SEIKADO BUNKO ART MUSEUM
Seikado Foundation

Exhibition

Current Exhibition

Hina Dolls of the Iwasaki Family

February 17 – March 31, 2024

This set of hina (Doll Festival) dolls and accouterments was produced by Ōki Heizō (1886–1941), the fifth-generation master of the famous Ōki doll-makers of Kyoto. They were commissioned by Iwasaki Koyata (1879–1945), fourth president of Mitsubishi, as a gift for his wife, Takako. The round, plump faces of the imperial couple have been enchanting and charming visitors since they were made in the early twentieth century.

Next Exhibition

Special Exhibition to Mark 100 Years Since the Completion of Seikado Bunko
The Demon Painter and the Demon Collector:
Kawanabe Kyōsai and Matsuura Takeshirō

April 13 – June 9, 2024

The painter Kawanabe Kyōsai and Matsuura Takeshirō, the explorer, antiquarian, and writer who gave Hokkaido its modern name, were two multi-talented figures active in the closing years of the feudal era. This exhibition unites Kyōsai’s famous “Nirvana Painting of Matsuura Takeshirō” with the cultural treasures depicted in the painting, to consider these two men’s passion for ancient times.

Exhibition Schedule 2024-25

National Treasure Tachi sword, signed “Kanenaga” By Tegai Kanenaga Kamakura period, 13th century. Important Cultural Property, Twelve Divine Generals (Horse General)”By Unkei’s Successors, ca.1228, Kamakura period.
Left: Important Cultural Property, Twelve Divine Generals (Horse General)”By Unkei’s Successors, ca.1228, Kamakura period
Right: National Treasure Tachi sword, signed “Kanenaga” By Tegai Kanenaga Kamakura period, 13th century

The “Perfect Guide to Japanese Swords,” Revived:
Studying the Great Swords of the Kamakura Period

June 22 – August 25, 2024

Reviving the “Perfect Guide to Japanese Swords” exhibition, which was a hit in the days when the museum was located in Okamoto, Setagaya-ku, this exhibition will be the first to focus on Japanese swords since we moved to our new premises in Marunouchi. The exhibition brings together nine swords from the museum’s collection that have been designated as national treasures and important cultural assets and provides the ideal introduction to the appreciation of Japanese swords, with a focus on the Kamakura Period.

Tea caddy in nasu (eggplant) shape, known as “Tsukumo-nasu.” Karamono (Chinese) ware, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th century, designated Ō-meibutsu in the ranking system used to catalogue particularly fine examples of tea utensils with an important historic pedigree. Tae bowl, Hai-katsugi (ash-covered) tenmoku, named  “Uzumibi” (buried ember) with red lacquered tenmokudai (tea bowl stand), Southern song-Yuan dynasty, 13th -14th century.
Left: Tea caddy in nasu (eggplant) shape, known as “Tsukumo-nasu.” Karamono (Chinese) ware, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th century, designated Ō-meibutsu in the ranking system used to catalogue particularly fine examples of tea utensils with an important historic pedigree.
Right: Tae bowl, Hai-katsugi (ash-covered) tenmoku, named “Uzumibi” (buried ember) with red lacquered tenmokudai (tea bowl stand), Southern song-Yuan dynasty, 13th -14th century.

Special Exhibition

A Feast for the Eyes:
The Seikado’s Tea Utensil Treasures with Masterpieces of Former Daimyō Collections

September 10 – November 4, 2024

This exhibition presents an exquisite selection of formal tea utensils that previously belonged to prominent feudal lords, including the famous Tsukumo-nasu and Matsumoto-nasu “eggplant” tea caddies that were highlights of the collections of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the legendary warlords who reunified Japan after more than a century of civil war. This exhibition brings together some of the highlights of the Seikado’s outstanding collection of tea ceremony utensils and promises a true feast for the eyes.

National Treasure Scenes from the Sekiya (Barrier Gate) and Miotsukushi (Channel Markers) chapters of the Tale of Genji By Tawaraya Sōtatsu, Edo period, 1631. National Treasure, Wakanroeishō poetry anthology, known as “Otaedition”, Heian period, 11th century.
National Treasure Scenes from the Sekiya (Barrier Gate) and Miotsukushi (Channel Markers) chapters of the Tale of Genji By Tawaraya Sōtatsu, Edo period, 1631
National Treasure, Wakanroeishō poetry anthology, known as “Otaedition”, Heian period, 11th century

Elegance of Heian Literature:
The National Treasure Tale of Genji Screens and the Evolution of Court Esthetics

November 16, 2024 – January 13, 2025

This exhibition focuses on Japanese art inspired by Heian Literature, including calligraphic scrolls, paintings of scenes from the Tale of Genji and Tale of Heiji, and exquisite craftworks. Visitors to this exhibition can enjoy the splendors of Heian literature through artistic masterpieces including sections from the Wakan Roeishō poetry anthology, known as “Ōta edition”and Tawaraya Sōtatsu’s “Channel Markers”(Miotsukushi) and “The Barrier Gate”(Sekiya) of the Tale of Genji,” both national treasures.

Left: Wakanahime, from the series “Toyokuni’s Caricature Pictures (Toyokunimangazue)”, By Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni Ⅲ),Edo period,1859. Right: “Actor Onoe Kikugorō V as Shibata Katsuie”, By Toyohara Kunichika, Meijiperiod, 1869
Left: Wakanahime, from the series “Toyokuni’s Caricature Pictures (Toyokunimangazue)”, By Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni Ⅲ),Edo period,1859
Right: “Actor Onoe Kikugorō V as Shibata Katsuie”, By Toyohara Kunichika, Meijiperiod, 1869

190 Years Since the Birth of Toyohara Kunichika

Kabuki Prints:
First Exhibition of Treasured Ukiyo-e Prints

January 25 – March 23, 2025

This exhibition draws on the Seikado Bunko’s collection of nishiki-e to trace the development of polychrome woodblock print depictions of kabuki actors, from early ukiyo-e through nishiki-e to the end of the feudal period and the birth of the Meiji era. Items on show include prints by Kunisada, who produced more portraits of actors than any other ukiyo-e artist, and the first ever exhibition of a previously unseen nishiki-e print by Kunichika, one of his disciples, who was known as the “Sharaku of the Meiji era.” Immerse yourself in the sensual delights of these colorful nishiki-e prints.

Past Exhibition

Exhibition 2022-23

Exhibition 2023-24

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