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Tokyo National Museum

Tofukuji is one of the Zen temples representing Kyoto.

Known as a spot for fresh greenery and autumn foliage, it is a famous temple that has preserved many treasures such as ancient documents, calligraphy, classics, and portraits, even though it was devastated by war.

This exhibition, which will be the first opportunity to introduce the treasures of Tofuku-ji Temple, will bring together excellent works of Zen Buddhism culture, such as "The Five Hundred Arhats" by the painter Myocho.

In this article, we will report on the press preview held the day before the event.

Tofukuji is one of Kyoto's representative Zen temples, and is also known as a spot for fresh greenery and autumn foliage. The name Tofukuji is derived from the fact that each character is taken from Todaiji and Kofukuji in Nara.

Enni, who studied Zen in China, became the founder. Although Tofuku-ji Temple has been in danger of being destroyed by fire many times, it still retains the atmosphere of the Middle Ages and has been handed down to the present day with a number of buildings, and its gigantic temple complex is commonly known as the "Garandzura of Tofuku-ji Temple." .

The special exhibition "Tofuku-ji Temple" traces the history of Tofuk-ji Temple since its foundation, and introduces the full picture of Zen Buddhism culture through exchanges with the continent. It is an exhibition that widely conveys the significance and charm of the exhibition.

Numerous treasures of Tofukuji Temple, where the essence of Zen resides.

The exhibition hall of this exhibition is divided into the first venue and the second venue,

• Chapter 1 The foundation of Tofukuji Temple and Enni
• Chapter 2 Formation and Development of the Seiichi School
• Chapter 3 Legendary painter of Buddhist paintings, Myocho
• Chapter 4 Zen Buddhism Culture and International Exchange
• Chapter 5. Huge temples and Buddhist sculptures

It consists of 5 chapters.

Tofuku-ji Temple was listed as the fourth of Kyoto's five great temples during the period of the Northern and Southern Courts, and the main temple Tofuku-ji Temple and its sub-temple have many characteristics that tell the story of Zen Buddhism culture, such as cultural relics introduced from China, buildings, sculptures, paintings, and calligraphy. Cultural heritage is handed down. There are 7 National Treasures and 98 Important Cultural Properties, totaling 105, including Honzan Tofukuji Temple and sub-temple.
In particular, in Chapters 1 and 2, excellent works of Zen Buddhism art related to Enni and his successor, the Shoichi school, such as "Statue of Mujun Shihan" (National Treasure), which is called "the perfection of Southern Song portraiture", are lined up. increase.

What left a personal impression on me was Enni's grandchild disciple, Tofuku-ji Temple's 15th head priest Koseki Shiren (1278-1346 ) . Is it a handwriting representing the character for "tiger" or a picture of a sitting tiger? It's as if you're asking the person watching this , "What do you think you are?"

Myocho's Drawing Skills, the Legendary Painter of Buddhist Paintings

The highlight of this exhibition is the monumental masterpiece "The 500 Arhats" by Myocho, a painter of Buddhist images who is revered as a "master of painting." This work, which will be exhibited for the first time after restoration, is a representative work of the young Myocho, in which ink and rich colors are in perfect harmony. Two widths are still in existence at the Nezu Museum in Tokyo. This exhibition will be a valuable opportunity to reveal the whole picture for the first time (exhibition period varies depending on the width).
Next to it is a comic that explains the contents in a unique way, which is also a point that shows the playfulness unique to Tohaku.

Also on display is " Bodhidharma and Eto Tetsukakuzu," known as a masterpiece of Mingcho's maturity period. The symmetrical beauty of the composition, the intricate depiction of shadows, and the bright and relaxed brush strokes that anticipate Edo paintings… It is said to be a copy of a masterpiece of Chinese painting, but it is a masterpiece that allows you to enjoy Meicho's exceptional drawing power and originality.

Enveloped in the overwhelming power of a giant cathedral

Chapter 5 is where you can experience the actual “garan mask of Tofukuji Temple”. You will be overwhelmed by the scale and majesty of the extra-large Buddha sculptures that are suitable for a huge temple.

The standing statue of Tamonten, which will be unveiled for the first time after the restoration, and the standing statues of Kasho and Anan, both of which are important cultural properties, as well as the hand of Buddha, which boasts a gigantic 2-meter hand. Also pay attention. It is a valuable remains that proves the enormous size of the former principal image that disappeared.

The exhibition will be held until May 7th (Sun). Experience the vivid colors of Zen Buddhism culture and the overwhelming power of a huge temple at the venue.

Overview of the event

exhibition period	March 7 (Tue) – May 7 (Sun), 2023 *Exhibits may be changed during the exhibition
venue	Tokyo National Museum Heiseikan (Ueno Park)
Opening hours	9:30-17:00 (admission until 30 minutes before closing)
closing day	Monday *Open on March 27 (Mon) and May 1 (Mon)
viewing fee	General 2,100 yen University student 1,300 yen High school students ¥900 *Advance reservations are not required for this exhibition. If it is crowded, you may have to wait to enter. *You may have to wait to enter when it is crowded. ※Junior high school students and younger, people with disabilities and one caregiver are free of charge. Please show your student ID card, disability certificate, etc. when entering the building. * With this exhibition admission ticket, you can also see the general cultural exhibition only on the day of viewing. (Note) For details, please check the ticket information page on the official website of the exhibition.
Exhibition official website	https://tofukuji2023.jp/

*The content of the article is as of the time of the interview. It may differ from the latest information, so please check the official website of the exhibition for details. It is also possible that the works mentioned in this article have already been exhibited.

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Shitamachi Customs Museum

The Shitamachi Museum of Taito Ward stands on the banks of Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, Tokyo.

Since its opening in 1980 to convey the good old downtown Tokyo culture to future generations, the museum has entertained many visitors, but from April 1st, 2023, the facility will undergo a large-scale renovation. Did you know that the museum will be closed until the end of 2024 (date undecided) due to construction work ?

After the renovation, some of the current exhibits will no longer be visible, so I feel hopeful and sad at the same time.

Therefore, this time, I interviewed the inside of the museum to introduce the appearance of the Shitamachi Museum, which has been loved for about 42 years.

The final special exhibition, “Children of the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras -The world of children in the downtown area spelled out with materials-” is also mentioned in the latter half of the article, so be sure to visit during the remaining one month of business. please give me.

Shitamachi Museum of Customs Born from the Voices of Residents

It was destroyed by fire during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 (1923) and World War II in 1945 (Showa 20), and was redeveloped in 1964 (Showa 39) to host the Tokyo Olympics. The streets and culture of the good old downtown area disappeared rapidly, and the lives of the common people changed completely.

Around the 40th year of the Showa era (1965), people who loved shitamachi culture began to voice their concerns about this situation, and the idea of establishing a museum to pass on the memories of shitamachi to the next generation was born. And on October 1, 1980, the Shitamachi Museum was finally opened.

In the exhibition room on the 1st floor, merchant houses, tenement houses, wells, etc. are reproduced in almost life-size as a downtown scenery of the Taisho era before the Great Kanto Earthquake (about 100 years ago) . In the exhibition room on the 2nd floor, we introduce materials and toys related to the history of the downtown area centering on Taito Ward.

The charm of the exhibition is that it is an experience-based content, where you can not only appreciate it, but also go up to the actual recreated tatami room and touch the exhibits (*). According to Mr. Honda, a researcher at the museum , this so-called hands-on exhibition method is now being used in various museums, but the Shitamachi Museum is actually the pioneer.

(*Due to the corona crisis, contact with the exhibits is prohibited, with the exception of some)

Since the museum was opened in response to a request from the private sector, it can be said that many of the items in its collection are donated items collected from inside and outside Taito Ward . You can enjoy a more realistic downtown atmosphere with furniture and daily necessities that are actually in your home.

It has been visited by more than 3 million people so far, and recently it has become a popular spot among young people seeking a retro atmosphere and foreigners visiting for sightseeing.

Travel back in time to the Taisho era 100 years ago

The first thing that catches your eye on the first floor is the bright red hexagonal automatic telephone (later renamed public telephone) box .
In 1900, Japan’s first automatic telephone appeared at Ueno Station and Shimbashi Station in Tokyo. At the museum, a restored box-type automatic telephone that was used from 1910 is on display.

The bright red color of the automatic telephone booth must have looked beautiful in the downtown area.

The phone body inside was actually used. The handset is split, not a dial type, but a type that first calls the operator and connects to the other party’s phone.

Nowadays, we rarely see push-button public phones, let alone dial-type ones, but I felt a sense of history because they were antiques from even before that. The position of the mouthpiece is very low, and it seems to be difficult for tall people to bend down to speak. It is an exhibition that makes you imagine what the average height of Japanese people was at that time.

This is a reproduction of the setting of a large merchant house facing the main street, the storefront of a Hanao (*) manufacturing wholesaler . You can see traditional merchant house architecture such as “dashigeta-zukuri” and “agedo” that have been handed down since the Edo period.

(*According to the notation of the exhibition commentary at the Shitamachi Museum, it is a flower thong instead of a thong.)

In the back of the workshop, colorful thongs hang down. At that time, people usually thought of footwear as clogs and zori, and thongs were a necessity in daily life. According to the season and kimono, they enjoyed changing the fashion by changing the materials, shapes and patterns that were in fashion at that time.

In terms of rare exhibits, there is a “Yojingo” hanging above the workshop. It’s like a present-day emergency bag.

“In the old Edo area, there were many floods, so in order to avoid getting wet, we set up a basket and threw all the important things in it. (Mr. Honda)

Explanation sheets are distributed for all of the exhibits, but there are probably many items that are unfamiliar to those of us who live in the present age, such as caution baskets. First of all, it might be interesting to go around the museum while guessing, “What will that tool be used for?”

