The Japanese Association of Botanical Illustration

The Japanese Association of Botanical Illustration is a nationwide organization of lovers of botanical illustration which has recently attracted interest among the general public. Presently, the number of members is above 290. Although some members are professional artists and elderly men who developed an interest in botanical illustration after retirement, women who enjoy botanical illustration along with housekeeping or other work, are more than half of the membership.

Our association is a non-profit group established in 1991 with the aim of popularizing and expanding botanical illustration. Since that time we have been steadily progressing with cultivating mutual friendship between members. We publish newsletters four times a year, an annual bulletin "Kusakaya", and the illustrated catalog of our exhibition. We also have a study trip once a year that enhances our friendships while we appreciated the exhibitions, watching plants or attending a lecture. Furthermore we hold a traveling exhibit of our illustrations every year.

In the first planning section of the project, we worked on "endangered plants of Japan", and also additionally published "Endangered Plants of Japan: a Florilegium" in 2004. In the meantime, we had a traveling exhibit for the original illustrations in the Florilegium, nationwide and in the USA. As a result we were pleased to receive an encouraging worldwide reputation. Next, we turned our attention to "naturalized plants of Japan" that is closely related to "endangered plants of Japan". We worked on this second project over five years and published "Drawings of Alien Plants of Japan : A Collection" in 2009. Finally, in 2020, the third installment of the series was the publication of a collection of works on the theme of "Japanese endemic plants."

In 2005, we held an original painting exhibition in the United States, and in 2010, we began a cultural exchange with the Korean Botanical Artists Association, which led to mutual visits and deepened our friendship by appreciating each other's works. In 2023, we participated in an exchange exhibition in Australia. We hope to continue to foster good exchanges with botanical art enthusiasts both at home and abroad.

Our Idea, purpose and policy

The members of the Association intend to foster a love and understanding of nature through the creation and appreciation of botanical illustration.

Through devoting ourselves to nurturing the artistic and scientific skills of our members through a range of voluntary activities, we do our best for expanding botanical illustration to the general public.

Ours is a democratic group that engages in the academic and cultural enhancement as our principal purpose, without profit-making, political and religious action. Any individual member has an equal right.