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An Outline of The Japan Art History Society

The Japan Art History Society is a relatively new art historical society, inaugurated in 1949 with a total of 201 members. The present membership has since grown over twelve-fold to stand at around 2,400 and today includes a roughly equal distribution of members affiliated with universities, those affiliated with museums, and students.
Dividing the country into two divisions, from the Chubu region eastwards and from the Kinki region westwards, each division has a system of affiliations and a central office. Presently the eastern office also serves as the society’s head office, with this responsibility changing every three years. Individual members belong to either the eastern or western division, based on the location of their work or school.
Society presentations take place at either the annual General Assembly, which occurs in late May in either the east or west of the country on an annual alternating basis, or in regular meetings held in both the eastern and western parts of the country. Applications for presentations made by members are reviewed by a standing committee (for the regular meetings, by the region-based standing committees), which decide on the suitability of the presentation The Society publishes the Journal of the Japan Art History Society. The editorial committee appointed by the standing committee decides whether submitted articles accord with designated submission guidelines and approve or reject articles for publication.
In addition to the Journal of the Japan Art History Society, members of the Japan Art History Society also work on editorial committees of art historical journals such as Kokka and Ars Buddhica, in addition to the bulletins published by each of the affiliated organizations. These publications provide valuable venues for the publication of research by society members.
Standing committees located in the eastern and western divisions manage the society’s policies and agenda. There are 18 committee members from the eastern division and 12 from the western division, based on the ratio of respective members, and are elected by votes cast by members belonging to their respective divisions prior to the annual General Assemblies. The period of duty for standing committee members is two years, lasting from the conclusion of the General Assembly of the year elected until the start of the General Assembly two years later. Every year half of the members, nine from the east and six from the west, are replaced. Members who have been successively reelected, twice for a total of four years are not eligible for membership in the following two years. Again, the eastern and western division standing committees can, if necessary, appoint standing committee members (appointed committee members).
The General Assembly stands as the highest decision-making organ of the society, and it deliberates on important matters and proposals brought to the meeting by the standing committee. The day before the General Assembly, the joint meeting of the eastern and western division standing committees deliberates on proposed matters and then proposes them for the consideration of the General Assembly.
The chairman is assigned to represent the society, manage various agenda matters, and carry out policies. The period of duty is one year, with a maximum of four duty periods, and the chairman is elected annually from among all standing committee members at the conclusion of the General Assembly. In addition, a representative committee member is placed in the division to which the standing committee member who is elected chairman, does not belong.