This is a counter and business negotiation space. It is said that merchants always had a register (a place for writing accounts and paying bills), and only selected people such as the owner and the clerk were allowed to enter through the lattice of the register as a barrier. . Of course, you can freely enter the reproduction exhibition. There were abacuses, “money boxes,” which were safes at the time, and “mark boxes,” which were used to store personal seals.

“Regarding these reenactment exhibitions, there are documents that tell us that when the museum opened, the director and staff of the time stayed overnight to see what kind of things would be useful and where they would be useful, and then decide on the layout based on actual experience. is right-handed (back then, it was normal for left-handed people to be corrected), so there is a lot of attention to detail, such as arranging things so that you can grab things with your right hand.” (Mr. Honda)

Mr. Honda’s story tells us that the role of the museum was to convey the real life of the time, rather than the presentation of the exhibits.

In front of the merchant house, there are also rickshaws , which were invented in Asakusa and were a representative means of transportation before the spread of automobiles, and hakoguruma, which were indispensable for the delivery business, and are lively. It created a downtown atmosphere.

Living in a tenement house that nurtures the warmth of downtown hospitality

Across from the merchant’s house, there is a re-creation of tenement houses, which are familiar from period dramas, surrounded by narrow alleys.

The time of the interview was “Hatsuuma” (the first day of the horse in February). The Hatsuuma festival is held every year at Inari shrines across Japan to pray for a bountiful harvest. Since there is also a small Inari shrine in the same building, the tenement house was decorated with Jiguchi lanterns, which had been hung in the city during the Hatsuuma festival since the Edo period.

Jiguchi is a play on puns based on proverbs and sayings that were popular in the Edo period. Jiguchi lanterns were created by attaching caricatures to Jiguchi lanterns, and they entertained the people who gathered for the Hatsuuma festival.

In this way, the museum welcomes visitors with delicate productions that match the changing seasons, such as New Year decorations and Tanabata decorations. Decorations are also fun on special occasions, and can be a means of carrying gen and offering prayers to the gods and buddhas. It’s a smart device that allows you to experience the spirituality of the people of the time and the scenery of the four seasons in the downtown area.

By the way, before it was forbidden to touch the exhibits due to the corona disaster, it seems that they secretly prepared small things that only people who noticed, such as changing clothes in the drawer, could enjoy.

In the one-storied nagaya, which was common before the Great Kanto Earthquake, a candy store and a dokoya are reproduced.

Dagashi shops, which also sold toys such as spinning tops and marbles, were social gathering places for children. The kitchen and tatami room are also built in the setting that it is open in a part of the residence.

Regarding the infrastructure of the downtown area at that time, although electricity was available, electrical appliances were not widespread, and water and gas were not common. Such a situation is also transmitted from the fact that there was a water bottle in the kitchen to store water drawn from the well shared by the residents.

A wooden sink can be seen under the water jar, and a workshop like this where you build a sink near the floor and squat down to cook is called a “sit nagashi.” I was surprised to learn that this was also common in the Taisho era before the earthquake. This arrangement is unthinkable now.

Dotsuboya is a shop that makes and repairs copper products such as pots and kettles, as well as kettles. Various craftsmen lived in the downtown area, but the craftsmen of Doutsuboya were indispensable to people’s lives in an era when people used things carefully while repairing them.

On the wall of the workshop, a kind of Shinto altar, called “Kojindana”, which enshrines the god of fire, is made.

“Dotsuboya is a profession that uses fire, but at that time it was not possible to call a fire engine with a single phone call, so I think the fear of fire was much stronger than it is now. I would like to convey that it was an era when there were a great many people who were deeply religious.” (Mr. Honda)

Looking back, I found a Shinto altar at the candy shop I mentioned earlier. It is said that in the past, every household and every merchant house had a Shinto altar, so prayers to the gods and buddhas must have been an essential part of daily life.

The Inari shrine built in the back of the row house is also an exhibit that shows the depth of devotion.

Inari was enshrined as a guardian deity of land and mansions in the Edo period, and it is said that it was always built in each tenement house. As a result, many Inari shrines still exist today in the downtown area.

A house separated by a single thin wall. For those of us who live in modern times, a tenement house is a living space in which the concept of privacy is incomparably weaker than condominiums and apartments. Residents will inevitably become friendly with each other, and I think it was more necessary than ever to be considerate of not causing trouble to others.
The kindness of the people in downtown may have been formed from such a lifestyle.

The merchant house and row house in the exhibition room on the first floor were built when the museum opened in 1980, so they are over 40 years old. The floors and pillars, which must have been brand new when the museum first opened, had been damaged by people coming in and out almost every day for many years.

Everyone’s longing? You can also take a commemorative photo while sitting on the watch stand of the sento.

On the second floor, as a permanent exhibition, people’s lives in the 1950s are reproduced. The kitchen and living room of a downtown apartment. Starting with Toshiba’s black-and-white TV that uses vacuum tubes, and Japan’s first automatic electric rice cooker, there are a number of high-end home appliances of the time, so you might imagine a wealthy home.

Furnishings such as chabudai and chests of drawers, which must have been passed down from before the war, coexist with the latest home appliances. One can imagine the humble desire to keep using things that can be used for a long time, as well as the desire for convenience and comfort. . This kind of lifestyle gradually disappeared after the 1960s, and we entered an era of mass consumption. Behind the nostalgia, you can also understand the sense of crisis of those who thought about preserving the downtown culture, which was the impetus for the establishment of the museum.

Next to it, the watch stand that was actually used at the public bath “Kingyoyu”, which operated in Taito Ward from 1950 (1950) to 1986 (1986), was placed almost exactly as it was. . It is said to be the museum’s most popular photo spot because it is the museum’s largest donation and you can actually sit on it.

“Especially, men from the Taisho to Showa generations may have longed for it since long ago, and they seemed to really enjoy the bandai experience, and they really wanted to sit down. Many of them don’t seem to know what a bandai is, but when they see the exhibition, they say, ‘This is what a bandai is like’ and ‘I like it’. I see it… It seems that the exhibition, not just this bandai, is a catalyst for conversation among visitors.” (Mr. Honda)

It is not a commentary, not a curator, but an ordinary person explains the exhibits smoothly. One of the charms of the museum is that you can meet such scenes.

Special exhibition “Meiji, Taisho, Showa Children” is being held (until March 31, 2023)

In the exhibition room on the 2nd floor, in addition to the reproduced exhibition of the Showa apartment and the watch stand of the public bath, we usually display items related to the downtown area centered on Taito Ward and materials related to annual events. However, on this day , the last special exhibition before the renewal, “Children of the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras -The world of children in the downtown area spelled out with materials-” was being held. (Viewing fee is included in admission fee)

This exhibition focuses on the daily lives of children living in the downtown area from the Meiji to Showa eras, and introduces the games and rituals that children went through during the process of growing up, mainly from the materials held by the museum. what to do.

In particular, the materials related to children’s games are very rich, and the exhibits were roughly divided into “outdoor games” such as beigoma and menko, and “home games” such as marbles and pretend play.

Mr. Honda’s recommendation is the miniature hand tools sold from the Meiji to Taisho eras. The point is that it is made from the same materials as the real thing, such as wood, bamboo, tinplate, and ceramics. Even adults were thrilled by its sophistication.

Among the displays of materials related to children’s growth ceremonies such as Shichi-go-san and Okuizome, Mr. Honda says he wants people to pay particular attention to the “Semoncho” .

Semonjo is a sample book of “Semamori” which is sewn with colored thread on the back of one-piece maternity clothes worn by children from 0 to 2 years old.

A typical kimono has a seam in the center of the back, and it has been thought that the seam is regarded as an “eye” and has the effect of protecting the body from disasters coming from the back. However, since there is no seam on the back of the single-piece maternity clothes, it is said that the “eyes” called semamori were embroidered with colored threads to ward off evil. It is said that what is on display is a semamori from the Showa period, and that each design on the semamori has a meaning.

Mr. Honda says, “I would be happy if the exhibition of ceremonies related to the growth of children conveyed the hearts and minds of parents who have tried to protect their children in various ways.”

In addition, as a plan to be held at the same time as the special exhibition, in order to look back on the 42-year history of the museum, posters and flyers of the planned exhibitions and special exhibitions that have been held so far, as well as museum goods that are not available now. .

What will happen to the Shitamachi Museum after the renewal?

We asked Mr. Honda about the renovated Shitamachi Museum.

“We are still working out the details, but instead of repairing or refurbishing the current exhibition, we plan to completely change the impression for a new era. It’s planned (currently the exhibition is up to the 2nd floor), so I wonder if I can show you a completely different view. Please don’t worry about that.” (Mr. Honda)

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Around Ueno Station, where the Shitamachi Museum is located, there are many facilities where you can appreciate modern and contemporary works of art with high academic value. Among them, the existence of the museum, which has honestly continued for 42 years with exhibits that allow you to feel the signs of people who used to live in the downtown area, is a special place not only for local residents but also for people living in the present age. I feel like I’m taking my place.

The Shitamachi Museum, which not only conveys shitamachi culture to future generations, but also serves as a bridge between generations who have experienced the culture in real life and generations who do not know it, will begin preparations for a new life on April 1, 2023. from day. Whether you have ever been to the museum or not, please visit it once before the renovation work to keep it in your memory.

