Album of Chinese Seals donated by Mr. Kobayashi Toan

The history of Chinese seal albums can be traced back to the Song dynasties (960-1279). During the following Ming dynasty (1368-1644), albums with impressions made with original seals, known as 'yuanqian' editions, were published.

After collecting these rare Chinese seal albums and other items for many years, Mr. Kobayashi Toan (Yoko) donated a total of 423 items to the Tokyo National Museum between 2002 and 2003. The addition of Mr. Kobayashi's collection to the Bakunan Library collection, which was donated to the Museum by Mr. Yokota Minoru in 1976, has resulted in one the world's major seal collections.

Kobayashi Toan has played an active role in the field of Japanese seal carving, and is known for his precise style. He is still an active producer of innovative works, and his in-depth knowledge of Chinese orthography and sphragistics has led him to publish many articles and books on this subject. He has been commissioned to carve both official and personal seals for notable writers, scholars, and artists, which offers testimony to his highly sophisticated style and critical intellect, which have been admired greatly. Due to these remarkable achievements, he was nominated to become a member of the Art Academy in 1993, awarded as a Person of Cultural Merits (Bunka Koro-sha) in 1999 and he was appointed honorary vice-president of the Sphragistic Society of China in 2003.

This collection contains important albums from each period of chinese history. Most of these are 'yuanqian' editions, which were published only in small quantities. Notably, 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.