Top/Chronicle of Device Art
| Before 17c | -----Sense of Beauty is in Daily Life & Tools | |
| 8C? | The word "mitate" is used in literature ("in "Kojiki", the first book of Japanese history") | |
| 10C | "Mitate" is often used in literature as a method of metaphor, association and double meanings so that a short poem can have a rich meaning | |
| 11C | Garden design Garden design is theorized with "mitate" as its part , Beautifully painted sliding doors and screens are used, without a border between fine art and applied art | |
| 12C | Playfulness is appreciated; a lyric praising children playing (in "Ryojin Hisho", an official compilation of contemporary popular songs) and humorous illustrations of "Choju Giga" "Choju Giga" (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals, attributed to a highest rank priest Toba Sojo) are examples | |
| 16C | Tea ceremony Tea ceremony is theorized by SEN-NO Rikyu, Flower arrangement  Flower arrangement is theorized by IKENOBO Senei | |
| Early 17C | Closure of its border to most countries nurses growth of a unique culture | |
| 18-19c | -----Culture of Play and Fun | |
| 18C | Poem playing card  Poem playing card (Hyakunin Isshu, official compilation of 100 medieval poems from 100 poets) is popular among ordinary people | |
| 1760s | Inexpensive color woodblock printing technology is developed by a painter SUZUKI Harunobu and used in Ukiyo-e (woodblock) prints | |
| Late18C | Scientific devices from Europe such as microscope and magic lantern become popular entertainment | |
| 1776 | Hand-crank electric generator electric generator was made and used for entertainment by HIRAGA Gennai | |
| 1796 | Book of "karakuri" "karakuri" (automata) making by HOSOKAWA Hanzo becomes a bestseller | |
| 1820s | Hisashige Tanaka shows his Arrow Shooting Boy, Calligraphy Writer and other sophisticated "karakuri" dolls | |
| 1830s | Tanaka invents and sells devices (light, clock, etc. with special mechanisms) | |
| 1853 | Commodore Matthew C. Perry (US) arrives to ask for opening of Japan | |
| 1859 | 5 ports including Yokohama and Kobe open to foreigners | |
| 1868 | Meiji Restoration: rapid modernization starts | |
| 1873 | Japanese art and design objects are shown at Vienna World Exposition (some of them are kept in MAK in Vienna) | |
| 1875 | Tanaka founds company that later becomes Toshiba | |
| 1889 | Nintendo is founded as a publisher of poem playing card and other card games | |
| After WWII | -----From Avant-garde to Media Art | |
| 1945 | Japan loses WWII | |
| 1949 | Yomiuri Independent art exhibition starts; anyone is allowed to exhibit | |
| 1951 | Jikken Kobo (Experimental Workshop) is formed by Toru Takemitsu, Katsuhiro Yamaguchi and others | |
| 1954 | GUTAI is formed as an avant-garde artist group | |
| 1956 | Atsuko Tanaka (a GUTAI member) makes and wears "Electric Dress" "Electric Dress" made of blinking colorful light bulbs | |
| 1970 | Futuristic pavilions at Osaka World Exposition are designed by avant-garde artists, architects and composers | |
| 1985 | Tsukuba Science Expo showcases robots, digital images, large and 3D screens, an interactive theatre, etc. Real time audiovisual performance by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Radical TV (supervised by Akira Asada) on Sony's huge JUMBOTRON display. Toshio Iwai's installation "Time Stratum II" was awarded the Grand Prize at the 17th Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibition. | |
| 1989 | ARTEC annual exhibition starts in Nagoya focusing on "technology art". | |
| 1990 | Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography opens with a collection of precinema devices and exhibitions of media art | |
| 1991 | NTT/ICC opens its first online exhibition Canon Art Lab starts | |
| 1993 ~ 2003 | -----Device Art Starts to Appear | |
| 1993 | Novmichi Tosa formed Maywa Denki with his brother Masamichi Tosa with "Naki" and "Tsukuba" Series "Inter Dis-Communication Machine"  Inter Dis-Communication Machine (Kazuhiko Hachiya, later shown at Ars Electronica '96) International collegiate Virtual Reality Contest (IVRC) starts | |