Shitamachi Museum Overview

location	2-1 Ueno Park, Taito City 5 minute walk from JR Ueno Station Shinobazu Exit
Opening hours	9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Admission until 4:00 p.m.)
closing day	Mondays (or the following weekday if it falls on a public holiday), December 29th to January 3rd, special arrangement periods, etc.
Admission fee	General 300 yen (200 yen), Elementary, junior high and high school students 100 yen (50 yen) *Prices in parentheses are for groups of 20 or more. *Every Saturday, elementary and junior high school students living in or attending school in Taito Ward and their guardians are free to enter.
telephone number	03-3823-7451
Official site	https://www.taitocity.net/zaidan/shitamachi/

*The content of the article is as of the date of the interview (February 3, 2023). Please check the official website for the latest information.

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Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum

A legendary calligrapher who was active in China about 1700 years ago and was later revered as a “sage of calligraphy.” Wang Xizhi Ogishi (303-361, heresy) and his most famous work, “ Ranting order Renteijo The exhibition “Wang Xizhi and Rantei Cho” , which focuses on ” , is being held at the Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum.

Date: January 31 (Tue) to April 23 (Sun), 2023 * During the period, the exhibition will be changed according to the following schedule. First term: January 31 (Tue) – March 12 (Sun) Second term: March 14 (Tue) – April 23 (Sun) * Click here for the list of exhibited works *This exhibition is a joint project with the Tokyo National Museum. *The images posted were taken with special permission.

 

The most famous calligrapher, but there is no true trace? About Wang Xizhi

In the history of China, calligraphy flourished most during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the 4th century, when an elegant aristocratic society was formed. Wang Xizhi appeared at a time when the aristocrats, who were striving to achieve the ultimate in elegance in all aspects of their daily lives, began to add artistry and criticality to calligraphy, which had been all about practicality.

Wang Xizhi refined cursive, cursive, and square script, which were transitional calligraphy styles at the time, and made great strides in artistry while incorporating his own emotions into calligraphic expression. The advanced new style of calligraphy with universal beauty that he acquired became the source of calligraphic norms even in Japan, where Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy was introduced in the Nara period, and to this day it is synonymous with nosho. It is

“Rantei Chou” (353) is such a representative work of Wang Xizhi, and a masterpiece that shines brilliantly in history. This is a draft of the preface of a collection of poems written in March of the 9th year of Yonghe (353), written at a banquet held by Wang Xizhi inviting 41 celebrities in the scenic land of Lanting in Guiji (Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province). .

Wang Xizhi improvised while intoxicated with a draft of Ranteijo, written in beautiful cursive script, full of emotional sentiments about the pleasures of parties and the ephemerality of life. Anecdotally, no matter how many times he tried to make a clean copy, it never turned out better than the draft. Even now, it is treated as a compulsory work for people who are trying to learn gyosho.

Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy, including “Ranteijo”, was highly valued during his lifetime and was the object of collection among the aristocrats, but in fact, it seems that not a single true copy has survived.

In addition to being gradually lost due to wars and natural disasters, 300 years after the death of Wang Xizhi, the Tang dynasty who loved his calligraphy Taejong so bad The main reason is that the emperor (598-649) thoroughly collected them and buried them together with the Ranteijo when he passed away. However, Emperor Taizong commissioned excellent calligraphers to make “copies” such as copies and rubbed copies of works such as “Lanting Cho” and gave them to his subjects, and Wang Xizhi’s advanced calligraphy was passed down to future generations. It’s decided.

The special exhibition “Wang Xizhi and Rantei Cho” was planned to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the collaborative project between the Tokyo National Museum and the Calligraphy Museum. Paintings and calligraphy that show the influence of these works are exhibited in both museums.

“Ranteijo” appeared one after another. Which is the essence of Wang Xizhi?

The major feature of the exhibition is that you can compare more than 10 types of “Ranteicho” in the first half and the second half.

“Ranteijo” has been duplicated and duplicated. For this reason, the strength, speed, and speed of the characters are all subtly different, and the “Ranteijo” of various histories has been handed down, reflecting the skill of the people involved in the reproduction and the image they had of Wang Xizhi.

In the first half of the exhibition, we were able to appreciate 《Sadatake Honran-tei Chorus》 Hanju ship book Kanju Senbon ―》《Shinryu Honran Tei Introduction― Yamamoto Kakuzan Yamamoto Kyoto Former Collection―》《 Yui Eisho Honrantei-jo Wenzhi Wang home Former Collection―》《 Senwa Naifu Sennanaifu Former Zorantei Cho” , etc. By the way, the phrases such as “XX book” in the title of the work are used to distinguish it from other “Ranteijo”, such as the land where the stone that was the basis of the rubbing was found and the unique characteristics of the work.

《Jingu Honran Teijo – Hanjusenbon》 has a subdued character and an overall cool feel. When Emperor Taizong ordered his retainers to copy the “Rantei Cho”, the one who was the best was counted as one of the “three great masters of the early Tang”. ouyang Ouyoujun (557-641). This work is said to be a rubbed copy from the Song Dynasty, which is particularly old among the many “Seibubon” lineages.

The next thing that caught my eye was “Shinryu Honran Tei Chou – Formerly owned by Yamamoto Kakuzan -“ . The “Shinryu book” is named after the fact that the beginning and end of the text are half-stamped with the name of the Tang dynasty era, “Shenryu.” The “Shinryu-bon” is characterized by its lively and colorful characters compared to others, and it is often featured in textbooks because it is easy to read and learn.

However, according to Mr. Nakamura, the museum’s chief researcher, the character style of the Shenlong version reflects the refined aesthetics of the Tang dynasty. If so, it should be a little more simple.” Certainly, when I looked at the same work compared to others, I felt that the splashes and harassments were a little exaggerated.

Even in the same system, the character appearance is quite different and it is worth seeing. There seems to be various backgrounds, such as whether the person who duplicated it unconsciously brought out his own color, or whether he changed it intentionally to appeal to the people of the time. This is also a personality that was born because there is no true trace of “Ranteicho” and it is impossible to match the answers.

In addition to “Lanteicho”, there are several other works by Wang Xizhi (although they are reproductions) on display at the same exhibition, so even those who are not familiar with calligraphy will wonder, “Which Ranteicho still retains traces of Wang Xizhi?” You can enjoy it while considering it.

Also, although it goes without saying, there is something to be learned from watching Ranteijo on its own. For example, the kanji character ‘之’ appears frequently in ‘Ranteijo’, and I was surprised to find that each was written in a unique style and style.

I don’t know much about calligraphy, so I vaguely imagine that a person who is good at calligraphy has the best character shape perfected in themselves and always outputs that character shape without blurring. was However, in “Ranteijo”, “之” is written differently depending on the context. When viewing the work while reading the Japanese translation of “Ranteijo” in the exhibition room, one realizes that the charm of this work lies not only in the scenery, but also in the rich power of expression that conveys the artist’s emotions. I felt that I could understand part of the greatness of Wang Xizhi, who created the basics of calligraphy art.

In addition to the “Lanting Preface, ” several “Seventeen Chapters,” a collection of 29 letters written in cursive by Wang Xizhi, are also on display in the first half and second half.

“At first glance, it’s a plain work. The content of the writing conveys a feeling of poor health, but the fact that it’s written in beautiful characters, even though it’s said to be in poor health, gives the impression of Wang Xizhi. It’s nice, but the spacing and size between the characters is also a highlight.Just like there are main characters and supporting characters in a drama, there are characters that look good in calligraphy as well, and there are characters that look gorgeous, such as those with harai on the left and right. Please pay attention to the harmony of the entire calligraphy that has been completed.” (Mr. Nakamura)

Creating works with Wang Xizhi font? The popularity of Wang Xizhi is also in Japan…

The exhibition will also display calligraphy from before, during, and after the appearance of Wang Xizhi. In subsequent works, we can see how great the influence of Wang Xizhi was.

A master of regular calligraphy who was active from the end of the Later Han dynasty to the Wei dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, and was said to be admired by Wang Xizhi. shong show ( 151-230 ) recommendation Senkicho Hail ( Shinsho Saijo new year -Higobon-)” is “the first step in the development of calligraphy from slave script to regular script over a long period of time,” says Mr. Nakamura. There are remnants of clerical writing, and primitive characters that are slightly short and wide can be seen.

Wang Xizhi’s << yellow court sutra Kōteikyo 》 and << Filial Lady Cao’e Monument Kojo sogahi 》 (Original site: Eastern Jin Dynasty, 2nd year of Xiuping (358) / Displayed for the entire period). Compared to Sho’s calligraphy, it was noticeably more sophisticated, and I felt that he had grown taller and had a natural character style and brushwork that closely followed the movement of humans writing letters with a brush. I would like you to actually compare them.

Wang Xizhi’s works of about the same period include Michiyuki Hannya Sutra Vol . Handwriting before the Tang dynasty is very valuable. You can see the true appearance of the calligraphy in the era when Wang Xizhi lived.

The running calligraphy of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the central figure in the myth of Wang Xizhi Jin Temple inscription Shinshimei 》 was also there. It’s comfortable to write with a solid and dignified style like an emperor.

“A layman tends to think that if you write in cursive or cursive script by connecting lines to create a sense of speed, the calligraphy of Emperor Taizong was cut off on purpose. If you add too much leeway, the characters will look sloppy, but for the character “Moon”, for example, the lines facing each other between the first and second strokes are tightened. I hope you will enjoy that sense of balance.” (Mr. Nakamura)

As an indication of the popularity of Wang Xizhi after the Tang Dynasty, Holy Order of Kings Shuuou Shogyoujo ” and “Kofuku-ji Temple Cut Monument” (Wang Xizhi / Tang Dynasty, Kaiyuan 9 (721)) are interesting. It is said that it is a rubbed copy made from a stone monument in which each character is collected from Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy and made into sentences as if it were written by Wang Xizhi. The thickness of the lines in “Shu-o Sei Kyojo” has a collage-like atmosphere, but “Kofuku-ji Temple” is quite skillfully harmonized as a whole.

