Chinese Seal Albums Donated by Mr. Kobayashi Toan

In 2002 and 2003, the Tokyo National Museum received a gift of 423 items, which included rare Chinese seal albums and orthographic materials from Mr. Kobayashi Toan (Yoko) that he collected over many years. The addition of Mr. Kobayashi's collection to the Bakunan Library collection, which was donated to the Tokyo National Museum by Mr. Yokota Minoru in 1976, has made the museum's collection one of the major collections of seals in the world.

As an artist with a precise style by using a sharp carving technique, Kobayashi Toan has been playing a leading role in the field of Japanese seal carving for a long time. He still is an active producer of innovative works. His in-depth knowledge of Chinese orthography and sphragistics has led him to publish many articles and books on this subject in the past. He has been commissioned to carve official as well as personal seals for notable writers, scholars, and artists due to the highly sophisticated style that reflects his critical intellect, which has been greatly admired. For these remarkable achievements, he was nominated to become a member of the Art Academy in 1993, and as a Person of Cultural Merits (Bunka Koro-sha) in 1999. In 2003 he was appointed honorary vice president of the Sphragistic Society of China.

The history of seal albums in China can be traced back to the Song dynasties (960-1279). And during the following Ming dynasty (1368-1644,) albums with impressions made with original seals known as 'yuanqian' editions were published. This newly donated collection contains all the important albums from each period. Most of them are 'yuanqian' editions, which were published only in small quantities. Some of these are rare examples with notes written by the compilers themselves.

Selections from the donated collection are presented here with deepest gratitude to Mr. Kobayashi Toan.