Using disaster as a starting point for understanding the visual culture of modern and contemporary Japan, this course provides students with a survey of Japanese art history from 1850 to the present day. Considers the intersections of popular culture and fine art, examines painting, sculpture, architecture, memorials, photography, prints, video, and installation art. Explores the impact and legacy of natural disasters, war, the nuclear bomb, imperialism, environmental issues, and terrorism in the visual arts, analyzing various artistic responses to calamity.