Tagore’s contribution in strengthening relations between India & Japan find place in rejuvenated Japan Gallery

The contribution of Rabindranath Tagore in strengthening the relationship between India and Japan has come alive in the rejuvenated Japan Gallery at the Jorasanko campus of Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) thrown open to visitors, a few days back.

The new attractions in the gallery depict the Indian influence on Japanese painters and vice-versa. The Nihonga style of painting by Japanese painters had a noticeable influence on the paintings of Thakurbari as revealed from the works of Gaganendranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore finding its place in the museum. The Japanese paintings of Devi Saraswati, Ma Kali bear testimony to the influence of Indian painters on their Japanese counterparts. The paintings of Japanese women wearing saree also find their place in the gallery.

An entire room in the gallery has been dedicated to portray the artistic touch associated with hosting of a ‘tea ceremony’ by an affluent family in Japan which Tagore had the privilege to attend. The details of the same have been etched out by Tagore in his book ‘Japan Jatri’.

When the gallery was put up in 2006, the contents and exhibits were mostly from local collections. However, in the rejuvenated gallery, many contents have been procured from Japan, thanks to the initiative by then Consul General of Japan in Kolkata, Masayuki Taga. The research content of the museum has received a big boost with the present collection.

“The refurbished museum is one of the brightest examples of cultural exchange between India and Japan and so its historical significance is immense. The museum is also a testimony for the international relationship between the two countries,” Baisakhi Mitra, curator of RBU museum said. The Japan gallery set up for the first time in 2006 happens to be the oldest foreign gallery at Jorasanko Thakurbari. The historical and cultural aspects of Tagore’s four visits to Japan in the years 1916, 1917, 1926 and 1929 was highlighted through the gallery. However, due to wear and tear, a number of specimens in the museum were in urgent need of refurbishment.

In 2019, an MoU was signed between the then Consul General of Japan in Kolkata, Masayuki Taga and then then vice-chancellor of RBU Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhary in the backdrop of Japanese government announcing a donation of over Rs 20 lakh for rejuvenation of the gallery. The renovation work started immediately but the Covid pandemic and severe cyclonic storm Amphan that hit the state in May 2020 delayed the progress of work and recently, the gallery has witnessed a thorough makeover.

A number of books by Tagore translated in Japanese have also found their place in the gallery.

Presently, there are six foreign galleries at Jorasanko that include Japan, China, Italy, Thailand, Hungary and America.