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Richard Douglas Lane

Richard Douglas Lane was an American art historian, collector, and writer specializing in Japanese art, notable for his pioneering shunga research and his vast collection acquired by the Honolulu Museum of Art.

1. Overview

Richard Douglas Lane (1926-2002) was a prominent American art critic, art collector, art dealer, art historian, and writer specializing in Japanese art. He dedicated much of his life to studying, collecting, and documenting Japanese art, particularly Ukiyo-e prints and paintings. Lane spent the majority of his life living in Japan, where he became an influential figure in the field, renowned for his extensive publications and his pioneering work in the study of Shunga, Japanese erotic art, despite facing significant censorship and societal challenges. His vast art collection, comprising nearly 20,000 paintings, prints, and books, was acquired by the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawaii after his death, solidifying his legacy as a pivotal scholar and collector in the world of Japanese art.

2. Early life and education

Richard Douglas Lane's early life laid the foundation for his future dedication to Japanese culture and art, beginning with his childhood in the United States and his initial exposure to Japan through military service. His subsequent academic pursuits further deepened his expertise in Japanese literature and art history.

2.1. Childhood and military service

Richard Douglas Lane was born in Kissimmee, Florida, and spent his childhood in New York. During his high school and college years, he harbored aspirations of becoming a writer, even earning two awards for his short stories. In 1944, at the age of 18, during World War II, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was accepted into an intelligence specialized school where he trained as a Japanese translator. Upon graduation, he was assigned to a landing force slated for southern Kyushu, but the war concluded before his deployment there. From 1945 to 1946, he served as an interpreter in Japanese cities such as Nagasaki, Kagoshima, and Sasebo, marking his initial experiences with Japan.

2.2. Higher education and academic pursuits

After his military service, Lane pursued higher education, focusing intently on Japanese studies. He earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese and Chinese literature from the University of Hawaii in 1948. He continued his academic journey at Columbia University, where he obtained both a master's degree and a PhD in 1958 in 18th-century Japanese literature, with his doctoral research focusing on the novelist Ihara Saikaku. From 1950 to 1952, he received a scholarship to study in Japan, where he undertook graduate studies in Japanese literature at prominent institutions including the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, and Kyoto University. During this period, he connected with notable Japanese figures such as the mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo, the artist Ito Seiu, and the art historian Shibui Kiyoshi, who became a mentor in Ukiyo-e research. Lane later served as a faculty member, teaching Japanese language, literature, comparative literature, and Japanese art history at both Columbia University and the University of Maryland.

3. Career and major activities

Richard Douglas Lane's career was marked by his multifaceted roles as an art historian, collector, and dealer, profoundly influencing the study and appreciation of Japanese art. His move to Japan solidified his professional identity, and his contributions to the field, particularly in shunga research, were groundbreaking.

3.1. Relocation to Japan and professional establishment

In 1957, Richard Douglas Lane made a significant move to Japan, where he would reside for the remainder of his life. Throughout his career, he never held a permanent university faculty position, instead supporting himself as an author, art dealer, and consultant. His deep knowledge and expertise made him a sought-after figure in the art world. From 1957 to 1971, he maintained a long-standing association with the Honolulu Museum of Art, serving as a visiting research associate. During this tenure, he played a crucial role in cataloging the extensive James A. Michener collection of Japanese prints, a project that significantly contributed to the understanding and accessibility of these works.

3.2. Contributions to Japanese art studies

Lane's contributions to Japanese art studies extended beyond his work with the Michener collection. He was a dedicated scholar and collector, continually expanding his knowledge and acquiring significant pieces that would later form his celebrated collection. His written works, which included detailed scholarly analyses and comprehensive surveys, became essential resources for students and experts alike.

