2 Sculpture Masters Degree Programs in Japan

The Japanese word for "sculpture", chokoku, contains the spatial concept of "cho" (or "horu": to carve) and the temporal idea of "koku" (or "kizamu": to chop). Just as old as mankind, the art of the sculpture is still being succeeded by artists around the world who keep exploring its possibilities day by day. In other words, a sculpture is a monument of space and time that continues endlessly from the past to the present and further into the future. Returning time and again to the fundamental question, "What is sculpture?", we need to keep searching for the meaning of art unconstrained by trends and customs, based on the history of all kinds of arts and techniques. The Department of Sculpture aims to foster individuals who challenge new and timeless artistic possibilities through theoretical and practical work in an ample production environment.

The Department of Sculpture was launched in 1887 with the establishment of a sculpture course as a specialist program. This was later expanded into a plastic arts department in 1899. With the school’s transformation into Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku in the 1949 educational reforms, the department once again became the Department of Sculpture. The current sculpture building on the Ueno Campus was built in 1971, and the doctoral program was established in 1977. Each year, a certain number of graduate students do their creative work at the Toride Campus. Educational philosophy: The Department of Sculpture stresses the importance of developing highly sensitive graduates capable of developing a vision for the future of art from a broad-ranging, global perspective, based on the history of art to date and the traditions of Japanese art. It attempts to instill this perspective by focusing on a broad-ranging study of the plastic arts and seeks to cultivate graduates capable of working as creative artists, as well as providing instruction in various arts-related areas. In the master’s degree program, students are supported by and work within a unique educational structure based on studios tailored to each student’s research goals. In addition, community involvement programs encourage each student to draw fully on his or her talents, unconstrained by preconceived domains of practice and materials, thereby providing opportunities to examine the possibilities of art in connection with society.