A complete collection of popular Chinese calligraphy created in the Song dynasty . Junkakakucho Junkakujo ― heavy snow Kyousetsu The book—” also contained Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy as a matter of course. According to the story, out of the 10 volumes, Wang Xizhi is introduced in volumes 6-8, and his son Wang Xianzhi is introduced in volumes 9-10. understand. When I came this far, I laughed at the size of the influence.

At the end of the exhibition, we introduced how Wang Xizhi was received in Japan. In the Heian period, Kukai and Ono Dofu, who learned from the copies of Wang Xizhi brought back by the envoys to Tang Dynasty, rose to prominence, and after their success, Japanese-style calligraphy called Kokufu Bunka and Wayo was established. In the Edo period, the trend toward respect for Wang Xizhi became stronger due to the popularity of Tang-style calligraphy, and at the end of the Edo period, a large number of Wang Xizhi calligraphy pamphlets (rubbed copies arranged in the form of calligraphy) began to reach Japan. It seems that it has always had an overwhelming presence not only in China but also in the history of Japanese calligraphy.

Among Japanese works, Rantei Preface by Gochiku Nakabayashi (1827-1913), a great master in the Meiji period, caught my eye. It is a work that I finished the sentences of “Ranteijo” in my own style, and the richness of the variation of the character line is not something you see very often.

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Until now, when I looked at the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, I couldn’t understand what I should pay attention to, saying, “It’s certainly beautiful, but it’s kind of ordinary.” However, after visiting the exhibition, I reconsidered that the fact that I felt “normal” may be proof that people continue to be Wang Xizhi’s followers even after 1,700 years. .

For a limited time only, the exhibition will feature three works related to the “Seisetsu New Book,” a collection of gossip from the time Wang Xizhi lived, written during the Tang Dynasty, when the most beautiful regular script in China was written. Appears in All of them are national treasures written by hand.

From January 31 to March 12 , Sesetsu Shinsho Vol.
From February 28th to March 26th , 《Seisetsu Shinsho Vol.
From March 28 to April 23 , Sesetsu Shinsho Vol.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity.

The Tokyo National Museum, which has joint exhibitions, is within walking distance, so please visit both museums.

 

■ Overview of the special exhibition “Wang Xizhi and Lanting”

exhibition period	January 31 (Tue) – April 23 (Sun), 2023 * During the period, the exhibition will be changed according to the following schedule. First term: January 31 (Tue) – March 12 (Sun) Second term: March 14 (Tue) – April 23 (Sun)
venue	Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum
Opening hours	9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Admission until 4:00 p.m.)
closing day	Mondays (or the following weekday if it falls on a public holiday), special organizing periods, etc.
Admission fee	General 500 yen Elementary, junior high and high school students 250 yen *Admission is free for those with a disability certificate, rehabilitation certificate, mental disability certificate, or specific disease medical care recipient certificate and their caregivers. *Every Saturday, elementary and junior high school students living or attending school in Taito Ward and their guardians are free of charge. For other details, please check the official website.
Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum Official Site	https://www.taitocity.net/zaidan/shodou/
List of exhibited works	https://www.taitocity.net/zaidan/shodou/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/kikakuten_20230131.pdf

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Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

 

A large-scale exhibition of Egon Schiele (1890-1918), one of the most important painters representing fin- de-siècle Vienna, will be held on January 26, 2023 in Ueno, Tokyo. It opened at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

A retrospective exhibition of the genius Egon Schiele, who died young, for the first time in about 30 years in Tokyo

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Egon Schiele was a painter who was brilliantly active in Vienna, which was experiencing a period of rare artistic maturity. .

In 1906, Schiele, who showed glimpses of painting sense from an early age, entered the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts as a special admission at the age of 16, the youngest in the school year. In the following year, he was discovered by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), another representative painter of fin-de-siècle Viennese art, and was greatly influenced by him.

In 1909, he voluntarily withdrew from the conservative system of the academy and formed the “New Artist Group” with friends. He continued to produce innovative works, and in 1918 he was successful at the 49th Vienna Secession Exhibition, but in the same year he died of the Spanish flu at the age of 28.

His scandalous creative activities, which were unconstrained by the common sense of the time, were criticized, and he was arrested. Schiele’s works, which vividly depict the spirituality, life and death, and sex of the world, continue to fascinate people even today.

“Leopold Museum Egon Schiele Exhibition: A Young Genius Born in Vienna” has a world-class collection of Schiele’s works. A retrospective exhibition that looks back on Schiele’s life and work through a total of 50 paintings and drawings.

65 works by contemporary painters such as Klimt, Moser, and Kokoschka are also introduced.

Self-Portrait with Hozuki Fruit, a representative work by Schiele, who continued to explore the inner world of human beings, is coming to Japan!

I would like to introduce some of the exhibited works.

The centerpiece of this exhibition is Self-Portrait with Hozuki (1912), which Schiele made when he was 22 years old. Schiele’s most famous self-portrait is synonymous.

The tension created by the composition of the cherry blossom vines and the slanting posture of the characters creates a tense atmosphere. The contrast between the white background, the clothes, the hair, the black eyes, and the red of the cherry blossoms creates a dignified beauty, while the pale face is boldly arranged with colors such as red and green, giving it a strange liveliness. reflected.

Is the gaze directed at the viewer a provocation or a rejection? Her quiet mouth gives the impression of being both snobbish and swallowing words, and she expresses clearly narcissism and unstable emotional fluctuations with naive sensitivity.

Around 1910, Schiele broke away from the influence of his teacher Klimt and established a one-of-a-kind expressionist style characterized by unstable forms, expressive line drawings, and vivid colors. This work is a masterpiece of the time when his painting style reached maturity.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the cropping and poses in this work are common in modern “selfie” culture.

According to the director of the Leopold Museum, more and more young people are coming to see Schiele’s works at the Leopold Museum. For those who express themselves through self-portraits, Schiele’s self-portraits, in which he visually puts into practice his thoughts on the “ego,” such as human identity, sexuality, and spirituality, while exposing the body and mind, are a striking source of inspiration. It may be something. In that sense, Schiele can be said to be an extremely modern painter.

Self-Portrait with Cherry Blossoms is paired with Portrait of Valli (1912), which is not shown in this exhibition but is modeled on the woman who was Schiele’s lover and muse at the time. It is made to be, so if you don’t know it, please check it out.

Death was familiar to Schiele from an early age, such as the repeated stillbirths and premature deaths of his siblings, and the death of his beloved father when he was 14. I had a view of life and death. “Death” is an important theme in Schiele’s paintings, and there are many works that incorporate the disturbing signs of death.

The Person Contemplating Oneself II (Death and Man) (1911) is a work in which Schiele directly expresses “death”. Schiele’s self-portraits are often depicted as two people, and in this work as well, the painter himself, with his eyes closed as if indulging in meditation, is surrounded by a presence that looks like a god of death or a ghost. increase. It feels as if he is impatient with the approaching fate of death, and as if he has already accepted his fate, but the third person’s hand extending from below strengthens the eerie impression.

According to the exhibition commentary, this work attempts self-reflection using the image of division. As you can see from Self-Portrait with Hozuki Berries, most of Schiele’s self-portraits have no background. Going against Klimt’s decorative painting style, it suggests that Schiele’s interest is directed toward thorough self-exploration and self-introspection, single-mindedly inward.

Schiele also repeatedly uses the motif of mother and child. In general, mother and child images are associated with love and peace, but Schiele’s Mother and Child (1912) and Mother and Two Children II (1915) both depict death rather than love and peace. emphasizing unrest such as fear, sadness, and despair. Not only the skillful expression, but also the intense brushwork and gloomy colors, I felt a thrilling dreadfulness that made me take a step back. It can be said that it is a development typical of Schiele that breaks the traditional image of mother and child.

Another must-see is the drawing of a nude woman, where you can enjoy Schiele’s exceptional drawing ability and line expression.

For Schiele, who sought to depict “light emanating from all bodies” and depicted radical “sex” that did not sublimate aesthetically, the female nude was also an extremely important motif. Traditionally, nudes are drawn in standing or lying poses, but many of Schiele’s nudes are characterized by a wide variety of poses, such as holding the knees, crouching, and extreme twists.

Their bodies are sometimes in a state of extreme agony, but it is strange how beautiful and vivid it looks. There is no doubt that the certainty of Schiele’s lines is supported by his relentless exploration of physicality, such as bending his own body to the limit.

The screen composition, which denies spatiality by eliminating the floor and the background and leaving blank spaces around the characters, is also interesting.

The drawings in later years especially caught my eye. The expressive contour lines and slight gradation of black chalk are used to explore the model, and the unwavering lines and silhouette are truly beautiful. In spite of the fact that he sketches the complicated poses with the minimum level of brushwork, such as in Reclining Girl with a Ribbon (1918), the level of perfection is so high that it can be called a work of art by itself. is.

Schiele was the youngest student in the school and was able to enter the academy as a special admission.

Stylized Flowers in Front of a Decorative Background (1908) and earlier Academy Several early works, such as the period, before Schiele established his own style of painting, were also introduced. You can closely follow the artist’s journey to emerge, and how he continued to change his style with an obsessive inquisitive mind even after establishing his style.

Painters such as Klimt and Moser who colored the art of Vienna at the end of the century

As mentioned above, this exhibition focuses mainly on Schiele’s works, but also Klimt , Schiele’s teacher, as well as Koloman Moser (1868-1918), who founded the Vienna Secession with Klimt and specializes in landscape painting and graphic art. ), Richard Gerstl (1883-1908), who is positioned as the first painter of Austrian Expressionism and has been re-evaluated in recent years, and Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980), a master of Viennese Expressionism like Schiele. A collection of works by Viennese painters associated with Schiele. We can see the background of how Schiele stood out in the flow of the Golden Age of Viennese art.

