The Ichikawa Beian Collection

Famous as one of the Three Distinguished Calligraphers at the end of the Edo Period and as a teacher of calligraphy with many students, Ichikawa Beian (1779 - 1858) was an avid collector of art and antiquities. His collection covered a wide range of fields including Japanese and Chinese painting, calligraphy, ink rubbings, ceramics, lacquerware, bronzes and calligraphy paraphernalia. In his later years, Beian, who was also known as Shozanrindo, published "Illustrated Catalogue of Calligraphy, Painting and Stationary of Shozanrindo," which contained 260 masterpieces from his collection.

Following his death the group of calligraphy, paintings and ink rubbings that had been on loan to the Shoheiko (Tokugawa government school that focused mainly on Confucian studies) was donated to the museum by Beian's grandson, Mr. Ichikawa Santei. The remainder of Beian's collection was scattered and lost, but his son, Mr. Ichikawa Sanji (Sanken), made efforts to track down the various pieces of the collection and donated them to the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum (currently the Tokyo National Museum) in 1900.

This exhibition of part the collection includes examples of Chinese calligraphy, paintings, ink stones, brush stands and bronzes. We would like to express our continued gratitude to the Ichikawa family.