Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 26, 2022 (Tue) -
April 23, 2023 (Sun)
July 5, 2022 (Tue), Asian Gallery (Toyokan)
The galleries feature art and artifacts from regions including China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, India, and Egypt.
1st floor
Ekadasamukha in a Niche (detail), Tang dynasty, 8th century, Gift of Mr. Hosokawa Moritatsu (Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 26, 2022 (Tue) - April 23, 2023 (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
Mummy of Pasherienptah (detail), Excavated at Thebes, Egypt, 22nd dynasty, ca. 945-730 BC, Gift of Egyptian Department of Antiquities
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
March 8, 2022 (Tue) - July 31, 2022 (Sun)
This part introduces artifacts from West Asia and Egypt, known as the cradle of the earliest civilizations.
Buddha, Kushan dynasty, 2nd–3rd century
Sculptures from India and Gandhara
2nd floor Room 3
July 5, 2022 (Tue) - July 2, 2023 (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.
Head of a Buddha, Ōtani collection, 3rd-4th century
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
May 31, 2022 (Tue) - July 18, 2022 (Mon)
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
Seal with the Inscription "True Seal of the Emperor", Qin–Western Han dynasty, 3rd–2nd century BC, Gift of Mr. Abe Fusajirō
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
3rd floor Room 4
May 17, 2022 (Tue) - November 13, 2022 (Sun)
This section 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.
Vase with Dragon Handles, Tang dynasty, 8th century, Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke (Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Bronzes
3rd floor Room 5
April 19, 2022 (Tue) - August 7, 2022 (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.
Official, Three-color glaze, Tang dynasty, 7th-8th century, Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke
Burials in China
3rd floor Room 5
June 14, 2022 (Tue) - September 4, 2022 (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.
Gourd-shaped Vase with Two HandlesTea-leaf color glaze, Jingdezhen ware, China, Qing dynasty, dated 1736-95, Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke
Chinese Ceramics
3rd floor Room 5
June 14, 2022 (Tue) - October 2, 2022 (Sun)
This gallery presents the changing expressions of Chinese ceramics from the 7th to the 19th century.
EmbroiderySutra of Immeasurable Light design (detail), Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century
Textiles of the Qing Dynasty
3rd floor Room 5
June 28, 2022 (Tue) - September 19, 2022 (Mon)
Combining artistic brilliance with technical precision, textiles from China’s Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) feature detailed imagery that rivals the art of painting. All the decorative motifs on these textiles have auspicious meanings. One of the most prominent motifs is the peony flower, which symbolizes wealth and high social standing. This exhibition presents auspicious textiles for a variety of uses, including clothing, hanging scrolls, and a sacred Buddhist text, with special attention given to works with embroidery and compound-weave techniques.
4th floor
Stone Bas-reliefQueen Mother of the West / Chariot / Hunting (detail), From Jinyangshan, Shandong province, China Eastern Han dynasty, 1st-2nd century
Stone Relief Carvings of China
4th floor Room 7
April 12, 2022 (Tue) - April 16, 2023 (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.
Elegant Gathering in Chengnan (detail), By Yu Zhiding, Qing dynasty, 17th century (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
Painting and Calligraphy of the Qing Dynasty Court
4th floor Room 8
June 28, 2022 (Tue) - September 19, 2022 (Mon)
At the Qing dynasty court, which ruled China from the late 17th to the early 20th century, a wide variety of paintings and calligraphy was produced and appreciated. This exhibition introduces some of the brilliant artworks and intellectual climate of the imperial Qing court, including works by emperors and other members of the imperial family, courtiers who passed the imperial examinations and served the Ming and Qing dynasties, and portraits of courtiers.
5th floor
Writing Box with a Bird and Flowers, Ming dynasty, 16th century (Important Cultural Property)
Chinese Lacquerware
5th floor Room 9
July 5, 2022 (Tue) - October 2, 2022 (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, 18th–19th century, Gift of Mr. Kamiya Denbei
Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty
5th floor Room 9
July 5, 2022 (Tue) - October 2, 2022 (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, Gift of the Ogura Foundation (Important Art Object)
Polished Stone Tools and Metal Tools of Korea
5th floor Room 10
May 24, 2022 (Tue) - November 20, 2022 (Sun)
This section of the gallery presents polished stone tools and metal objects from the Korean Peninsula. These Korean archaeological objects had a great influence on Japan’s Yayoi culture.
Headdress, Reportedly found in Changnyeong, Korea, Three Kingdoms period (Silla), 6th century, Gift of the Ogura Foundation (Important Cultural Property)
The Rise and Fall of Kings in Korea
5th floor Room 10
May 24, 2022 (Tue) - November 20, 2022 (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.
Stand for Horn-Shaped Cups, Three Kingdoms period (Silla), 5th–6th century, Gift of the Ogura Foundation (Important Art Object)
Korean Ceramics
5th floor Room 10
May 24, 2022 (Tue) - November 20, 2022 (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, Gift of the Ogura Foundation (Important Art Object)
Buddhist Art of Korea
5th floor Room 10
April 12, 2022 (Tue) - October 10, 2022 (Mon)
This gallery features the essence of Korean Buddhist art.
Bookshelf, Joseon dynasty, 19th century, Gift of the Ogura Foundation
Art of the Joseon Dynasty
5th floor Room 10
April 12, 2022 (Tue) - July 18, 2022 (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
Garuda Riding on Naga (Snake deity), Acquired through exchange with l'École française d'Extrême-Orient, Angkor period, 12th-13th century
Khmer Sculpture
Basement Room 11
April 5, 2022 (Tue) - April 9, 2023 (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, Dvaravati period, 7th-8th century
Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
April 5, 2022 (Tue) - April 9, 2023 (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
April 5, 2022 (Tue) - April 9, 2023 (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, Formerly owned by Okano Shigezō, 15th-16th century (Important Art Object)
Southeast Asian Ceramics
Basement Room 12
April 5, 2022 (Tue) - July 31, 2022 (Sun)
This part introduces the individual styles of ceramics made in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam from the 9th to the 16th century.
Shoulder or Waist Cloth (Hinggi Kombu) with Flowers and Animals (detail), 19th century
Asian Textiles: Textiles of Indonesia
Basement Room 13
June 28, 2022 (Tue) - September 19, 2022 (Mon)
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.
Woman Playing Tambura (detail),
By the Bikaner school, 18th century
Indian Miniature Paintings
Basement Room 13
July 5, 2022 (Tue) - July 31, 2022 (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.
Vest, Southern Taiwan, Second half of 19th–start of 20th century
The Lives and Culture of the Payuan People of Taiwan
Basement Room 13
May 10, 2022 (Tue) - July 31, 2022 (Sun)
Taiwan’s population includes not only Han Chinese, who originally came from the mainland, but also 16 indigenous tribes. Of these tribes, the Payuan people based in southern Taiwan form a hereditary society that consists of two classes: the nobility and commoners.
This exhibit shows clothing and tools pertaining to the daily lives and culture of the Payuan people. Among these, two swords have designs incorporating a venomous snake that these people have long revered as a symbol of the nobility’s ancestral spirits. A vest, another object in the lineup, is made of clouded leopard fur―a material only chiefs, the highest-ranking members of the nobility, were allowed to wear. These and other objects on display reflect the social and spiritual values of the Payuan people.