Latest news with #Tsutaya
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
Ukiyo-e Exhibits Bring Edo to Life at Tokyo Museum
The special exhibition Tsutaya Jūzaburō: Creative Visionary of Edo is currently running until June 15 at the Heiseikan building of Tokyo National Museum. The erekiteru , Japan's oldest electrostatic generator, now owned by the Postal Museum, Tokyo, was invented by Hiraga Gennai, a scientist and author who had connections to Tsutaya. (© ) Tsutaya Jūzaburō (1750–97) was a leading publisher in eighteenth-century Japan. Following the huge success of his Yoshiwara saiken , a series of guides providing information on the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters of Edo (now Tokyo), he began running a publishing company, and released many bestselling works featuring ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Illustrations for Shiohi no Tsuto (Ravicz Collection, Chiba City Museum of Art) (top) and Utamakura (owned by Uragami Sokyudō, Tokyo) by Kitagawa Utamaro. (© ) This exhibition showcases around 250 works, including publications by Tsutaya and art by cultural figures with whom he interacted, allowing visitors to relive the footsteps of Tsutaya, dubbed the 'king of Edo media' and to become immersed in the golden era of townspeople's culture. The biggest attractions are Kitagawa Utamaro's paintings of beauties and Tōshūsai Sharaku's actor portraits. Both artists were discovered by Tsutaya. Three Famous Beauties by Kitagawa Utamaro (Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation, Tokyo). (© ) Ōtani Oniji III as Edobei and Ichikawa Omezō I as Yakko Ippei by Tōshūsai Sharaku (both belonging to the Tokyo National Museum). (© ) A recreation of the Yoshiwara Main Gate in the entrance area of the museum. (© ) Video imagery and life-size sets give visitors an immersive experience into Edo life. (© ) The popular themed plush in the museum shop. (© ) Unique Collaborations Between Contemporary Artists and Ukiyo-e Masters The Tokyo National Museum is running an additional exhibition in the separate Hyōkeikan building. Titled Ukiyo-e in Play: Artists Re-Working the Traditions of Woodcut Prints , it brings together contemporary artists and creators in collaboration with carvers and printers of The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing, who have inherited the artisanal skills of the ukiyo-e masters of the Edo period (1603–1868). Among the 85 artists participating are Kusama Yayoi, Yokoo Tadanori, Shiota Chiharu, Rokkaku Ayako, Kitano Takeshi, and Kurokawa Kishō. Not to be missed are contemporary ukiyo-e works created by famous manga artists including Mizuki Shigeru, Saitō Takao, Umezu Kazuo, Ishinomori Shōtarō, Chiba Tetsuya, Ikeda Riyoko, Satonaka Machiko, and Anno Moyoco. Kusama Yayoi's bold series of Mount Fuji prints. (© ) Works by multi-creator Yokoo Tadanori. (© ) Shiota Chiharu's spatial art uses countless threads to express being 'connected with the universe.' (© ) Rokkaku Ayako's distinct technique of using her fingertips as the paintbrush lends a gentle yet master's touch to her work. (© ) Paintings by Kitano Takeshi are also on display. (© ) Yamaguchi Akira's paintings depicting famous places blending Edo and Tokyo. (© ) Anno Moyoco's famous courtesan recreated into an ōkubie portrait (center picture). (© ) Popular Umezu Kazuo characters remade into ukiyo-e. (© ) Works by the manga artists Kōno Fumiyo and Ikeda Riyoko are also on display. (© ) Surrounded by LED monitors, become immersed in exploring beauty that transcends time and space. (© ) For details on ticket prices and opening times, visit the Tokyo National Museum official website (external link). (Originally published in Japanese. Reporting, text, and photos by . Banner photo: The Tsutaya Jūzaburō: Creative Visionary of Edo exhibition at Tokyo National Museum. © .)
Ammon
16-04-2025
- Science
- Ammon
Ancient jawbone found in sea belongs to mysterious human ancestors, scientists say
Ammon News - An ancient jawbone discovered in Taiwan belonged to an enigmatic group of early human ancestors called Denisovans, scientists reported Thursday. Relatively little is known about Denisovans, an extinct group of human cousins that interacted with Neanderthals and our own species, Homo sapiens. "Denisovan fossils are very scarce," with only a few confirmed finds in East Asia, said study co-author Takumi Tsutaya at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan. So far, the only known Denisovan fossils include partial jawbones, a few teeth and part of a finger bone found in caves in Siberia and Tibet. Some scientists believe fossils found in a cave in Laos may also belong to Denisovans. The probable identification of the jawbone from Taiwan as Denisovan expands the region where scientists know these ancient people once lived, said Tsutaya.
Ammon
12-04-2025
- Science
- Ammon
Ancient jawbone from Taiwan belongs to a mysterious group of human ancestors
Ammon News - An ancient jawbone discovered in Taiwan belonged to an enigmatic group of early human ancestors called Denisovans, scientists reported Thursday. Relatively little is known about Denisovans, an extinct group of human cousins that interacted with Neanderthals and our own species, Homo sapiens. ' Denisovan fossils are very scarce,' with only a few confirmed finds in East Asia, said study co-author Takumi Tsutaya at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan. So far, the only known Denisovan fossils include partial jawbones, a few teeth and part of a finger bone found in caves in Siberia and Tibet. Some scientists believe fossils found in a cave in Laos may also belong to Denisovans. The probable identification of the jawbone from Taiwan as Denisovan expands the region where scientists know these ancient people once lived, said Tsutaya. The partial jawbone was first recovered when a fishing operation dredged the seafloor in the Penghu Channel near the Taiwan Strait. After it was sold to an antique shop, a collector spotted it and purchased it in 2008, then later donated it to Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science. Based on the composition of marine invertebrates found attached to it, the fossil was dated to the Pleistocene era. But exactly which species of early human ancestor it belonged to remained a mystery. The condition of the fossil made it impossible to study ancient DNA. But recently, scientists in Taiwan, Japan and Denmark were able to extract some protein sequences from the incomplete jawbone. An analysis showed some protein sequences resembled those contained in the genome of a Denisovan fossil recovered in Siberia. The findings were published in the journal Science. While the new research is promising, Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Project, said he would like to see further data before confirming the Taiwan fossil as Denisovan. Potts, who was not involved in the new research, praised the study for 'a fantastic job of recovering some proteins.' But he added, such a small sliver of material may not give a full picture. At one time, at least three human ancestor groups — Denisovans, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens — coexisted in Eurasia and sometimes interbred, researchers say.
