Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum

The use of pottery in Japan can be traced back nearly 16,000 years. People living during the Jōmon period (ca. 14,000–ca. 4th c. BCE) made vessels for a variety of different purposes. These came in a multitude of forms, including deep pots for boiling and cooking, vessels for storage, shallow bowls and plates for serving or eating food, vessels with spouts for pouring alcohol or other liquids, and vessels for ritual use. Even earthenware pots with practical functions were rich in variation, featuring large, three-dimensional projections and ornate patterns. In addition to pottery for daily use, the Jōmon people made votive figures from clay called dogū. Most dogū are shaped like women and are thought to have embodied prayers for a good harvest or fertility. This exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Jōmon period with a special focus on its earthenware vessels and dogū figures.

Spouted Vessel
Reportedly excavated in Aomori
Kyoto National Museum

Hakubyō (lit. “white drawing”) refers to paintings made using only lines of ink of varying thicknesses. The genre is hailed for its simplicity, allowing the artist to maximize the beauty of black lines on paper. Such monochrome works reached their peak as a polished art form during the Kamakura period (1185–1333); they then gradually evolved into more relaxed depictions from the fourteenth century onward. In the fifteenth century, revived interest in classic literary works and their derivative retellings drove a boom in the production of short stories featuring hakubyō illustrations, including a genre of prose narrative tales called otogi zōshi. This gallery features such stories depicted in monochromatic imagery, which were probably enjoyed by high-ranking children of the day.

Tale of Wisteria Robe (Fuji no koromo monogatari)

Summertime in Japan means the coming of Obon, or the Bon Festival, a tradition rooted in the Indian Ullambana Festival that marks the end of the summer retreat for the Buddhist monastic community. It is an occasion for making offerings to ancestral spirits, but it is also said to be the day when the lids are lifted from the cauldrons of Hell. In Buddhism, Hell is presided over by King Enma, who serves as the judge of the afterlife. Belief in Enma also derives from India, where he was known as Yama, the Hindu god of the underworld. In China, he came to be worshipped alongside Taoist deities, and in Japan he became the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell. In this exhibition, statues of these ten rulers from Jōnen-ji Temple in Kizugawa, who serve as judges of the dead, are featured along with images of Jizō (Skt: Kṣitigarbha), a bodhisattva who rescues souls from the suffering of Hell. These powerful depictions of the fearsome deities of Buddhist Hell may send shivers up your spine!

Important Cultural Property
Seated Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) Bodhisattva in a Portable Shrine
Hō’on-ji Temple, Kyoto

From ancient times through the Edo period (1615–1868), almost all subjects of Japanese sculpture were religious in nature. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan and became firmly established in the seventh century, the production of Buddhist statues flourished. Buddhist deities and their images often have origins in South Asia or Central Asia, and they were usually transmitted to Japan by way of China, bringing with them a complex array of foreign influences.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese sculpture is its use of wood as a primary material. Various modes of carving and other techniques—including joint-block construction (yosegi-zukuri) and inlaid crystal eyes—were developed in Japan to create these wood images.
Over time, the repeated introduction of new images from the Asian continent contributed to further stylistic transformations and innovations in Japan. The Japanese Buddhist sculptures on view here reflect various styles of different historical periods.

People in Japan have traditionally believed that handwritten script embodies the soul of the writer, for which reason they have paid careful attention to the shapes and visual qualities of calligraphed characters. Early surviving examples of Japanese style script (J: kohitsu) brushed by legendary, usually aristocratic calligraphers have been particularly revered. These celebrated works from the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods pair the elegance of the Japanese kana syllabary with the richness of intricately decorated paper. This exhibition features calligraphy reflecting the sophisticated tastes of Heian courtiers. Be sure not to miss the Ishiyamagire fragments, which were part of the set of books Anthology of Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (National Treasure, Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple) before being separated into individual pages in 1929 and mounted as hanging scrolls.

Ise shū (Collection of Poems by Lady Ise), Fragment, Ishiyama Edition
Attributed to Fujiwara no Kintō
Kyoto National Museum

Over history, all trade goods imported into Japan had to survive dangerous voyages across turbulent seas; accordingly, imported artworks were considered extremely valuable and treated with special care. Among the foreign-made treasures passed down as heirlooms in Japan are numerous textiles that may survive only as part of the archaeological record in their countries of origin. Some such woven fabrics arrived in Japan in the form of monastic robes received abroad by Japanese monks who had traveled overseas in search of new Buddhist teachings. Other woven materials entered Japan through trade with European powers or with China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Eventually, imported textiles were incorporated into Japan’s tea culture as “celebrated fabrics” (meibutsu gire), used for hanging scroll mountings or for the pouches and cloths accompanying renowned tea utensils. This exhibition examines the nature of early international commerce and introduces the ways in which imported textiles were adapted for use in Japan.

Textile with Flower Mounds, Known as “Keitō Kinran”
From a set of Meibutsu gire (Celebrated Textiles) fragments formerly owned by the Maeda clan
Kyoto National Museum

A distinct feature of Japanese art is its many modes of adornment. Throughout history, artists and craftspeople in Japan have shared the impulse to embellish objects of all types with decorations ranging from geometric patterns to motifs from nature. This décor might be boldly exaggerated or it might be so abbreviated as to require special knowledge to comprehend. This is the first installment in a series of exhibitions that will examine celebrated examples of metalwork used to embellish daily life, to bedeck warriors, and to enhance worship. In this first exhibition, visitors are invited to take a closer look at sacred Japanese decorative art works used to glorify Buddhas and other deities.

Important Cultural Property
Hanging Temple Lantern
Kyoto National Museum

In 2018, the Kyoto National Museum held the feature exhibition Hidden Treasures from a Merchant’s Storehouse: The Hiromi Collection, a Legacy of Elegant Living to commemorate works donated by a mercantile family from Kaizuka, Osaka, as well as a second exhibition featuring the collection’s lacquerware. This exhibition, the third installment in that series, introduces lacquers used in the tearoom. The practice of tea (chanoyu) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is usually associated with wealthy business magnates competing to own the nation’s most famous tea wares. In contrast, the tea traditions passed down within Kansai’s merchant families embodied the manners and customs of townspeople during the Edo period (1615–1868). Visitors interested in this topic are encouraged to revisit the original exhibition catalogue, which describes the lifestyle of the Hiromi family and the utensils with which they unobtrusively but elegantly provided hospitality for guests.

Set of Trays and Dishes with Yoshino Flowers, for Kaiseki Meals
Kyoto National Museum