The modernity of Schiele’s work remains intact even after 100 years.

Once again, this exhibition is a very valuable opportunity to bring together 50 works by Egon Schiele, a genius painter who died young. Please come and experience Schiele’s trembling, provocative and delicate sensibilities, as well as the creative energy that filled Vienna at the turn of the century.

Outline of “Leopold Museum Egon Schiele Exhibition Young Genius Born in Vienna”

exhibition period	Thursday, January 26, 2023 – Sunday, April 9, 2023 *Dates are subject to change.
venue	Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (Ueno Park, Tokyo)
Opening hours	9:30-17:30, until 20:00 on Fridays (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed day	Monday
viewing fee	[Date and time reservation system] General 2,200 yen, University/vocational school students 1,300 yen, 65 and over 1,500 yen, weekday pair discount 3,600 yen*For details, please check the ticket page on the official website ⇒ https://www.egonschiele2023.jp/ticket.html
organizer	Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, The Asahi Shimbun, Fuji Television Network, Inc.
patronage	Austrian Embassy, Austrian Cultural Forum Tokyo
inquiry	Hello Dial 050-5541-8600 (All day/9:00-20:00)
Exhibition official website	https://www.egonschiele2023.jp

*The content of the article is as of the interview date (January 25, 2023). For the latest information, please check the official website of the exhibition.

 

Article provided by: kokosil Ueno

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Ueno Royal Museum

An exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China, “Terracotta Warriors and Ancient China – Heritage of the Qin and Han Civilizations -” opened on November 22, 2022 at the Ueno Royal Museum. (Exhibition period is until February 5, 2023)

This exhibition introduces the heritage of ancient Chinese civilization with about 200 precious cultural relics, centering on 36 terracotta warriors. I covered the press preview held the day before the opening, so I will report on the state of the exhibition.

Confronting a magnificent history that transcends 2000 years

Yo is a human figure made of wood and earth that was buried with the body of a powerful person in ancient China.

In 1974, when a farmer was digging a well about 1.5km away from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, a large number of almost life-size figures of soldiers and horses with different faces and clothes were unearthed. Investigation revealed that the terracotta warriors were placed underground to protect the Qin Shi Huang after his death, making it one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Excavation work is still ongoing, but the number is estimated to be about 8,000.

In 221 B.C., the Spring and Autumn Warring States period ended when seven kingdoms fought against each other, and the Qin Dynasty of Shi Huang, the first emperor to establish a unified dynasty in Chinese history, fell in just over ten years. .

This exhibition focuses on the Qin dynasty and excavated artifacts from Guanzhong (current Shaanxi province), the central region of the Han dynasty, which is said to be the golden age of ancient China, founded by Liu Bang after the Qin Dynasty fell in 202 BC. In addition, about 200 items will be introduced, including first-class cultural relics (a unique Chinese classification that refers to the highest grade valuable cultural relics) that have been exhibited in Japan for the first time.

Actor Shosuke Tanihara, who was the navigator of the exhibition and also narrated the audio guide, rushed to the opening event.

Looking at the terracotta warriors lined up at the venue, he commented, “It’s a masterpiece. I was surprised by the size of its presence as an object.” “Among the things that have been made for a long time, pottery and metal items tend to survive. I really felt it,” he said, describing his impressions after visiting the venue.

In addition, this exhibition has a corner that collaborated with the popular manga “Kingdom” depicting the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, and he himself is a big fan of the work. Please come to this exhibition to experience this.”

Valuable shogun figures will be exhibited for the first time in Japan!

At the venue, historical materials covering approximately 1,000 years from the relocation of the capital of the Zhou Dynasty in 770 B.C. to the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 B.C. It is introduced in three chapters , “Birth of the Dynasty-Era of the First Emperor” and “Chapter 3 Prosperity of the Han Dynasty-From Liu Bang to Emperor Wu” .

The highlight is the 36 terracotta warriors and horses, but especially the many terracotta warriors from the era of the first emperor in “Chapter 2: The Birth of the Unified Dynasty – The Era of the First Emperor” were very impressive with an average height of around 180cm.

Japan has held exhibitions on the theme of terracotta warriors and horses several times in the past. One of the precious “Shogun” that has not been exhibited in Japan for the first time is coming to Japan.

This is the “War Uniform General” . Although it has the name “shogun,” it actually refers to a military officer or a high-ranking military officer who rode a tank and commanded a small unit of infantry and cavalry. The image height is 196 cm and tall.

Among the numerous terracotta warriors and horses lined up, it is easy to recognize at a glance because it has a uniquely shaped crown on its head called a katsukan. The pheasant is a wild bird of the pheasant family, and it is said that its tail feathers came to be used as the crown of warriors because it would fight back violently when attacked.

It is known that the terracotta warriors and horses were originally brightly colored, and if you look closely at the cheeks and ears on the right side, you can see traces of skin color overlaid on a white background, and you can feel the remnants of the past. The right hand is unnaturally rounded, but it seems that this represents the state of holding a sword.

It is interesting that not only the faces and clothes, but also the poses are diverse, such as those who shoot standing, and those who wait with a crossbow.

At 64cm in height, Kizayo , which is slightly smaller than life-size, is a faithful imitation of an official who raises horses and animals. Soldiers and horses are sometimes buried in combination, but kneeling figures like this one are buried in horse stables and rare birds and animals pits. It seems that it was placed in a place called this.

For the Zhou Dynasty, horses were bred and given the land of Qin. You can feel the depth of the Qin people’s feelings for horses and animals, to take care of them in the afterlife.

On the same floor, there was also a figure of a chariot horse.

The terracotta army was born in place of human martyrdom (killing and burying according to the death of the grave owner), which was already abolished at that time. It is said to have been modeled.

Some of the terracotta warriors are posing with weapons, but if you look around, you won’t find any stern expressions about going into battle. Knowing that the first emperor had begun building his own mausoleum before his death, I imagined that these expressions might have been instructions from the first emperor himself who wished for rest in the world after his death.

The interesting thing about the terracotta army is that such realistic, life-size figures can only be seen during the Qin Shi Huang era.

At the venue, one of the oldest examples of terracotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty, the Horse Warriors, and the Colored Infantry Soldiers , which was made in the Former Han dynasty, can also be admired. , Former Han has a simplified and standardized design. In other words, the terracotta warriors of the Qin Shi Huang era, which are almost life-size and have one-on-one models, are quite special.

Kazuyuki Tsuruma, professor emeritus at Gakushuin University and the supervisor of this exhibition, explains why the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor were created.

■(As mentioned earlier) When real horses and animals were carefully buried, the horses and animals were respected, such as placing kneeling figures to take care of them, and later combining life-sized ceramic horses and ceramic figures. Is it not the gift of the spirit of the Qin people?

■Since a decorative plaque depicting the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, was discovered in a Qin tomb during the Warring States period, it is possible that ancient Greek sculpture and art had an influence.

It sounds like you’re making an assumption.

Confucius once criticized the figure of a human being, but since the First Emperor is known for burning books and digging Confucian scholars, he may have dared to create something that goes against Confucius’ teachings.

In the vicinity of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, which was equipped with sleeping halls and ritual facilities, not only soldiers but also civil officials, musicians, and acrobats have been found, although they are not on display.
In any case, these terracotta warriors and horses, which have a thorough realism, seem to reproduce the appearance of Qin at that time as it is, not only the enormous national power of Qin at that time, but also the extraordinary posthumous emperor’s death. I could feel his expectations for the world and his pride as a ruler.

There are also exhibits that deepen your understanding of the world of “Kingdom”

I mentioned earlier that this exhibition is collaborating with the popular manga “Kingdom”, which is set in the Spring and Autumn Warring States period and depicts the path to the unification of China by Qin, but here is the collaboration.

The panel display surrounding the room where “No. 2 Bronze Horse” (reproduction) is placed allows us to compare the historical figures, places, weapons, and accessories that appear in the work with the exhibits in this exhibition. , to deepen your understanding of ancient China.

This “No. 2 Chariot Horse” was excavated from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, and is half the size of the real thing. It retains the dignity of the first emperor’s parade during his lifetime. It is praised as the pinnacle of ancient Chinese bronze technology due to the combination of elaborate parts.

In fact, this copper horse is very similar to the carriage that Masafumi was on in the first episode of “Kingdom” (although there is a difference between two horses and four horses). I am reminded of the fascination that reality is born in the world of the work from such detailed descriptions.

In addition, we also discovered the “Bronze Bell” , which is one of the most popular characters in the work, and is related to Lu Buwei, the first minister of Qin who stands in the way of Qin Shi Huang (later Shi Huang). “Keki” is a weapon with a spear attached to a weapon called a dagger. This item was discovered in the Terracotta Warriors’ Mine, and it is engraved with the words “Three Years Old Lu Fu Wei”, indicating that Lu Fu Wei was in charge of manufacturing this weapon.

In this way, exhibits linked to the world of “Kingdom” will appear here and there in this exhibition, so if you are a fan, please check every corner of the venue.

Feel the breath of ancient Chinese people

In addition, there are carefully selected masterpieces such as bronze ware and jade. Among them, the treasure “Ryukin Bronze Horse” , which was made by Emperor Wu of the Former Han Dynasty and was exhibited for the first time in Japan, had a strong presence. It is a gold-plated statue of a horse, and its model is said to be Hanchiuma, a famous horse that was said to run a thousand miles in one day, and was entrusted with the admiration of Emperor Wu, who had never seen the Hanchima. It is considered

In addition to ancient administrative documents called “Liyeqinjian” and gold seals, there are valuable cultural relics of the highest grade, as well as coins, jars, jars, incense burners, boards (tools for washing one’s hands), and vases (for pouring sake and water). A wide range of items that remind us of the lives of people who lived in ancient China, such as tableware, dings (tools for boiling meat and fish), were introduced, making it a perfect introduction to ancient China. .