3.2.1. Shunga research and its impact

A particularly significant and often controversial aspect of Richard Douglas Lane's career was his pioneering research into Japanese Shunga, which is a genre of erotic art. Starting in the 1960s, he collaborated with scholars such as Yasutaka Teruoka on this sensitive topic. Researching shunga in Japan during the 1960s presented considerable challenges due to strict censorship and prevailing societal norms. Lane faced legal battles, including the "Kuniaki lawsuit," and his publications were subject to three bans. Despite these obstacles, he persisted in his efforts to legitimize shunga as a significant cultural and historical art form rather than mere pornography. By the 1990s, the environment for shunga research had improved, allowing Lane to co-supervise, along with Hayashi Yoshikazu, the publication of the unedited 26-volume series `定本・浮世絵春画名品集成Teihon Ukiyo-e Shunga Meihin ShuseiJapanese` (The Complete Ukiyo-e Shunga) between 1995 and 2000. This seminal work was crucial in establishing shunga within its proper cultural and historical context, greatly influencing its academic reception and public understanding. His research also led to exhibitions such as "Arts of the Bedchamber: Japanese Shunga" at the Honolulu Museum of Art, which featured over 50 erotic paintings, prints, and woodblock-printed books from his collection.

4. Publications

Richard Douglas Lane was a prolific author, and his publications significantly advanced the study of Japanese art, particularly Ukiyo-e and Shunga. His works include:

  • Lane, Richard, Shinpen Shoki Hanga: Makurae (Shunga: The Ukiyo-e Primitives), Tokyo, Gakken, 1995.
  • Lane, Richard (contributor); Hayashi, Yoshikazu; Kamiya, Hoshu, Oya, Kyoko; Okumura, Masanobu et al. (editors). Teihon Ukiyo-e Shunga Meihin Shusei (The Complete Ukiyo-e Shunga), Tokyo, Kawade Shobo Shinsha. 26 volumes published between 1995 and 2000, including:
    • Hatsuharu irogonomi: Katsushika Hokusai (初春色ごよみ : 葛飾北齊Hatsuharu Irogoyomi: Katsushika HokusaiJapanese). Supplemental Vol.3 (Bekkan), 2000.
    • Azuma-otoko ni kyo-onna: Harukawa Goshichi, Ehon tegoto no hana (あづま男に京おんな : 春川五七 會本手事之發名Azuma-otoko ni Kyō-onna: Harukawa Goshichi, Ehon Tegoto no HanaJapanese). Supplemental Vol.2 (Bekkan), 2000.
    • Sode no maki: Torii Kiyonaga and more: Nishiki-e hashira-e yokoban higa-kan (鳥居清長 袖の巻 : 他 : 錦絵柱絵横判秘画巻Torii Kiyonaga Sode no Maki: Hoka: Nishiki-e Hashira-e Yokoban Higa-kanJapanese), Vol.24, 1999.
    • Ehon komachi-biki; Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿 絵本小町引 : 大判錦絵秘画帖Kitagawa Utamaro Ehon Komachibiki: Oban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.2 Collectors' edition, 1998.
    • Emmusubi Izumo no sugi: Chuban nishiki-e higa-cho (葛飾北斎 縁結出雲杉 : 中判錦絵秘画帖Katsushika Hokusai Enmusubi Izumo no Sugi: Chūban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.1 Collectors' edition, 1998.
    • Fukujusou: Oban nishiki-e higa-cho (葛飾北斎 富久寿楚宇 : 大判錦絵秘画帖Katsushika Hokusai Fukujusō: Oban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.23, 1998.
    • Koshoku hanazakari and others; Sugimura Jihei: Oban, Chuban te-zaishiki higa-cho (杉村次兵衛 好色花盛り : 他 : 大判・中判手彩色秘画帖Sugimura Jihei Kōshoku Hanazakari: Hoka: Oban/Chūban Te-zaishiki Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.22, 1998.
    • Furyu edo hakkei and others; Suzuki Harunobu: Chuban nishiki-e higa-cho (鈴木春信 風流江戸八景 他 : 中判錦絵秘画帖Suzuki Harunobu Fūryū Edo Hakkei: Hoka: Chūban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.21, 1998.
    • Koi no kiwami; Hishikawa Moronobu: Oban nishiki-e higa-cho (菱川師宣 恋の極み : 大判手彩色秘画帖Hishikawa Moronobu Koi no Kiwami: Oban Te-zaishiki Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.20, 1998.
    • Edo no haru; ihojin mankai: etange elotique. (江戸の春・異邦人満開 : エトランジェ・エロティックEdo no Haru: Ihōjin Mankai: Etoranjie ErotikkuJapanese). Supplemental volume (別巻), 1998.
    • Koshibagaki soshi: Higa emaki (小柴垣草子 : 秘画絵巻Koshibagaki Sōshi: Higa EmakiJapanese). Vo.17, 1997.
    • Negai no itoguchi; Kitagawa Utamaro: Oban nishiki-e higa-cho (喜多川歌麿 ねがひの糸ぐち : 大判錦絵秘画帖Kitagawa Utamaro Negai no Itoguchi: Oban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.15, 1997.
    • Tui no hina; Katsushika Hokusai: Oban nishiki-e higa-cho (葛飾北斎 つひの雛形 : 大判錦絵秘画帖Katsushika Hokusai Tsui no Hinagata: Oban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.13, 1997.
    • Shikido torikumi juniban; Isoda Koryusai: Oban nishiki-e higa-cho (磯田湖龍斎 色道取組十二番Isoda Koryūsai Shikidō Torikumi JūnibanJapanese). Vol.3, Collectors' edition. (大判錦絵秘画帖 愛蔵版). 1998.
    • Ehon komachi-biki: Oban nishi-e higa-cho (喜多川歌麿 絵本小町引: 大判錦絵秘画帖Kitagawa Utamaro Ehon Komachibiki: Oban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.2, 1996.
    • Azuma nishiki; Katsushika Hokusai: Oban nishi-e higa-cho (葛飾北斎 東にしき : 大判錦絵秘画帖Katsushika Hokusai Azuma Nishiki: Oban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.7, 1996.
    • Fubi no seisho: Oban urushi-e higa-shu (婦美の清書 : 大判漆絵秘画帖Fubi no Seisho: Oban Urushi-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.9, Collectors' edition (愛蔵版), 1998.
    • Shitone no hinagata: Oban urushi-e higa-shu (閨の雛形 : 大判漆絵秘画集Shitone no Hinagata: Oban Urushi-e Higa-shūJapanese). Vol.11, Collectors' edition (別巻愛蔵版), 1998.
    • Haru no yuki; Ikeda Eisen: Kamban nishiki-e higacho (池田英泉 春の薄雪 : 間判錦絵秘画帖Ikeda Eisen Haru no Usuyuki: Kamban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.5 Collector's edition, 1996.
    • Emmusubi izumo sugi; Katsushika Hokusai: Chuban nishiki-e higacho (葛飾北斎 縁結び出雲杉：中判錦絵秘画帖Katsushika Hokusai Enmusubi Izumo Sugi: Chūban Nishiki-e Higa-chōJapanese). Vol.1, 1995.
  • Lane, Richard "Kesareta shunga wo abaku" ("消された春画The Erased ShungaJapanese"), from Special: Ukiyoe kesareta shunga. Geijutsu shincho, pp.4-40, Volume 6, Number 45, Shinchosha, June 1994.
  • Lane, Richard, Masterpieces of Japanese Prints: The European Collections Ukiyo-e from the Victoria and Albert Museum, New York, Kodansha America Inc, 1991.
  • Lane, Richard, Hokusai, Life and Work, New York, Dutton, 1989.
  • Lane, Richard, Erotica Japonica: Masterworks of Shunga Painting, New York, Japan Publications, 1986.
  • Lane, Richard, Ukiyo-e Holschnitte. Künstler und Werke, Zürich, 1978. (In German)
  • Lane, Richard, Images from the Floating World: The Japanese Print, Including an Illustrated Dictionary of Ukiyo-e, New York, Putnam, 1978.
  • Lane, Richard Douglas, Hokusai to Hiroshige, Köln, Galerie Eike Moog, 1977. (English and Japanese, with one pamphlet in German, based on Hokusai and Hiroshige, Tokyo: Gakubundō, 1976)
  • Lane, Richard, Japanische Holzschnitte, München Zürich, Droemersche, 1964. (In German)
  • Lane, Richard; Arbour-Brackman, Renée (translator). L'Estampe Japonaise, Paris, Aimery Somogy, 1962. (In French)
  • Lane, Richard, [https://archive.org/details/mastersofjapanes0000lane Masters of the Japanese Print, Their World and Their Work] (The Arts of Man series), Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, 1962.
  • Lane, Richard, A study of Japanese novels and illustrated books of the 17th and 18th centuries in British collections Tokyo, 1953.
  • Michener, James A. with notes on the prints by Richard Lane, Japanese Prints, From the Early Masters to the Modern, Rutland, Vermont, Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1959.

