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

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

In Buddhist teachings, the paradisal realms of buddhas and heavenly beings are contrasted with the horrors and suffering of the Buddhist hells. People were terrified of falling into hell, and they feared demons (oni), who punished the sinful, and the mischievous, long-nosed tengu, who played tricks on Buddhist monks. Fear was instrumental in deepening people’s faith, but it also inspired creativity, leading to a rich tradition of imagery and tales. Over time, depictions of demons and tengu grew more human-like, taking on comical elements as they suffered ignoble defeat at the hands of their Buddhist adversaries. The scrolls on view in this gallery highlight the enduring appeal of recasting a terrifying subject as an object of ridicule.

Important Cultural Property
Illustrated Merits of the Mantra of Light
One of three handscrolls
Myōō-in Temple, Shiga

The field of art conservation has become highly specialized, resulting in increased costs. While public funding may partially cover the conservation of designated national or local cultural properties, owners are still responsible for a portion of the expenses. Therefore, it is crucial for owners to fully understand the value of their objects and their conservation needs, including the associated costs.
When privately owned works are entrusted to a museum, curators collaborate with owners to undertake conservation projects. To overcome budget limitations, stakeholders are increasingly turning to donations and crowdfunding. Securing the necessary funding for conservation projects may take several years; however, this process fosters stronger connections between museums, owners, and conservation supporters.

Mandala of the Original Buddhist Forms of the Hie-Sannō Deities
Kyoto Todokai

During Japan’s medieval period, Zen Buddhists who traveled to and from China introduced new forms of Buddhist culture to Japan. These included monochrome ink painting and Buddhist images that were employed in distinctive ceremonies. The bodhisattva Kannon became an important symbol of wisdom and compassion in Zen temples, and images of Kannon were incorporated into temple rituals. Early monks created numerous paintings of the White-Robed Kannon, whose iconography played an important role in the development of Japanese ink painting.
Kannon is also associated with water and the ocean. The bodhisattva is believed to have descended to the Pure Land of Mount Potalaka in the southern seas and came to be seen as a guardian deity for merchants and monks who traveled by sea. In this exhibition, the cosmopolitan culture of medieval Japan is evident in the many depictions of Kannon that draw on iconography brought to Japan from mainland East Asia.

Important Cultural Property
White-Robed Kannon (Avalokiteśvara)
Inscription by Tettō Gikō
Shinju-an Temple, Kyoto

Cultural properties have long lifespans and need to be conserved periodically to keep them in their best possible condition. Regular deterioration over time, insects, microorganisms, and physical tears and breakage are just some of the many kinds of damage artworks can experience. Conserving objects at the appropriate time is an important mission for museums to ensure works of art can be enjoyed by future generations.
This exhibition presents objects in the care of the museum that were recently conserved. These include screens by Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610) and Kaihō Yūshō (1533–1615), which are being unveiled for the first time after undergoing conservation. Take a walk around the gallery to explore these cultural works as they embark on new chapters in their histories.

Important Cultural Property
Chinese Lion
Attributed to Kanō Sanraku
Honpō-ji Temple, Kyoto

A crucial element of the painting process is the careful and thorough observation of the subject. It takes substantial practice to go beyond mere resemblance and infuse a subject with a sense of life. Only a skilled artist with a keen eye and a profound understanding of the subject can seemingly effortlessly create paintings that exude an aura of vitality. Such artworks can evoke a strong emotional response in viewers.
This gallery highlights works by Chinese artists depicting familiar plants and animals. The works are striking for their use of color and form, as well as for their brushwork and applications of ink washes. Visitors are invited to consider how the artists’ skillful observations helped them choose how to render their subjects, and how these techniques differ from other painting traditions.

Huddled Geese
By Xu Beihong
Kyoto National Museum

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

In Buddhist teachings, the paradisal realms of buddhas and heavenly beings are contrasted with the horrors and suffering of the Buddhist hells. People were terrified of falling into hell, and they feared demons (oni), who punished the sinful, and the mischievous, long-nosed tengu, who played tricks on Buddhist monks. Fear was instrumental in deepening people’s faith, but it also inspired creativity, leading to a rich tradition of imagery and tales. Over time, depictions of demons and tengu grew more human-like, taking on comical elements as they suffered ignoble defeat at the hands of their Buddhist adversaries. The scrolls on view in this gallery highlight the enduring appeal of recasting a terrifying subject as an object of ridicule.

