art is selected for CREST 5 year grant
(Taro Maeda, Hideyuki Ando, Inami) attracts attention at SIGGRAPH.It uses a remote controller "shake" someone's walking.
"Psycho Communicator System" (Hachiya, Maeda, Ando)
"Fairy Finder" series (Hachiya)
2006 "Powered Shoes" (Iwata, Yano) is shown at SIGGRAPH
Maywa Denki is chosen the most popular media artist by a web-voting carried by Japan Media Arts Festival
Hachiya solo exhibition OpenSky 2.0
at ICC
Kodama exhibits "Morpho Tower" (with Keiichiro Shibuya's sound performance) for Yoshiki Hishinuma's new boutique
2007 Special Exhibition of Japan Media Arts Festival 10th Anniversary at the New National Art Center in Tokyo included: Maywa Denki, Hachiya's Inter Dis- Communication Machine and Open Sky, Kodama's Protrude, Flow and Morpho Tower, Kuwakubo's Loopscape
Tosa launches BACAROBO, the annual "stupid robot" championship
2008 Device Art permanent exhibition starts at Mirai-kan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation)
2009 "Robot Tile"
by Iwata using a new "senseware" textile from Kurare was shown at Milano Triennale
"YUREX" and "OTAMATONE" are commercialized (Maywa Denki)