Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
June 24, 2020 (Wed) -
April 18, 2021 (Sun)
October 31, 2020 (Sat), Asian Gallery (Toyokan)
The galleries feature art and artifacts from regions including China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, India, and Egypt.
1st floor
Standing Buddha Triad, Eastern Wei dynasty, 6th century (Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
June 24, 2020 (Wed) - April 18, 2021 (Sun)
This section mainly features stone or gilt bronze Buddhist statues from about the 6th to the 8th century. The statues on display present the exquisite form of sculptures from the golden era of Buddhist statues in China.
2nd floor
Black-Topped Vessel, Predynastic period, 4th millennium BC (Gift of Mr. B. Dean)
Artifacts from West Asia and Egypt
2nd floor Room 3
October 6, 2020 (Tue) - January 24, 2021 (Sun)
This part introduces artifacts from West Asia and Egypt, known as the cradle of the earliest civilizations.
Preaching Buddha, Kushan dynasty, 3rd century
Sculptures from India and Gandhara
2nd floor Room 3
June 24, 2020 (Wed) - June 27, 2021 (Sun)
This part mainly features Buddhist statues from Gandhara (northwestern Pakistan) and Mathura (northern, central India) from the 2nd to the 5th century. The wide variety of sculptures on display is a notable feature.
Jivajiva (Legendary bird), Yotkan, ChinaŌtani collection, 5th century
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
September 29, 2020 (Tue) - November 8, 2020 (Sun)
This part introduces art of the Western Regions (Central Asia) from about the 1st to the 10th century, with a focus on Buddhist art. The highlight of this part is the rich variety of works with high artistic and historical significance.
3rd floor
Painted Pottery Jar with a Handle, Gansu or Qinghai province, China, Majiayao culture, ca. 2600-2300 BC (Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
3rd floor Room 4
October 6, 2020 (Tue) - January 24, 2021 (Sun)
This gallery focuses on pottery and jade objects from about 3000 BC to AD 200. The items on display present the beauty that ancient Chinese people pursued in the form and color of pottery, as well as the characteristic luster of jade.
Large Vase in the Shape of a Gourd, Design in overglaze enamel and gold, Jingdezhen ware, Ming dynasty, 16th century (Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Bronzes
3rd floor Room 5
July 21, 2020 (Tue) - November 15, 2020 (Sun)
This gallery focuses on Chinese bronzes from about 1,800 BC to 1,000 AD. The changing shapes and designs of the bronzes on display provide clues to the thoughts and shifting religious beliefs of the ancient Chinese people.
Vase with Dragon Handle, Tang dynasty, 8th century (Important Cultural Property, Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
Burials in China
3rd floor Room 5
July 7, 2020 (Tue) - November 1, 2020 (Sun)
This gallery introduces burial items of tombs from about the 2nd century BC to the 8th century AD. Mingqi are models of various implements and equipment, such as cooking stoves, vehicles including carriages and oxcarts, and even toilets. Tomb figures are models of humans who served a master, such as servants and entertainers. The objects on display present the idealized lifestyle that people of this time entrusted to mingqi and tomb figures.
Bowl, White porcelain with crane and cloud design in gold, Ding ware, China, Attributed provenance: Korea, Northern Song dynasty, 11th-12th century (Important Cultural Property, Gift of Mr. Inoue Tsuneichi and Mrs. Inoue Fumiko)
Chinese Ceramics
3rd floor Room 5
July 7, 2020 (Tue) - November 1, 2020 (Sun)
This gallery presents the changing expressions of Chinese ceramics from the 7th to the 19th century.
Textile with Waterfowl and Fish in a Lotus Pond, Named "Wakutade's Gold Brocade", Passed down by the Maeda clan, Ming dynasty, 16th–17th century
Chinese Textiles
3rd floor Room 5
August 12, 2020 (Wed) - November 1, 2020 (Sun)
This gallery introduces Chinese textiles and embroidery from the 13th to the 19th century.
4th floor
Stone Bas-relief, Procession of chariots / Building for ancestral rituals (detail), From Xiaotangshan, Shandong province, China, Eastern Han dynasty, 1st–2nd century
Stone Relief Carvings of China
4th floor Room 7
June 24, 2020 (Wed) - April 4, 2021 (Sun)
In the 2nd century BC, Chinese tombs were not simply holes in the ground. They developed to have walls and ceilings, with a structure almost like underground mansions. Tombs also appeared that had shrines built above ground for the bereaved families to perform rituals. Particularly in Shandong province and southern Henan province, sturdy stone was favored for making the tombs and shrines, with the stone surfaces used for carving images. Many of these stone bas-reliefs were created until the second half of the 2nd century in the Eastern Han dynasty.
The Buddha Descending from the Mountain, By Liang Kai, Southern Song dynasty, 13th century (National Treasure)
The Flowering of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy
4th floor Room 8
September 24, 2020 (Thu) - November 15, 2020 (Sun)
Please enjoy our selection of classical works that represent the flowering of Chinese painting and calligraphy for Japanese people.
5th floor
Writing Box with Flowers and a Bird, Ming dynasty, 16th century (Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Lacquerware
5th floor Room 9
September 29, 2020 (Tue) - December 13, 2020 (Sun)
Lacquer is the sap of the lacquer tree, which grows in East and Southeast Asia. Naturally sticky, it can be brushed onto different materials, and hardens into a durable coating that is waterproof and resistant to acids, alkalis, and heat.
