NEW YORK, NY.- Seldom seen eighth century sutras, a highly unusual collaboration between two important 17th century artists, and paintings never previously exhibited in New York are among the myriad works of Japanese art that will be exhibited this September by leading galleries of Japanese Art.

The works will be in exhibitions held by members of the Japanese Art Dealers Association and three affiliated galleries and will provide a broad if episodic overview of more than 1,000 years of works of art from Japan.

The September edition of Asia Week, held roughly from September 6th to September 14th, highlights the visual arts of Asia, with curators, collectors, and dealers coming to New York for the exhibitions.

Exhibitions being held by JADA’s members are as follows:

Mika Gallery is presenting Shakyo: Sutra, an exhibition of museum-quality sutras, which are mounted on hanging scrolls and hand scrolls made of stunning textiles. The exhibition includes a fragment of Churyoga or Lankavatara Sutra (Nara period, 8th century) consisting of large and small characters, as well as Hannya Shingyo or Heart Sutra (Nara period, 8th century).

Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts will hold Kokon Biannual: Fall 2012, which will present important works of art that have only recently been discovered or that have resurfaced after years in obscurity. Among them is a collaboration of two great artists, Shokado Shojo (1582-1639) and Tawaraya Sotatsu (?-1643), who teamed up to create a series of 36 drawings with calligraphy of poems by Japan’s Thirty-Six Poetry Immortals. Only seven sheets from the set are known to survive, and four of them are in museum collections, including two at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the work that will be on view, the calligraphy is by Shojo, the drawing of an azalea blossom is attributed to Sotatsu, and the original poem is by Saigu-Nyogo.

Minol Araki (1928-2010) will be the first New York exhibition of works by an exceptional artist for whom the act of painting was a personal exploration rather than a commercial pursuit. A 20th century follower of the literati tradition, Arakai combined a career of design with a love of fine art. His highly atmospheric wet-on-wet washes and expressive brushwork, often of landscapes, will be presented at the Erik Thomsen Gallery, with the works coming from the artist’s estate.

Japanese Prints and Paintings of the Eighteenth Century will feature a range of high quality woodblock prints including works by Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1792), Suzuki Harunobu (1724–1770), and Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815). Held at Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art, the exhibition will present the only known impression of a bust portrait of the actor Ichikawa Yaozō II in the role of a low-ranked samurai retainer (yakko) by Shunshō. Also among the highlights will be a large early painting depicting Yoshiwara courtesans at the Kyōen Restaurant by Katsukawa Shunshō, considered by many to be the greatest ukiyo-e painter ever.

In addition to exhibitions of Japanese art held by JADA’s members, three galleries that are affiliated with JADA – one each from Basel, New York, and Tokyo – will be exhibiting in New York during Asia Week:

Bachmann Eckenstein Japanese Art, of Basel, will hold Japanese Art: Works on Paper and Ceramics at the Jill Newhouse Gallery.

Scholten Japanese Art will present RINPA: Classical Connections from Sept. 6 - October 5, 2012.

MEDIEVAL TO MODERN: Japanese Works of Art will be the exhibition at Carole Davenport from Sept. 8 to Sept. 28, 2012.