Exhibition
Past Exhibition 2025-26
Newly Restored Masterpieces:A Fresh Look at Seikado’s Important Cultural Properties and, National Treasures of the Present and Future!
- October 4 (Sat) – December 21 (Sun), 2025
Exhibition period divided into two phases, with some changes to the items on display.
Part 1: October 4 (Sat) – November 9 (Sun)
Part 2: November 11 (Tue) – December 21 (Sun)
The court lady Feng Zhao-yi confronting an escaped bear
By Kikuchi Yōsai
Landscape of the Four Seasons
By Shikibu Terutada
Landscape of the Four Seasons
By Shikibu Terutada
Chrysanthemums and birds
By Noguchi Yūkoku
Landscape in wind and rain
Attributed to Ma Yuan
On the occasion of the Osaka/Kansai Expo 2025, this exhibition brings together 3 national treasure, 16 important cultural properties (eight of them on show for the first time since restoration), and 20-odd pieces that were previously shown at an expo at the beginning of the twentieth century, as well as artworks that will surely become national treasures in the future including a huge painting by Kikuchi Yōsai and some others, appearing in Marunouchi for the first time. This special exhibition showcases some of the highlights of the Seikado collection and shines new light on the esthetic pleasures of East Asian painting.
Introduction to Painting:
A Guide to the Wonderful World of Gods, Buddhas, and Humans
- July 5 (Sat.) – September 23 (Tue., public holiday), 2025
Exhibition period divided into two phases, with some changes to the items on display.
Part 1: July 5 (Sat.) – August 11 (Mon., public holiday)
Part 2: August 13 (Wed.) – September 23 (Tue., public holiday)
Designated Important Art Object,
Mandala of Kasuga Shrine,
14th century, Nanboku-cho Period, Japan
National Treasure,
Segment of Zen paintings leading to enlightenment: Priest Zhichang, By Yintuoluo,
14th century, Yuan dynasty, China
Important Cultural Property,
Arhat, By Mu xi,
13th century, Southern Song dynasty, China
Illustrated Competition between Poets of Different Eras, By Sumiyoshi Gukei and Kanō Hidenobu,
Edo period, 17th century
Important Cultural Property,
Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku,
14th century, Kamakura Period, Japan
This introductory exhibition focuses on the forms and gestures of gods, buddhas, and humans as they appear in antique works of art. “Who is this figure? What does this pose represent? What are these figures doing?” This accessible exhibition answers these and similar questions about some of the most frequently encountered depictions of human and divine figures in art and explains the stories behind them.
The Miracle of Black:
Secrets of the Yōhen Tenmoku Tea Bowl
April 5 – June 22, 2025
National Treasure,
Tea bowl, Yōhen Tenmoku, known as “Inaba Tenmoku”, Jian ware
12th-13th century, Southern Song dynasty, China
Important Cultural Property,
Tea bowl with black glaze, Yuteki (“oil spot” pattern) Tenmoku type, Jian ware
12th-13th century, Southern Song dynasty, China
Important Cultural Property,
Tea-leaf jar with design of Mt.Yoshino in overglaze enamels, by Nonomura Ninsei
17th century, Edo period, Japan
Writing box with design of the moon and waves in maki-e, by Shimizu Kuhei
17th century, Edo period, Japan
Designated Important Art Object,
Katana, signed “Minamoto Kiyomaro / A day in 8th month of 1847”, by Minamoto Kiyomaro
1847, Edo period, Japan
(Accompanied by sword mounting of han-dachi type with black-lacquered scabbard with shaved ray-fish skin, with a hilt wrapped in oguramaki style, dated to Meiji period, 19th century)
Yōhen Tenmoku tea bowls rank among the supreme masterpieces of Chinese ceramics, and only three examples survive anywhere in the world, including one in the Seikado collection. This exhibition focuses on the mysterious black that is the base for the bowl’s shimmering allure, and looks at a diverse range of East Asian artworks that make powerful use of the color black, including ceramics, lacquerware, and Japanese swords. Join us on an exploration of the hidden mysteries of the Yōhen Tenmoku tea bowl based on the latest research.