Important Cultural Property
Illustrated Merits of the Mantra of Light
One of three handscrolls
Myōō-in Temple, Shiga

The field of art conservation has become highly specialized, resulting in increased costs. While public funding may partially cover the conservation of designated national or local cultural properties, owners are still responsible for a portion of the expenses. Therefore, it is crucial for owners to fully understand the value of their objects and their conservation needs, including the associated costs.
When privately owned works are entrusted to a museum, curators collaborate with owners to undertake conservation projects. To overcome budget limitations, stakeholders are increasingly turning to donations and crowdfunding. Securing the necessary funding for conservation projects may take several years; however, this process fosters stronger connections between museums, owners, and conservation supporters.

Mandala of the Original Buddhist Forms of the Hie-Sannō Deities
Kyoto Todokai

During Japan’s medieval period, Zen Buddhists who traveled to and from China introduced new forms of Buddhist culture to Japan. These included monochrome ink painting and Buddhist images that were employed in distinctive ceremonies. The bodhisattva Kannon became an important symbol of wisdom and compassion in Zen temples, and images of Kannon were incorporated into temple rituals. Early monks created numerous paintings of the White-Robed Kannon, whose iconography played an important role in the development of Japanese ink painting.
Kannon is also associated with water and the ocean. The bodhisattva is believed to have descended to the Pure Land of Mount Potalaka in the southern seas and came to be seen as a guardian deity for merchants and monks who traveled by sea. In this exhibition, the cosmopolitan culture of medieval Japan is evident in the many depictions of Kannon that draw on iconography brought to Japan from mainland East Asia.

Important Cultural Property
White-Robed Kannon (Avalokiteśvara)
Inscription by Tettō Gikō
Shinju-an Temple, Kyoto

Cultural properties have long lifespans and need to be conserved periodically to keep them in their best possible condition. Regular deterioration over time, insects, microorganisms, and physical tears and breakage are just some of the many kinds of damage artworks can experience. Conserving objects at the appropriate time is an important mission for museums to ensure works of art can be enjoyed by future generations.
This exhibition presents objects in the care of the museum that were recently conserved. These include screens by Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610) and Kaihō Yūshō (1533–1615), which are being unveiled for the first time after undergoing conservation. Take a walk around the gallery to explore these cultural works as they embark on new chapters in their histories.

Important Cultural Property
Chinese Lion
Attributed to Kanō Sanraku
Honpō-ji Temple, Kyoto

A crucial element of the painting process is the careful and thorough observation of the subject. It takes substantial practice to go beyond mere resemblance and infuse a subject with a sense of life. Only a skilled artist with a keen eye and a profound understanding of the subject can seemingly effortlessly create paintings that exude an aura of vitality. Such artworks can evoke a strong emotional response in viewers.
This gallery highlights works by Chinese artists depicting familiar plants and animals. The works are striking for their use of color and form, as well as for their brushwork and applications of ink washes. Visitors are invited to consider how the artists’ skillful observations helped them choose how to render their subjects, and how these techniques differ from other painting traditions.

Huddled Geese
By Xu Beihong
Kyoto National Museum

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

In Buddhist teachings, the paradisal realms of buddhas and heavenly beings are contrasted with the horrors and suffering of the Buddhist hells. People were terrified of falling into hell, and they feared demons (oni), who punished the sinful, and the mischievous, long-nosed tengu, who played tricks on Buddhist monks. Fear was instrumental in deepening people’s faith, but it also inspired creativity, leading to a rich tradition of imagery and tales. Over time, depictions of demons and tengu grew more human-like, taking on comical elements as they suffered ignoble defeat at the hands of their Buddhist adversaries. The scrolls on view in this gallery highlight the enduring appeal of recasting a terrifying subject as an object of ridicule.

Important Cultural Property
Illustrated Merits of the Mantra of Light
One of three handscrolls
Myōō-in Temple, Shiga

The field of art conservation has become highly specialized, resulting in increased costs. While public funding may partially cover the conservation of designated national or local cultural properties, owners are still responsible for a portion of the expenses. Therefore, it is crucial for owners to fully understand the value of their objects and their conservation needs, including the associated costs.
When privately owned works are entrusted to a museum, curators collaborate with owners to undertake conservation projects. To overcome budget limitations, stakeholders are increasingly turning to donations and crowdfunding. Securing the necessary funding for conservation projects may take several years; however, this process fosters stronger connections between museums, owners, and conservation supporters.

Mandala of the Original Buddhist Forms of the Hie-Sannō Deities
Kyoto Todokai

During Japan’s medieval period, Zen Buddhists who traveled to and from China introduced new forms of Buddhist culture to Japan. These included monochrome ink painting and Buddhist images that were employed in distinctive ceremonies. The bodhisattva Kannon became an important symbol of wisdom and compassion in Zen temples, and images of Kannon were incorporated into temple rituals. Early monks created numerous paintings of the White-Robed Kannon, whose iconography played an important role in the development of Japanese ink painting.
Kannon is also associated with water and the ocean. The bodhisattva is believed to have descended to the Pure Land of Mount Potalaka in the southern seas and came to be seen as a guardian deity for merchants and monks who traveled by sea. In this exhibition, the cosmopolitan culture of medieval Japan is evident in the many depictions of Kannon that draw on iconography brought to Japan from mainland East Asia.

