Japanscope Podcast #09 Sejarah Seni dalam Sejarah Hubungan Indonesia - Jepang

Main Ideas, Concepts, and Lessons

Using art history as a lens for international relations

• The episode argues that art history can complement traditional historical research (archives, newspapers, travel notes).
• Art history is not only about discussing art; it can use artworks as evidence for historical context and connections between peoples and countries.

Artworks as “visual archives”

• Because earlier periods lacked photography/digital recording, paintings function like historical records:
  • They reflect what artists saw (or were commissioned to depict).
  • They preserve details that may be missing from written documentation.
• Art can help reconstruct relationships, environments, and elements of everyday life, including:
  • clothing
  • animals
  • figures and settings

Digitalization enables new art-history research

• Museum digitization and online archives let researchers:
  • discover artworks across countries (e.g., Europe and the U.S.)
  • cross-reference artworks with historical records
• Ongoing challenges include:
  • limited keyword/search capabilities
  • the need to recognize relevant historical context to find the right materials

Case studies showing Indonesia–Japan connections beyond “official diplomacy”

• The discussion emphasizes Indonesian–Japanese relations can be traced through maritime/trade-era contact, not only modern diplomatic history.
• Examples include:
  • people and objects depicted in artworks (e.g., Indonesians in Japanese visual culture)
  • animals (e.g., elephants, buffalo) and “souvenir” motifs suggesting Southeast Asian presence and exchange
  • historical posts such as Dejima/Nagasaki, which served as points where foreign cultures entered Japanese visual representation

Propaganda and commissioned art as deliberate “constructed” imagery

• Some art—especially wartime art—was created for specific messaging goals.
• The episode discusses propaganda formats such as:
  • kamisibai (picture-show storytelling)
  • posters
• Key point: kamishibai could function educationally and propagandistically, and was used across colonial contexts (with claims that Indonesia was included, though collections may be scattered).

Art as a continuing bridge for people-to-people relations

• The episode concludes that art and aesthetics have global appeal, supporting ongoing cultural exchange.
• It also highlights contemporary cultural diplomacy examples (e.g., Japan–Indonesia exchanges facilitated by foundations/ambassadors).

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Methodology / Approach Described

How art history is proposed to be used to study Indonesia–Japan relations

• Start with a research lens beyond written records

  • Use traditional sources (archives, newspapers, travel notes) as a baseline.
  • Add visual sources, including:
    • paintings
    • illustrated records
    • posters
    • kamishibai materials
    • other commissioned imagery

• Cross-reference visuals with historical documentation

  • Compare what artworks depict (figures, clothing, animals, settings) against:
    • mainstream historical narratives
    • archival data
    • and/or archaeological context (when relevant)

• Leverage digital archives

  • Search digitized museum collections and online projects.
  • Use known image/artist names and relevant keywords, while recognizing:
    • searching without the right keywords is difficult even when digitized
  • Digitized collections may reveal items held abroad.

• Interpret what art reveals given constraints of its era

  • For periods without photography:
    • accept images reflect artist interpretation, not mechanical recording
  • Still, treat art as evidence that can fill gaps in documentation.

• Identify the artwork’s purpose and commissioning context

  • Determine whether art is:
    • naturalistic/documentary (e.g., recording flora/fauna)
    • commissioned by officials (e.g., painters recording what bosses wanted)
    • propagandistic (e.g., wartime messaging or colonial narratives)
  • Use purpose-of-creation to judge which parts are observational vs. constructed.

• Use art for both “diplomatic” and “non-diplomatic” pathways

  • Expand beyond official state relations to include:
    • people-to-people interaction
    • maritime/trade networks
    • colonial and port intermediations (e.g., Dejima)
    • cultural transmission

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Key Examples and Findings Mentioned

Example 1: Kurombo / “dark skin” depictions in East Asian imagery

• A referenced researcher’s work (connected to a Taiwanese/Taiwan-based museum context) is used to discuss images of black/darker-skinned people.
• The episode explores how such figures appear in settings like Dejima/Nagasaki, even with Japan’s isolation policies.
• Interpretation: historical connections may predate Japanese isolation and can be traced via broader networks.