CBS News
11-04-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Ancient jawbone found in sea belongs to mysterious human ancestors, scientists say
An ancient jawbone discovered in Taiwan belonged to an enigmatic group of early human ancestors called Denisovans , scientists reported Thursday. Relatively little is known about Denisovans, an extinct group of human cousins that interacted with Neanderthals and our own species, Homo sapiens. "Denisovan fossils are very scarce," with only a few confirmed finds in East Asia, said study co-author Takumi Tsutaya at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan. So far, the only known Denisovan fossils include partial jawbones, a few teeth and part of a finger bone found in caves in Siberia and Tibet. Some scientists believe fossils found in a cave in Laos may also belong to Denisovans. The probable identification of the jawbone from Taiwan as Denisovan expands the region where scientists know these ancient people once lived, said Tsutaya. "Denisovans must therefore have been capable of adapting to a wide range of habitat types," study co-author Frido Welker told the Reuters news agency . The partial jawbone was first recovered when a fishing operation dredged the seafloor in the Penghu Channel near the Taiwan Strait. After it was sold to an antique shop, a collector spotted it and purchased it in 2008, then later donated it to Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science. Based on the composition of marine invertebrates found attached to it, the fossil was dated to the Pleistocene era. But exactly which species of early human ancestor it belonged to remained a mystery. The condition of the fossil made it impossible to study ancient DNA. But recently, scientists in Taiwan, Japan and Denmark were able to extract some protein sequences from the incomplete jawbone. An analysis showed some protein sequences resembled those contained in the genome of a Denisovan fossil recovered in Siberia. The findings were published in the journal Science . While the new research is promising, Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Project, said he would like to see further data before confirming the Taiwan fossil as Denisovan. Potts, who was not involved in the new research, praised the study for "a fantastic job of recovering some proteins." But he added, such a small sliver of material may not give a full picture. At one time, at least three human ancestor groups - Denisovans, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens - coexisted in Eurasia and sometimes interbred , researchers say. "We can identity Neanderthal elements and Denisovan elements" in the DNA of some people alive today, said Tsutaya. Scientists still don't know exactly why Denisovans went extinct. "We have so little archaeological and fossil information about Denisovans that we can only speculate as to why they disappeared," Welker told Reuters. "A lasting legacy, though, is that some human populations in East and Southeast Asia carry some Denisovan ancestry in their genomes today."
CBS News
11-04-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Rare ancient jawbone found in sea belongs to mysterious human ancestors, scientists say
An ancient jawbone discovered in Taiwan belonged to an enigmatic group of early human ancestors called Denisovans , scientists reported Thursday. Relatively little is known about Denisovans, an extinct group of human cousins that interacted with Neanderthals and our own species, Homo sapiens. "Denisovan fossils are very scarce," with only a few confirmed finds in East Asia, said study co-author Takumi Tsutaya at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan. So far, the only known Denisovan fossils include partial jawbones, a few teeth and part of a finger bone found in caves in Siberia and Tibet. Some scientists believe fossils found in a cave in Laos may also belong to Denisovans. The probable identification of the jawbone from Taiwan as Denisovan expands the region where scientists know these ancient people once lived, said Tsutaya. "Denisovans must therefore have been capable of adapting to a wide range of habitat types," study co-author Frido Welker told the Reuters news agency . The partial jawbone was first recovered when a fishing operation dredged the seafloor in the Penghu Channel near the Taiwan Strait. After it was sold to an antique shop, a collector spotted it and purchased it in 2008, then later donated it to Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science. Based on the composition of marine invertebrates found attached to it, the fossil was dated to the Pleistocene era. But exactly which species of early human ancestor it belonged to remained a mystery. The condition of the fossil made it impossible to study ancient DNA. But recently, scientists in Taiwan, Japan and Denmark were able to extract some protein sequences from the incomplete jawbone. An analysis showed some protein sequences resembled those contained in the genome of a Denisovan fossil recovered in Siberia. The findings were published in the journal Science . While the new research is promising, Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Project, said he would like to see further data before confirming the Taiwan fossil as Denisovan. Potts, who was not involved in the new research, praised the study for "a fantastic job of recovering some proteins." But he added, such a small sliver of material may not give a full picture. At one time, at least three human ancestor groups - Denisovans, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens - coexisted in Eurasia and sometimes interbred , researchers say. "We can identity Neanderthal elements and Denisovan elements" in the DNA of some people alive today, said Tsutaya. Scientists still don't know exactly why Denisovans went extinct. "We have so little archaeological and fossil information about Denisovans that we can only speculate as to why they disappeared," Welker told Reuters. "A lasting legacy, though, is that some human populations in East and Southeast Asia carry some Denisovan ancestry in their genomes today."