Important Cultural Property
White-Robed Kannon (Avalokiteśvara)
Inscription by Tettō Gikō
Shinju-an Temple, Kyoto

Cultural properties have long lifespans and need to be conserved periodically to keep them in their best possible condition. Regular deterioration over time, insects, microorganisms, and physical tears and breakage are just some of the many kinds of damage artworks can experience. Conserving objects at the appropriate time is an important mission for museums to ensure works of art can be enjoyed by future generations.
This exhibition presents objects in the care of the museum that were recently conserved. These include screens by Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610) and Kaihō Yūshō (1533–1615), which are being unveiled for the first time after undergoing conservation. Take a walk around the gallery to explore these cultural works as they embark on new chapters in their histories.

Important Cultural Property
Chinese Lion
Attributed to Kanō Sanraku
Honpō-ji Temple, Kyoto

A crucial element of the painting process is the careful and thorough observation of the subject. It takes substantial practice to go beyond mere resemblance and infuse a subject with a sense of life. Only a skilled artist with a keen eye and a profound understanding of the subject can seemingly effortlessly create paintings that exude an aura of vitality. Such artworks can evoke a strong emotional response in viewers.
This gallery highlights works by Chinese artists depicting familiar plants and animals. The works are striking for their use of color and form, as well as for their brushwork and applications of ink washes. Visitors are invited to consider how the artists’ skillful observations helped them choose how to render their subjects, and how these techniques differ from other painting traditions.

Huddled Geese
By Xu Beihong
Kyoto National Museum

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

In Buddhist teachings, the paradisal realms of buddhas and heavenly beings are contrasted with the horrors and suffering of the Buddhist hells. People were terrified of falling into hell, and they feared demons (oni), who punished the sinful, and the mischievous, long-nosed tengu, who played tricks on Buddhist monks. Fear was instrumental in deepening people’s faith, but it also inspired creativity, leading to a rich tradition of imagery and tales. Over time, depictions of demons and tengu grew more human-like, taking on comical elements as they suffered ignoble defeat at the hands of their Buddhist adversaries. The scrolls on view in this gallery highlight the enduring appeal of recasting a terrifying subject as an object of ridicule.

Important Cultural Property
Illustrated Merits of the Mantra of Light
One of three handscrolls
Myōō-in Temple, Shiga

The field of art conservation has become highly specialized, resulting in increased costs. While public funding may partially cover the conservation of designated national or local cultural properties, owners are still responsible for a portion of the expenses. Therefore, it is crucial for owners to fully understand the value of their objects and their conservation needs, including the associated costs.
When privately owned works are entrusted to a museum, curators collaborate with owners to undertake conservation projects. To overcome budget limitations, stakeholders are increasingly turning to donations and crowdfunding. Securing the necessary funding for conservation projects may take several years; however, this process fosters stronger connections between museums, owners, and conservation supporters.

Mandala of the Original Buddhist Forms of the Hie-Sannō Deities
Kyoto Todokai

During Japan’s medieval period, Zen Buddhists who traveled to and from China introduced new forms of Buddhist culture to Japan. These included monochrome ink painting and Buddhist images that were employed in distinctive ceremonies. The bodhisattva Kannon became an important symbol of wisdom and compassion in Zen temples, and images of Kannon were incorporated into temple rituals. Early monks created numerous paintings of the White-Robed Kannon, whose iconography played an important role in the development of Japanese ink painting.
Kannon is also associated with water and the ocean. The bodhisattva is believed to have descended to the Pure Land of Mount Potalaka in the southern seas and came to be seen as a guardian deity for merchants and monks who traveled by sea. In this exhibition, the cosmopolitan culture of medieval Japan is evident in the many depictions of Kannon that draw on iconography brought to Japan from mainland East Asia.

Important Cultural Property
White-Robed Kannon (Avalokiteśvara)
Inscription by Tettō Gikō
Shinju-an Temple, Kyoto

Cultural properties have long lifespans and need to be conserved periodically to keep them in their best possible condition. Regular deterioration over time, insects, microorganisms, and physical tears and breakage are just some of the many kinds of damage artworks can experience. Conserving objects at the appropriate time is an important mission for museums to ensure works of art can be enjoyed by future generations.
This exhibition presents objects in the care of the museum that were recently conserved. These include screens by Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610) and Kaihō Yūshō (1533–1615), which are being unveiled for the first time after undergoing conservation. Take a walk around the gallery to explore these cultural works as they embark on new chapters in their histories.