Example 2: Kawahara Keiga (Dejima / visual culture recording)

• The guest connects Indonesian figures in Japanese artworks to research on Kawahara Keiga.
• She points to:
  • an MIT-linked digital project (“Visualizing Cultures”)
  • a module covering the period from Tokugawa to Meiji
• Visual clues include depictions of Indonesian people with clothing motifs such as:
  • blangkon
  • lurik
  • batik
• Additional point: Kawahara also depicted plants/animals and foreign people, and his collections were stored/expanded in places like Leiden and elsewhere.

Example 3: Dutch/VOC context and Ronin imagery

• Another referenced set of works (via a website linked to Adam Clulow) connects Japanese figures (e.g., samurai/ronin) to Dutch colonial presence and archival access.
• Interpretation themes include:
  • Christian/Catholic-related samurai/rulers could be persecuted or removed from Japan
  • archives preserve details, while images can still enrich imagination about faces/appearance beyond text

Example 4: Kamishibai and wartime propaganda across colonies

• A project (Stanford/Hoover Institute is mentioned) about Japanese propaganda art explains:
  • kamisibai
  • posters as tools of persuasion/propaganda
• Indonesia-specific challenge:
  • kamishibai materials in Indonesia were reportedly confiscated by the Dutch and kept in the Netherlands.
• Claim: kamishibai functioned like a global language, used not only for Indonesia but broadly.

Example 5: Elephants and animals as evidence of exchange

• Historical mentions of elephants (e.g., connected to Srivijaya-related notes) are linked to visual motifs:
  • elephants and other animals depicted in Japanese artworks during the Tokugawa era
  • animals cared for/introduced by Southeast Asian figures described as having darker skin
• Additional motifs: peacocks, owls, and “souvenir/gift” themed artworks.

Example 6: Wartime mural artist Onosaseo

• The episode claims Onosaseo introduced mural art in Indonesia and inspired painters (including Suryojoyono, as mentioned).
• Even in wartime propaganda contexts, the episode frames the art as contributing to education and new art trends.

Example 7: Contemporary cultural diplomacy via art

• It cites reciprocal painting exchanges, including:
  • a painting of Mount Fuji and Sakura sent to an Indonesian president figure (SBY mentioned)
  • facilitated by Japanese diplomatic channels
• Conclusion: art supports ongoing diplomacy and people-to-people connections because aesthetic products can be widely appreciated.

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Speakers / Sources Featured (Identified)

Speakers

• Host: “Mas Adi” (interviewer/host voice in English/Japanese Scope style)
• Guest: Buneta (Bu Meta) Sekar Puji Astuti (Hasanuddin University; coordinator roles in Indonesian–Japanese studies contexts)
• “Jef Jakarta” / narrator voice (intro/outro and program promotion)

Named Projects / Institutions / Sources Referenced

• ASJ (Indonesian Japanese Studies Association)
• Hoover Institution Library & Archives (Stanford University context)
• MIT Visualizing Cultures / “Visualizing Cultures” project (linked to John Dower)
• British Museum (digitization reference)
• Japan Foundation Jakarta (promotion and cultural diplomacy reference)
• Leiden (storage/collection reference for Kawahara Keiga material)
• General references to museum digitization and digital archives worldwide

Named Individuals Referenced

• Chu (Chinese/Taiwanese museum/academic name referenced: “Chu lunghising / lung sing Chu”)
• Kawahara Keiga
• John Dower
• Adam Clulow (spelling varies in subtitles)
• Andris Beckman (Netherlands painter mentioned)
• V.O.C. / VOC (Dutch trading company referenced)
• Onosaseo (cartoonist/mural artist referenced)
• Suryojoyono / Sujoyono (Indonesian painter mentioned)
• Teno (Emperor) / Japanese emperor (referenced; not fully identified)
• Sukarno? / SBY: SBY is explicitly mentioned as receiving a painting
• Dutch leader Philips van (von) …: “vonibold Philips vonibold” referenced as Kawahara’s boss (name unclear due to subtitle errors)
• Adam Hutlw (likely Adam Clulow; inconsistent subtitle spelling)

Other Media Formats Mentioned

• Kamisibai (paper theater / picture-show)
• Posters
• Anime (used as a modern analogy)
• Murals