Posthumous publications based on his work or collaborations include:

  • Lane, Richard; Hayashi, Yoshikazu, Ukiyo-e Kesareta Shunga (浮世絵 消された春画Ukiyo-e: Erased ShungaJapanese), Shinchosha, "Tombo no Hon" series, 2002.
  • Lane, Richard; Hayashi, Yoshikazu, Utamaro no Nazo Bijin-ga to Shunga (歌麿の謎 美人画と春画The Mystery of Utamaro: Beauty Paintings and ShungaJapanese), Shinchosha, "Tombo no Hon" series, 2005.

5. Personal life

In 1960, Richard Douglas Lane married physician Chiyeko Okawa. Their marriage lasted until her death in 1999. There is also a theory, mentioned in Mariko Hayashi's book Onna Bunshi (Female Writers), that Lane had a romantic relationship with the writer Masugi Shizue. He died in 2002 without a will and without any direct heirs.

6. Awards and honors

Richard Douglas Lane received several prestigious awards and honors throughout his life in recognition of his significant contributions to Japanese art and literature. These include:

  • The Order of the Blue Ribbon from the Japanese Ministry of Education (文部省紺綬褒章Monbushō KonjuhōshōJapanese), awarded for his assistance in establishing the Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Hall.
  • The Japan Ukiyo-e Association Award (日本浮世絵協会賞Nihon Ukiyo-e Kyōkai-shōJapanese).
  • The Kyoto University Institute for Research in Humanities Encouragement Award (京都大学人文科学研究所奨励賞Kyōto Daigaku Jinbun Kagaku Kenkyūjo Shōrei-shōJapanese).

7. Death and legacy

Richard Douglas Lane's death marked the end of a prolific career, but his extensive collection and scholarly work continue to influence the field of Japanese art history.

7.1. Death

Richard Douglas Lane passed away in Kyoto, Japan, in 2002. He died intestate and without direct heirs, leaving behind a profound legacy in the world of Japanese art.

7.2. The Richard Lane Collection

Following Lane's death, the Honolulu Museum of Art acquired his entire collection from the Japanese judicial authorities. This remarkable acquisition, known as The Richard Lane Collection, consists of nearly 20,000 items, including paintings, prints, and books. This collection represents a significant resource for researchers and enthusiasts of Japanese art, providing unparalleled depth and breadth for study.

7.3. Posthumous exhibitions and scholarly reception

The Richard Lane Collection has been the subject of several major exhibitions and ongoing scholarly attention. From October 2008 to February 2009, the Honolulu Museum of Art showcased a selection from the collection in an exhibition titled "Richard Lane and the Floating World," celebrating his impact on the understanding of Ukiyo-e. A second installment, "Masterpieces from the Richard Lane Collection," was exhibited from March 2010 to June 2010. Furthermore, the "Arts of the Bedchamber: Japanese Shunga" exhibition, featuring over 50 erotic works from his collection, highlighted his groundbreaking work in this previously marginalized genre. Scholars continue to engage with and research the Richard Lane Collection, ensuring his lasting influence on the field of Japanese art studies.