The exhibition “Terracotta Warriors and Ancient China – Heritage of the Qin and Han Civilizations -” where you can feel the romance of ancient China will be held until February 5, 2023.

 

“Terracotta Warriors and Ancient China – Heritage of Qin and Han Civilization -” Overview

exhibition period	November 22, 2022 (Tuesday) to February 5, 2023 (Sunday)
Opening hours	9:30-18:00 Admission until 30 minutes before closing
closing day	December 31, 2022 (Sat) – January 1, 2023 (Sun)
venue	Ueno Royal Museum
organizer	Tokyo Shimbun, Fuji Television Network, Ueno Royal Museum, Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, Shaanxi Historical Museum (Shaanxi Cultural Relics Exchange Center), Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum
inquiry	050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial/9:00~20:00)
Exhibition official website	https://heibayou2022-23.jp

*The content of the article is as of the interview date (2022/11/21). For the latest information, please check the official website of the exhibition.

 

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National Science Museum

The National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo will hold a special exhibition “Poison” from November 1, 2022 (Tuesday) to February 19, 2023 (Sunday).

In this exhibition, specialists in zoology, botany, earth science, anthropology, and science and engineering thoroughly delve into the various “poisons” that exist on earth.

I participated in the press preview held prior to the opening, so I will report on the contents of the exhibition and the state of the venue, along with my impressions.

Poison, poison, poison… A special exhibition that explains all kinds of poisons

Various “poisons” that exist in the natural world and human society, such as animals, plants, fungi, minerals, and even artificial poisons, are roughly understood as “substances that harm living things, including humans.”

The special exhibition “Poison” collects such poisonous organisms and toxic substances, and not only introduces the diversity of poisons, but also the history of organisms that have evolved with poisons, and the history of poisons since ancient times, sometimes weapons, sometimes poisons. A multi-faceted commentary on “What is poison?”, such as the relationship between poison and humans who have used it as medicine.

This special exhibition on the theme of poison will be the first attempt at the National Museum of Nature and Science.

The total number of poisons that appear is over 250!
Nine specialists from different research departments, such as zoology, botany, earth science, anthropology, and science and engineering, provide comprehensive commentary unique to the National Museum of Nature and Science, as well as valuable specimen materials.

In the venue, you can deepen your knowledge of poison while solving the “poison quiz” by QuizKnock led by Mr. Takuji Izawa, the quiz king . While searching for poisons that can be used for conquest, they appear here and there in the venue and leave interesting comments about the world of poisons.

In addition, you can enjoy the audio guide by voice actor Yuichi Nakamura, who will be the first museum audio guide, and the illustrations drawn by Toko Shino, who is the illustrator of the popular poison-themed novel “Yakuya no Hitorigoto”. Creators are making this exhibition exciting.

At the opening talk held before the press preview, we received messages from Mr. Tsuyoshi Hosoya, director of the Botanical Research Department of the National Museum of Nature and Science, who supervised this exhibition, and Mr. Takuji Izawa, who became an official supporter of this exhibition.

Mr. Hosoya said, “This exhibition was planned with the hope that people will understand the diversity and multifaceted nature of poison. Poison is a substance, but it is also an opportunity to understand the workings and workings of nature.” I think we can think of it as an idea or concept that was created for the purpose.The attitude of confronting poison is science itself.”

There were too many stories to show because it was a project that crossed each research department of the science museum, and it was difficult to carefully select information and give a story to the exhibition.

Mr. Izawa says that he had an image of poison as something that “feels fear since childhood, but at the same time is attractive and attractive.” After viewing this exhibition, he said, “The exhibition is solid! There are gimmicks that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It’s worth seeing, so I’d like you to take two hours (to appreciate it). I go around the exhibition. It might take 3 or 4 hours to do it,” he said, showing off the richness of the content.

“Poisons have a scary image, so parents may not want to let their children see them, but the important thing is to know correctly and fear correctly. We can’t escape from the poison inside, so I would be happy if you could feel (the importance of) getting along well while gaining knowledge.”

Visitors are welcomed by a large scale model of a hub and a hornet!

This exhibition consists of five chapters, Chapters 1 to 4 and the final chapter.

In “Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Poisons,” which includes videos and panels to help you grasp the concept of what poison is, you can also learn about poisons that we might encounter indoors or outdoors. The “Poisons in the Inside” panel was gaining popularity.

Looking at the panel, “moldy bread” and “carbon monoxide” feel like hum hum, but I’m surprised to see that foods that I usually eat casually such as “grapes” and “peanuts” are also listed as examples. (What kind of poison this will be is revealed at the end of the exhibition)

I had a vaguely unusual image of poison, such as poisons used in suspense cases, poisonous snakes, and poisonous spiders. As you can see in the explanation, it is the introduction part that immediately makes it clear that there is no such thing at all.

Next, we will enter the “Chapter 2 Poison Museum” area, which can be said to be the main part of this exhibition, where we introduce various poisons and poisonous creatures around us.

Here, a spectacular enlarged model created to explain “poison for attack” used to capture and disable prey and “poison for defense” used to protect yourself from external enemies appears!

There were four larvae, about 30 times the size of the real thing, a giant hornet about 40 times the size, a nettle about 70 times the size, and a larva about 100 times the size of the real thing .

The details of the model of the habu and giant hornet, which are about to attack with bare tusks and stingers, are eye-catching. The dynamism is amazing…!

“Japan’s three major poisonous plants”, the world’s poisonous plants that far surpass its toxicity, the rare poisonous bird “Shrike”, poisonous mushrooms that are easily mistaken for edible mushrooms, once believed to be the medicine of immortality A wide variety of poisons, such as the highly toxic mercury, appear one after another, stimulating your thirst for knowledge.

What was interesting was the column about the “Schmidt index” in one section of the exhibition about bees with venom, which is a blend of various chemical substances described as a “poisonous cocktail.”

The Schmidt Index is an American researcher, Dr. Justin Schmidt (1947-), in response to the question, “Which bee sting hurts the most?” digitized to . (He was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for this research.)

The figurative expressions attached to the Schmidt index are strangely clever, such as “A sharp pain that feels like a hot flash. I thought it was mild Havarti cheese, but it turned out to be extremely spicy jalapeño cheese.” invite

Are humans evolved from poison? Human history has been with poison

The exhibition will continue even after you pass Chapter 2, which is sure to give you a lot of poison knowledge.

So far, the atmosphere has been like exploring the world of living creatures and minerals, but from “Chapter 3: Evolution of Poison” , the atmosphere changes to that of a clean laboratory.

Here, we introduce examples of poison-triggered evolution, such as mimicking poisonous organisms, stealing poison from poisonous organisms, acquiring poison-resistant properties, and a seed dispersal strategy using poison. .

For example, oxygen, which is essential to many organisms, is actually toxic. We, humans, were creatures that evolved to adapt to poison.

In addition, yellow-headed poison dart frogs and red-bellied newts have evolved to have “warning colors” that tell others that they are poisonous animals and avoid unnecessary conflicts.

The yellow-black warning color of yellow-billed poison dart frogs is often seen in other creatures such as giant hornets, but red-bellied newts are red and black. I was wondering if there was some reason for this difference, but the point is that “contrast between bright and dark colors” is important.

As an example of the acquisition of the property to withstand poison, there was an exhibition of “Eucalyptus vs. Koala”.

Eucalyptus leaves are hard, rich in fiber and low in nutrients, and contain many toxic chemical substances. The koalas that have successfully bred in the eucalyptus forests are anti-eucalyptus specialists who have developed a variety of traits that are resistant to eucalyptus leaf toxins. Even though he has a cute face, he’s strong inside…!

“Chapter 4 Poison and Humans” looks back on what kind of existence poison was for us humans, such as using it for hunting and warfare, and creating medicine by researching “poison”. This area also introduces the research of “poison”, such as the elucidation of poison through progress and its use.

A replica of a “notched wooden stick” about 24,000 years ago found in Border Cave in South Africa is exhibited as the oldest evidence that humans used poison, and the long history between humans and poison I feel

The Edo period’s “Oshiroi culture,” in which white powder containing toxic ingredients such as lead and mercury was used, and the poison that plants synthesize to protect themselves from predators, invented in Japan in 1890. It was also interesting to see the relationship between Japanese culture and poison, such as mosquito repellent incense using .

There is also an introduction to the technique of “poisonous organism cuisine,” which uses organisms that are normally inedible as ingredients by removing poison and detoxifying them.

I knew about puffer fish and eels, but I didn’t know that cassava, the raw material for tapioca, which caused a big move in Japan a while ago, was also a crop that needed to be detoxified. You can see that the insatiable quest for human food was the driving force to overcome toxicity.

From the exhibits so far, you can clearly understand that the world around us is full of poison. Even now, new poisons are being born and discovered… As long as humans live, we have no choice but to live with poisons . .

The exhibition concludes with a symbolic display of poison that invites us to look back at the entire venue and reconsider what kind of existence poison is, and how we, who cannot escape from poison, should face it.

At the second venue on the way to the exhibition special shop, you can read (or watch) an interview with the nine researchers who supervised this exhibition and what “poison” means to the “Hawk’s Talon”. I made it.

In particular, the answers to the question, “Is there anything you should be careful not to get poisoned by?”

Many original goods for this exhibition such as T-shirts, encyclopedia-style underlays, and pouches with pop designs are on sale at the special exhibition shop. The large stuffed fly agaric and tsukiyotake mushrooms are also cute, but the “Special Exhibition ‘Poison’ Branded Manju” is a surprising item. The red bean paste inside is also made with purple sweet potatoes, making it even more poisonous.