| 1994 | Naki-TX Naki-TX,Na-Cord  Na-Cord (Maywa Denki) SIGGRAPH's E-Tech becomes a showcase of works from Japan. Kusahara and Iwata show their projects. Iwata shows new works every year until 2007 : an unbreakable record. | |
| 1995 | Registrations of "Naki-EX" and "MI-02" designs are approved (Maywa Denki) | |
| 1996 | IAMAS is founded Ars Electronica 96 Interactive Category: Masaki Fujihata wins Golden Nica; Iwata's Cross-active System  Cross-active System, Hachiya's Inter Dis-Communication Machine are exhibited. "Seeing is Believing"  Seeing is Believing (Hachiya, later shown at Ars Electronica '97) Registration of Na-cord design is approved (Maywa Denki) Virtual Reality Society of Japan launches, Hachiya's "Inter Dis-Communication Machine" is invited for its first annual assembly "ThanksTail"  "ThanksTail" (Hachiya) | |
| 1997 | ICC opens in its permanent space Ars Electronica '97 Interactive Category: Toshio Iwai + Ryuichi Sakamoto win Golden Nica; Hachiya's "Seeing is Believing", Iwata's "Garnet Vision" are shown "PostPet"  PostPet, a commercial email software with virtual pets attracts young women (Hachiya) Japan Media Arts Festival starts | |
| 1998 | "BitMan" "BitMan"(Ryota Kuwakubo / Maywa Denki) "PostPet" is given Prix Ars Electronica '98 Distinction Award for its artistic identity "Optical Camouflage" (Masahiko Inami, SIGGRAPH) | |
| 1999 | "ANOMALOCARIS" (Iwata, Ars Electronica Center ) | |
| 2000 | Inami's "RobotPHONE" is shown at SIGGRAPH "VideoBulb"  "VideoBulb" (Kuwakubo) Maywa Denki receives Good Design Award NHK's weekly "Digital Stadium" TV program starts, dedicated to media art | |
| 2001 | "Floating Eye" "Floating Eye" (Iwata, Ars Electronica 2001) "AirBoard final version" (Hachiya) "Centrifuge" (Hachiya) "Edelweiss series"  "Edelweiss series" (Maywa Denki) "PLX-parallax of the game" (Kuwakubo, Ars Electronica 2002) Protrude, Flow  Protrude, Flow (Kodama, SIGGRAPH, Ars Electronica Center 2003-2006) Mirai-kan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) opens | |
| 2002 | "BlockJam"  "BlockJam" (Kuwakubo/Sony, SIGGRAPH 02, Ars Electronica 2003) | |
| 2003 | "Tsukuba Series1"  "Tsukuba Series1" "Tsukuba Series2"  "Tsukuba Series2" by Maywa Denki wins Ars Electronica 2003 Distinction Award "Knockman Series"  "Knockman Series" (Maywa Denki, commercial products) "Maywa Arclassy series" launch (Maywa Denki) "LoopScape" (Kuwakubo) "Open Sky", a project to design and fly a personal jet glider(Hachiya) "Food Simulator" (Iwata, Hiroaki Yano) | |
| 2004 | -----Device Art Project Launches | |
| 2004 | "ThanksTail" commercial product (Hachiya / Wako Co. Ltd.) "Zihotch"  "Zihotch" commercial product (Maywa Denki) Maywa Denki solo exhibition Nonsense Machines at ICC "Circula Floor" (Robot Tile) by Iwata attracts attention at SIGGRAPH CREST starts to give public support to creative use of technology Device Art Project launches | |
| 2005 | Device Art is selected for CREST 5 year grant "Shaking the World"  "Shaking the World" (Taro Maeda, Hideyuki Ando, Inami) attracts attention at SIGGRAPH.It uses a remote controller "shake" someone's walking. "Psycho Communicator System" (Hachiya, Maeda, Ando) "Fairy Finder" series (Hachiya) | |
| 2006 | "Powered Shoes" (Iwata, Yano) is shown at SIGGRAPH Maywa Denki is chosen the most popular media artist by a web-voting carried by Japan Media Arts Festival Hachiya solo exhibition OpenSky 2.0  OpenSky 2.0 at ICC Kodama exhibits "Morpho Tower" (with Keiichiro Shibuya's sound performance) for Yoshiki Hishinuma's new boutique | |
| 2007 | Special Exhibition of Japan Media Arts Festival 10th Anniversary at the New National Art Center in Tokyo included: Maywa Denki, Hachiya's Inter Dis-Communication Machine and Open Sky, Kodama's Protrude, Flow and Morpho Tower, Kuwakubo's Loopscape Tosa launches BACAROBO, the annual "stupid robot" championship | |
| 2008 | Device Art permanent exhibition starts at Mirai-kan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) | |
| 2009 | "Robot Tile" "Robot Tile" by Iwata using a new "senseware" textile from Kurare was shown at Milano Triennale "YUREX" and "OTAMATONE" are commercialized (Maywa Denki) |