The history of lacquerware in China dates back to the Neolithic period. Over the past 7,000 years, a number of ornate decorative techniques have grown out of Chinese innovations, including: built-up layers of lacquer that are then carved, mother-of-pearl inlay, incised lines of gold, and a special type of decorative inlay made up of different colors of lacquer and outlined in incised lines.
Pomegranate, Qing dynasty, 19th century
Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty
5th floor Room 9
September 29, 2020 (Tue) - December 13, 2020 (Sun)
This part introduces the decorative art of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) in China, such as works of jade, cloisonne, glass, and bamboo. The items on display feature the beauty of fine technical skill and the sophisticated atmosphere of Qing–dynasty decorative art.
Crown, Attributed provenance: Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea, Three Kingdoms period (Gaya), 5th century (Important Art Object)
Polished Stone Tools and Metal Tools of Korea
5th floor Room 10
October 20, 2020 (Tue) - April 25, 2021 (Sun)
This part highlights Korean polished stone tools and metal objects that had a great influence on Japan's Yayoi culture.
Headgear, With design in openwork, Attributed provenance: Changnyeong, Korea, Three Kingdoms period (Silla), 6th century (Important Cultural Property)
The Rise and Fall of Kings in Korea
5th floor Room 10
October 20, 2020 (Tue) - April 25, 2021 (Sun)
This gallery presents artifacts from Korea’s Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–668 AD), an era when powerful rulers vied for control of the Korean Peninsula. The three kingdoms were comprised of Goguryeo in the north, Baekje in the southwest, and Silla in the southeast. A fourth state, known as the Gaya confederacy, also existed in the south before being annexed by Silla.
Each region made full use of the materials of the time—namely, gold, silver, bronze, iron, glass, and jade—to create distinct ornaments and other objects including, armor, horse tack, clay tiles, and pottery.
House-Shaped Vessel, Three Kingdoms period (Silla), 5th–6th century (Important Art Object)
Korean Ceramics
5th floor Room 10
October 20, 2020 (Tue) - April 25, 2021 (Sun)
This gallery introduces Korean ceramics from the Proto–Three Kingdoms period (1st century BC–3rd century AD) to the Joseon dynasty(1392–1910).
Octagonal Stupa, Reportedly found in Gwangyang, Korea, Unified Silla dynasty, 8th–9th century (Important Art Object)
Buddhist Art of Korea
5th floor Room 10
October 13, 2020 (Tue) - April 4, 2021 (Sun)
This gallery features the essence of Korean Buddhist art.
Brush Stand, Joseon dynasty, 19th–20th century
Art of the Joseon Dynasty
5th floor Room 10
October 13, 2020 (Tue) - January 11, 2021 (Mon)
This gallery features Korean furniture, clothing, and room decor from the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). While the costumes, furniture, tableware, and stationery each possessed individual beauty, their appeal was enhanced by their placement in living spaces.
Basement
Khmer Sculpture
Basement Room 11
June 24, 2020 (Wed) - May 9, 2021 (Sun)
This section introduces sculptures from Khmer, with a focus on stone statues from the Angkor period (9th-13th century). The Tokyo National Museum collection of Khmer sculptures, which are distinguished in both quality and quantity, was acquired in 1944 through an exchange project with the research institute l'École francaise d'Extrême-Orient.
Standing Buddha, varavati period, 7th-8th century
Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
June 24, 2020 (Wed) - May 9, 2021 (Sun)
This part focuses on Southeast Asian gilt bronze statues of gods and Buddhist deities from the 7th to 13th century. The statues are made using the lost–wax casting process, and therefore they have common qualities in their plasticity and smoothness of form.
Human-shaped Object, Attributed provenance: Uttar Pradesh, India, Copper Hoard culture, ca. 1500 BC
Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
June 24, 2020 (Wed) - April 25, 2021 (Sun)
The excavated pottery and metal wares exhibited in this part clearly show the prosperity of cultures with rich regional characteristics in ancient India and Southeast Asia.
Large DishFish and water plant design in underglaze blue, 15th-16th century (Important Art Object)
Southeast Asian Ceramics
Basement Room 12
September 8, 2020 (Tue) - January 11, 2021 (Mon)
This part introduces the individual styles of ceramics made in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam from the 9th to the 16th century.
Slendang (Shoulder Wrap) with Floral Latticework and Triangular Tumpal Motifs, 19th century
Asian Textiles: Textiles of Indonesia
Basement Room 13
August 12, 2020 (Wed) - November 1, 2020 (Sun)
This gallery currently features the many striking textile techniques of the islands of Indonesia, with special emphasis on batik, a wax-resist dying technique. There are two techniques to make batik cloth. One is to draw patterns of beeswax lines directly on cotton cloth using a tool called a canting. The other is to stamp repeating patterns onto cotton cloth using a beeswax-coated copper stamp called a cap. Once the designs are marked in beeswax, the cloth is dipped in indigo blue, madder red, or sogan brown dye and only the wax-covered portions remain white.
In addition to batik cloths, this gallery is also displaying Indonesian textiles for use in celebratory ceremonies featuring warp ikat, glittering songket (supplementary weft patterning in metallic threads), and brocade.
Folio from a “Razmnama” Manuscript, By the Mughal school, End of 16th century
Indian Miniature Paintings
Basement Room 13
October 13, 2020 (Tue) - November 8, 2020 (Sun)
The art of “miniature painting” is one of India’s best-known genres. These paintings use elaborate brushwork and vibrant colors to depict a variety of themes, including: Indian myths, Hindu gods, portraits of kings, scenes from history, and love stories. Miniature paintings can also be enjoyed for their distinct regional styles that reflect India’s rich history of cultural diversity.