The special exhibition “Poison” explores the past and future of the relationship between humans and poisons while touching upon the mysteries and surprises of poisons. Some of the exhibitions include centipedes, poisonous insects, etc., so if you are not good at it, please be careful, but please try to step into the deep world of poison.

Overview of the special exhibition “Poison”

exhibition period	November 1, 2022 (Tuesday) to February 19, 2023 (Sunday) *Exhibition dates are subject to change.
venue	National Museum of Nature and Science (Ueno Park, Tokyo)
Opening hours	9:00-17:00 (entrance until 16:30)
closing day	Monday, December 28 (Wednesday) – January 1 (Sunday/holiday), January 10 (Tuesday) *Open on January 2nd (Mon/holiday), 9th (Mon/holiday), and February 13th (Mon).
Admission fee (tax included)	[General/university students] 2,000 yen [Elementary/middle/high school students] 600 yen *Admission must be made online for a specified date and time. *Admission is free for preschool children, persons with a disability certificate, and one caregiver. Please note that a reservation for a specific date and time is required.
inquiry	050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Exhibition official website	https://www.dokuten.jp/
organizer	National Museum of Nature and Science / Yomiuri Shimbun / Fuji Television Network
supervision	・Tsuyoshi Hosoya (Director, Botanical Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・Masanori Nakae (Research Director, Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・Natsuhiko Yoshikawa (Researcher, Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・Tatsuya Ide (Researcher, Terrestrial Invertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・Nobuyuki Tanaka (Director of the Terrestrial Plant Research Group, Plant Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・ Kentaro Hosaka (Chief Researcher, Fungi and Algae Research Group, Botanical Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・ Yukiyasu Tsutsumi (Chief Researcher, Mineral Science Research Group, Geology Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・Kazuhiro Sakaue (Director, Human History Research Group, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science) ・Shun Hayashi (Researcher, Science and Engineering Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science)

*The content of the article is as of the date of coverage (October 31, 2022). For the latest information, please check the official website of the exhibition.

 

Article provided by: kokosil Ueno

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Tokyo National Museum

*This article was written on October 22, 2022. Please note that some of the exhibited works introduced have already ended their exhibition period. (December 1, 2022)

From October 18th to December 11th, 2022, the Tokyo National Museum (hereinafter referred to as Tohaku) will hold a special exhibition "National Treasures: All About the Tokyo National Museum" .

In this exhibition commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the museum, all 89 national treasures owned by the Tokyo Expo, as well as many important cultural properties will be on display! Even if you're not an art fan, you can't miss the content.

Since I participated in the press preview that was held prior to the event, I will report in detail on the state of the venue, which is too luxurious.

*Advance reservations are required for this exhibition (specified date and time).
*Exhibitions will be changed during the exhibition period.
*All works are owned by the Tokyo National Museum unless otherwise specified.

It will be difficult to realize in the next 50 years! ? Opening of a marvelous exhibition

The special exhibition "National Treasures: All of the Tokyo National Museum" aims to introduce the entire picture of Tohaku, the museum with the longest history of 150 years in Japan. This is an exhibition that displays masterpieces, including , and related materials that tell the history of 150 years since the Meiji era.

Tohaku's collection of national treasures is the largest in Japan, with 89 works representing about 10% of the arts and crafts currently designated as national treasures. Just by looking at the number, you should be able to understand how special this exhibition is.

Of course, such an exhibition is unprecedented, the first in history!
At a press conference held in May of this year, even the researchers of the Tokyo Expo said that they had never seen a scene in which all 89 national treasures were displayed.

It seems that it was very difficult to adjust the detailed exhibition plan from several years ago, and he said, "The next exhibition may be held at the 200th anniversary, 50 years later ." It may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so if you are interested, I would like you to adjust your schedule.

Tohaku Hasegawa, Sesshu, Koetsu Honami…The essence of beauty can now be found at the Tokyo Expo

This exhibition consists of two parts, " Part 1: National Treasures of the Tokyo National Museum" and "Part 2: 150 Years of the Tokyo National Museum ."

"Part 1 National Treasures of the Tokyo National Museum" is an area where only national treasures are simply displayed as far as the eye can see. The breakdown of the 89 national treasures is 21 paintings, 14 calligraphy, 4 oriental paintings, 10 oriental calligraphy, 11 Horyuji treasures, 6 archeology, 4 lacquer works, and 19 swords .

*Please note that all national treasures cannot be viewed in one visit, as they are all open to the public, including exhibition changes. (It seems that around 60 national treasures can be viewed in one visit at any time.)
In addition, all exhibition schedules are published on the exhibition official website .

When you enter the venue, instead of a greeting, you will be greeted by Tohaku Hasegawa, a painter who was active in the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

It is one of the National Treasures that makes you think, "This is what Tohaku is all about." Its elegant appearance takes your breath away every time you see it. You can even feel the humidity of the cool air surrounding the pine forest. The pine tree has a mysterious and mysterious atmosphere, but if you look closer, you will be overwhelmed by the surprisingly intense brushwork.

It is said to be the pinnacle of Japanese ink painting, but the interesting point is that there is suspicion that it was actually a sketch.

The statue of Kujaku Myo-o, a Buddhist painting representative of the Heian period, has a beautiful symmetrical composition, and the gorgeous colors such as red, gold, green, and indigo are eye-catching.

The skin is faint and reddish, and the outline is pink, giving it a plump and soft impression. Myoo has an angry face by default, but Kujaku Myoo is an exception, and this Peacock Myoo also has a gentle and loving expression like a bodhisattva. When I face each other, my heart becomes more and more calm.

If you look even closer, you can see the wonderful kirikane patterns that use gold leaf and gold paint on clothes, accessories, and peacock feathers! It's hard to notice because it's faded over time, but the craftsmanship of the lower body is a must-see. How bright was it at the time?

Peacock Myo-o is said to ward off people's misfortunes, but since the auspicious fruit he holds is a pomegranate, which is also considered a symbol of the prosperity of his descendants, it is believed that the painting was commissioned by high-ranking aristocrats to pray for safe childbirth. that there is

Also worth noting is the Kamakura era battle picture scroll masterpiece Heiji Monogatari Emaki Rokuhara Gyoko Scroll .

Based on the Heiji Rebellion, it depicts the situation before and after the imprisoned Emperor Nijo tried to escape while dressed as a court lady and escaped to Kiyomori Taira's Rokuhara residence. It is a work that you can enjoy the realistic depiction of the samurai's armor and swords, but because the total length is about 9m50cm, it seems that it is not common for exhibitions to display all of them due to space limitations.

However, it is indeed a national treasure exhibition! It was exhibited so that all scenes could be appreciated without omission. However, it will be open to the public until October 30th. Please note that the exhibition is for 2 weeks only.

Among the calligraphy, it is said to have been written by Emperor Shomu , and its magnificent large characters with plenty of ink are attractive. , 8th century, exhibition period: October 18th to November 13th), and Murasaki Shikibu, one of the Sanseki, wrote in "The Tale of Genji", The calligraphy looks so dazzling. ” You can appreciate works such as the Enchin-Giho-in Dai-Osho-I-Nami-Sho-Daishi Post-God Chronicle by calligrapher Ono Michifu.

Kokin Wakashu (Kokin Wakashu) is the oldest surviving relic of the Kokin Wakashu in its original binding. Luxurious writing paper that feels the sense of beauty is also a highlight.

The writing is composed mostly of kana, and the light brush strokes that match the writing paper seemed to convey the rhythm of the waka poems when read aloud.

For convenience, I have introduced some of the many paintings and calligraphy works, but to be honest, there are only highlights!

Some of the works, such as the Eta Funayama Tumulus excavated items , gave me the opportunity to learn that there were national treasures like this, but basically the old ones are from B.C. to the Edo period in the 19th century. The work will appear soon. It is frightening that the captions of the works are lined with unusual adjectives such as "the oldest in existence" and "the highest peak".

The aura of the National Treasures will burn your brain, so we recommend that you make sure you are in good physical condition and have enough time to stay and take breaks.

By the way, as you can see in the picture, the exhibition space is quite wide and there are many chairs, so it seems that you can go around at your own pace.

As the exhibition progresses, Kano Eitoku's Cypress Screen Folding Screen (Exhibition period: 11/1-11/27), Iwasa Matabei's Rakuchu Rakugai-Zu Folding Screen (Funaki Version) (Exhibition period: 11/15-12) /11), Korin Ogata's "Yatsuhashi Maki-e Mother-of-Pearl Inkstone Box" (Exhibition period: November 15-December 11) will appear.

You can also enjoy “Mikazuki” by Mikazuki Munechika! "National Treasure Sword Room"

Before the opening, it became a hot topic on SNS, etc., but in the second half of the first part, the "National Treasure Sword Room" appeared, where only 19 national treasure swords were collected .

It is a story that he was very particular about the display case and lighting so that he could appreciate the blade pattern and metals more beautifully. Certainly, the entire space is dark, so the lighting in the work looks great.

A sword that suddenly emerges in a solemn atmosphere. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration at the lustrous beauty of the glittering tip.

Mikazuki Munechika, Okanehei, Oohannya Nagamitsu, Koryu Kagemitsu, Atsutoushiro Shiro, and Kikko Sadamune , who are the motifs of the characters in the popular game "Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-", have also been discovered!
Isn't it an irresistible space for fans?

What attracted attention was Mikazuki Munechika wearing an elegant sword, displayed in the center of the "National Treasure Sword Room". It is a representative work of Munechika, who was active in the late Heian period in Sanjo, Kyoto, and is known as a master craftsman of the early stage of Japanese swords. increase.