Important Cultural Property
Chinese Lion
Attributed to Kanō Sanraku
Honpō-ji Temple, Kyoto

A crucial element of the painting process is the careful and thorough observation of the subject. It takes substantial practice to go beyond mere resemblance and infuse a subject with a sense of life. Only a skilled artist with a keen eye and a profound understanding of the subject can seemingly effortlessly create paintings that exude an aura of vitality. Such artworks can evoke a strong emotional response in viewers.
This gallery highlights works by Chinese artists depicting familiar plants and animals. The works are striking for their use of color and form, as well as for their brushwork and applications of ink washes. Visitors are invited to consider how the artists’ skillful observations helped them choose how to render their subjects, and how these techniques differ from other painting traditions.

Huddled Geese
By Xu Beihong
Kyoto National Museum

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

In Buddhist teachings, the paradisal realms of buddhas and heavenly beings are contrasted with the horrors and suffering of the Buddhist hells. People were terrified of falling into hell, and they feared demons (oni), who punished the sinful, and the mischievous, long-nosed tengu, who played tricks on Buddhist monks. Fear was instrumental in deepening people’s faith, but it also inspired creativity, leading to a rich tradition of imagery and tales. Over time, depictions of demons and tengu grew more human-like, taking on comical elements as they suffered ignoble defeat at the hands of their Buddhist adversaries. The scrolls on view in this gallery highlight the enduring appeal of recasting a terrifying subject as an object of ridicule.

Important Cultural Property
Illustrated Merits of the Mantra of Light
One of three handscrolls
Myōō-in Temple, Shiga

The field of art conservation has become highly specialized, resulting in increased costs. While public funding may partially cover the conservation of designated national or local cultural properties, owners are still responsible for a portion of the expenses. Therefore, it is crucial for owners to fully understand the value of their objects and their conservation needs, including the associated costs.
When privately owned works are entrusted to a museum, curators collaborate with owners to undertake conservation projects. To overcome budget limitations, stakeholders are increasingly turning to donations and crowdfunding. Securing the necessary funding for conservation projects may take several years; however, this process fosters stronger connections between museums, owners, and conservation supporters.

Mandala of the Original Buddhist Forms of the Hie-Sannō Deities
Kyoto Todokai

During Japan’s medieval period, Zen Buddhists who traveled to and from China introduced new forms of Buddhist culture to Japan. These included monochrome ink painting and Buddhist images that were employed in distinctive ceremonies. The bodhisattva Kannon became an important symbol of wisdom and compassion in Zen temples, and images of Kannon were incorporated into temple rituals. Early monks created numerous paintings of the White-Robed Kannon, whose iconography played an important role in the development of Japanese ink painting.
Kannon is also associated with water and the ocean. The bodhisattva is believed to have descended to the Pure Land of Mount Potalaka in the southern seas and came to be seen as a guardian deity for merchants and monks who traveled by sea. In this exhibition, the cosmopolitan culture of medieval Japan is evident in the many depictions of Kannon that draw on iconography brought to Japan from mainland East Asia.

Important Cultural Property
White-Robed Kannon (Avalokiteśvara)
Inscription by Tettō Gikō
Shinju-an Temple, Kyoto

Cultural properties have long lifespans and need to be conserved periodically to keep them in their best possible condition. Regular deterioration over time, insects, microorganisms, and physical tears and breakage are just some of the many kinds of damage artworks can experience. Conserving objects at the appropriate time is an important mission for museums to ensure works of art can be enjoyed by future generations.
This exhibition presents objects in the care of the museum that were recently conserved. These include screens by Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610) and Kaihō Yūshō (1533–1615), which are being unveiled for the first time after undergoing conservation. Take a walk around the gallery to explore these cultural works as they embark on new chapters in their histories.

Important Cultural Property
Chinese Lion
Attributed to Kanō Sanraku
Honpō-ji Temple, Kyoto

A crucial element of the painting process is the careful and thorough observation of the subject. It takes substantial practice to go beyond mere resemblance and infuse a subject with a sense of life. Only a skilled artist with a keen eye and a profound understanding of the subject can seemingly effortlessly create paintings that exude an aura of vitality. Such artworks can evoke a strong emotional response in viewers.
This gallery highlights works by Chinese artists depicting familiar plants and animals. The works are striking for their use of color and form, as well as for their brushwork and applications of ink washes. Visitors are invited to consider how the artists’ skillful observations helped them choose how to render their subjects, and how these techniques differ from other painting traditions.

Huddled Geese
By Xu Beihong
Kyoto National Museum

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