"Historical Planner 2027" (Yoshikawa Kobunkan), a handy tool for art fans, is actually useful for appreciating Western art
Yoshikawa Kobunkan's annually published "Historical Planner 2027," featuring a rich historical encyclopedia, is gaining attention as a useful tool for Western art appreciation.Summary
Yoshikawa Kobunkan, a publisher specializing in history that will celebrate its 170th anniversary in 2027, annually releases a "Historical Planner." The first half is a standard monthly/weekly planner, while the second half is a roughly 180-page historical encyclopedia. It includes basic historical data such as a list of National Treasures, world and Japanese history timelines, era name indexes, and lists of successive emperors and shoguns, along with abundant visual materials on Buddhist statues, swords, armor, and temple architecture. According to the publisher, this encyclopedia is also useful for appreciating Western art. For example, when viewing Leonardo da Vinci's "Portrait of a Woman" (known as "La Belle Ferronnière," created around 1490–1497) at the Louvre Museum exhibition, users can open the world/Japanese history timeline on the same spread to see that Columbus discovered North America in 1492, while in Japan, Hojo Soun captured Odawara Castle in 1495—helping viewers better understand the era in which the artwork was created. The 2027 edition also includes a chronological table related to Oguri Uenosuke Tadamasa, the protagonist of the year's Taiga drama, and a bonus website "Historical Encyclopedia Web 2027" offers content that didn't fit in the paper planner, such as expanded genealogies and niche reference materials. Priced at 1,650 yen, it is available at bookstores and on Amazon.
(Source：美術展ナビ)