I could see a series of small scratches called uchi-no-ke on the blade pattern. It looks like a crescent moon, and because it is beautiful and rare, it is said that the name "crescent moon" was attached.

This is my first meeting with Mikazuki Munechika. Although I knew the origin of the name, I had assumed that it had a single large pattern that could be recognized as a crescent moon, so I was surprised to find that it actually had small dots.

To be honest, my first impression was, "It looks like a crescent moon… can you see it…?"

At a press conference prior to the event, it was announced that, like Mikazuki Munechika, Dojikiri Yasutsuna, who is famous as a Japanese sword in its early stages, actually has exactly the same blade dimensions. Since I was listening to the story, I decided to actually compare it with "There is such a coincidence!"

The impression of the appearance is quite different, and Mikazuki Munechika is a slender sword that tapers toward the tip. Dojigiri Yasutsuna, on the other hand, has a solid, powerful sword with a somewhat wild feel. Also, Mikazuki Munechika has a strong angle between the stem of the handle and the blade, or rather, it is strongly aligned, but Dojigiri Yasutsuna draws a smooth curve between the stem and the blade. It looked like there was

This difference may be due to the regional culture of the author Yasutsuna, who was based in Hoki Province (present-day Tottori Prefecture), as opposed to Munechika, who was based in Kyoto. I was wondering if there would be any. The same national treasure, the same era, and the same dimensions, but the beauty of the swords is completely different. This extravagant way of enjoying is probably unique to this exhibition.

Among the exhibited works, the swords in particular have something that can only be seen when the light slides over the blade. You can enjoy the charm in the best exhibition space full of commitment, so I sincerely recommend it to those who are not fans of swords!

Regarding swords, all 19 cases are open to the public throughout the year.

Stuffed giraffes also return home for the first time in about 100 years! Looking back on 150 years of Tokyo Expo

Tohaku has its roots in the Museum of the Ministry of Education, which was born in 1872 as a result of the Yushima Seido Exposition held at the Taiseiden of the former Yushima Seido. In order to promote the modernization of Japan , to disseminate Japanese culture both domestically and internationally, and to protect cultural assets, the museum was originally intended to be a comprehensive museum with the functions of a botanical garden, a zoo, and a library .

In 1882, he moved his base to Ueno and started full-scale activities. In 1886 (Meiji 19), the museum came under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Ministry , and in 1889 (Meiji 22), it was renamed the "Imperial Museum", and in 1900 (Meiji 33), it was renamed "Tokyo Imperial Household Museum". At this time, it was positioned as a cultural symbol of the nation, as well as a temple of beauty that protected the treasures of the imperial family, and gradually strengthened its character as a museum of history and art.

The current main building opened in 1938, and after the end of the war, the jurisdiction changed from the Imperial Household Ministry to the Ministry of Education again. In 1952, the name was changed to the current "Tokyo National Museum" , and it continues to this day with new facilities such as the Oriental Museum, Museum, and Horyuji Treasure Museum.

In the National Treasures Exhibition, followed by "Part 2: 150 Years of the Tokyo National Museum," collections and related materials that tell the story of the Tokyo National Museum's 150-year history are displayed in three stages. You can relive the steps from the Meiji era.

"Chapter 1: The Birth of the Museum (1872-1885)" introduces works exhibited at the Yushima Seido Exposition, which triggered the birth of the Tohaku, with a focus on the early Tohaku collection. In order to recreate the atmosphere of the exposition, there is a life-size replica of the golden dolphin of Nagoya Castle, which was said to have been the most popular at the time.

It is said that some of the display cases were actually used over 100 years ago and have been repaired and put to good use, so be sure to check them out. The retro atmosphere is irresistible.

Even the author, who lives in the Reiwa era, was astonished by the brown-glazed crab-covered pedestal bowl and the eagle figurine , which made the world know about the high level of Japanese craftsmanship in the Meiji period.

A pot with brown glaze crab affixed to a table by Kazan Miyagawa I, a pioneer of exporting ceramics, was held in Ueno Park in 1881, and the second exhibition attracted more than 800,000 people in about four months. Works exhibited at the National Industrial Exhibition. It is a work with a dynamic composition in which a crab, which looks as if it is about to start moving at any moment, is hooking its claws on the edge of a vessel.

On the other hand, "Eagle Figurine" is a representative work of Chokichi Suzuki, a master of wax mold casting representing the Meiji era. After being exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair held in the United States in 1893 (Meiji 26), it was acquired by the Tohaku. From a distance, it looks so lively that it can be mistaken for a stuffed animal.

There is also an exhibition of Cannonballs (Four Lobster Cannons) , which is related to the birth of Tokyo Expo.

During the Ueno War that occurred in 1868 (Meiji 1), this is the actual cannonball that the new Meiji government forces fired at the former shogunate forces, including the Shogitai, who barricaded themselves in Kan'eiji Temple. Currently, Kaneiji Temple is adjacent to the north side of Tohaku, but in fact, the land of Ueno Park was the precincts of Kaneiji Temple during the Edo period.

Kan'ei-ji Temple, which was considered to have sheltered the Shogitai, once had all of its precincts confiscated. After that, there were twists and turns, most of the land was transformed into Ueno Park, and museums and expositions were held to promote modernization. I think that today's Ueno Park, and by extension the Tokyo Expo, exist because it was a burnt-out land in the Ueno War and was just the right place to build a town. Although it is a sad event, it may be said that the Ueno War was one of the reasons for the birth of Tohaku.

"Chapter 2: The Imperial Family and Museums (1886-1946)" features the Tokyo Expo when it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Imperial Household. We also introduce works that show the connection with the imperial family.

In relation to the imperial family, the giant carriage called "Horen" had a particularly noble aura. It is said that Emperor Komei and Emperor Meiji actually rode the phoenix, which was used by the emperor when he visited.

In 1890 (Meiji 23), there was a system called the Imperial Household Technician System, which was established by the Imperial Family as a system to protect and encourage outstanding artists. It is said that

"Flowers in a Bottle" is a work by Kuroda Seiki, the first Western-style painter to be appointed as an Imperial Household Technician. At the bottom right of the screen is the signature "Kuroda Seiki's copy", which is rare for Kuroda's work. It suggests a special history of being an offering to the imperial family.

Also, there is a stuffed giraffe specimen that gives you a sense of the remnants of the Tokyo Expo when it was aiming to be a general museum!

Natural history materials such as specimens of animals, plants and minerals were transferred to the Tokyo Museum (currently the National Museum of Nature and Science) after the Great Kanto Earthquake. It has become a form of going home.

He was one of the first two giraffes to come to Japan alive from Germany in 1907, and his name was "Fanji." He was raised at the Ueno Zoo, which was part of the Tokyo Expo at the time, and became popular with many people.

"Chapter 3: Towards a New Museum (1947-2022)" describes the activities that Tohaku has undertaken since the end of World War II, as a museum open to the public, in response to the changing times and changes in society. The future prospects are introduced along with representative post-war collections.

Many famous works are on display here as well as in the national treasure area, such as Korin Ogata's "Fujin Raijin-zu Folding Screen" , which is an important cultural property, and "Shakoki Dogu", which many people may think of as clay figurines. It was done.

As the latest collection of Reiwa, the appearance of the "Kongo Rikishi Statue" that became the collection of the Tokyo National Museum in February this year.

These two statues were once enshrined at the Niomon Gate of Rendaiji Temple in Shiga Prefecture, but they were destroyed by the Muroto Typhoon in 1934. Although it remained broken for a long time, it was repaired over the course of two years and restored to its former appearance, making its debut at this exhibition.

It is one of the few standing statues of Kongo Rikishi from the late Heian period. It is about 2m80cm in size, and is the largest among the Buddha statues owned by the Tohaku. You can enjoy the 360-degree view of their muscular bodies and angry expressions.

In addition, this work also introduces the basic activities of the Tokyo Expo, such as the collection, storage, preservation, and restoration of cultural properties.

At the exit, Moronobu Hishikawa's "Mikaeri Bijin Zu" sees visitors off. Or does it represent the feelings of the visitors who involuntarily look back at the venue with regret?

By the way, photography was allowed only for the Kongo Rikishi Statue and the Mikaeri Bijinzu, which will be described later.

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During its 150 years of history, the Tokyo Expo has hosted several exhibitions that have been handed down from generation to generation, such as "Tutankhamun Exhibition" (1965) and "Mona Lisa Exhibition" (1974). All of the National Treasures of the Tokyo National Museum will surely be one of them.

Tokyo National Museum 150th Anniversary Special Exhibition “All About the National Treasures of the Tokyo National Museum” Overview

*Advance reservations are required for this exhibition (specified date and time). For details, please check the official website of the exhibition.
*Some of the works on display will be changed during the exhibition period.

exhibition period	October 18th (Tue) – December 11th (Sun), 2022
venue	Tokyo National Museum Heiseikan
Opening hours	9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. *Open until 8:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (General cultural exhibition closes at 5:00 p.m.)
closing day	Monday
Viewing fee (tax included)	General 2,000 yen, university students 1,200 yen, high school students 900 yen *Advance reservations are required for this exhibition (specified date and time). *Junior high school students and younger are free. However, advance reservation is required. Please show your student ID when entering the building. * Free for persons with disabilities and one caregiver. Advance reservations are not required. Please show your disability certificate when entering the building. Admission is until 30 minutes before closing. *Tickets are not sold at the ticket office at the main gate of the Tokyo National Museum.
organizer	Tokyo National Museum, Mainichi Shimbun, NHK, NHK Promotions, Japan Arts Council, Agency for Cultural Affairs
inquiry	050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Exhibition official website	https://tohaku150th.jp/

*The content of the article is as of the time of the interview. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Article provided by: kokosil Ueno

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