Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 25, 2023 (Tue) -
April 21, 2024 (Sun)
June 4, 2023 (Sun), Asian Gallery (Toyokan)
The galleries feature art and artifacts from regions including China, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, India, and Egypt.
1st floor
The Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in a Niche (detail), Tang dynasty, 8th century (Important Cultural Property, Gift of Mr. Hosokawa Moritatsu)
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
1st floor Room 1
April 25, 2023 (Tue) - April 21, 2024 (Sun)
Buddhism began to spread in China around the turn of the first millennium, about 500 years after its founding in India. In the 5th and 6th centuries, the number of Chinese Buddhists rapidly increased and numerous temples were established. This gallery presents Buddhist statues created from the 5th to 9th century, a golden age in the history of Chinese sculpture.
2nd floor
Oasis2 Education Space: Journey Information
2nd floor Room 2
April 1, 2023 (Sat) - March 31, 2024 (Sun)
Introducing various journeys with images
Gold ornaments, Achaemenid period, 6th-4th century BC
Artifacts from West Asia and Egypt
2nd floor Room 3
April 18, 2023 (Tue) - July 23, 2023 (Sun)
This section of the gallery features ancient art and artifacts from regions that gave rise to some of humanity’s earliest civilizations, including West Asia, Egypt, and the eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptian collection includes stoneware and earthenware objects from Pre-dynastic Egypt (circa 6000–3150 BC) as well as reliefs, mummies, and decorative art from Dynastic Egypt. Other objects frequently on view include Bronze Age burial goods from West Asia and the eastern Mediterranean, tablets bearing cuneiform script from Mesopotamia, and sculptures and pottery from ancient Iran.
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 Bodhisattva, Tumushuk, China, 4th–5th century, Acquired through exchange with the Guimet Museum
Art of the Western Regions
2nd floor Room 3
May 9, 2023 (Tue) - June 25, 2023 (Sun)
This room mainly features artifacts discovered at Silk Road sites by the Japanese Ōtani expeditions at the start of the 20th century. Works are exhibited on rotation and illustrate the wide range of art and religious objects found in the diverse cultures along the Silk Road.
3rd floor
Bells
China, Warring States period, 5th–3rd century BC
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
3rd floor Room 4
May 16, 2023 (Tue) - November 12, 2023 (Sun)
This section of the gallery traces the development of Chinese civilization through ancient pottery, jade objects, texts, and bronzes. The collection includes Neolithic pottery from the Loess Plateau, a range of stone tools from Northern China, jade objects and oracle-bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–ca. 1100 BC), and roof tiles from each era.
Wine Warmer (Jia), Erlitou culture (Xia dynasty)–Shang dynasty, 18th–16th century BC
Chinese Bronzes
3rd floor Room 5
March 21, 2023 (Tue) - July 9, 2023 (Sun)
This section of the gallery focuses on bronzes, mainly from the Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–ca. 1100 BC) to the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), including ritual vessels, musical instruments, weapons, and horse tack. It also features mirrors and other bronzes from Northern China, tracing the development of early Chinese aesthetics.
Jar, China, Tang dynasty, 8th–9th century (Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige)
Burials in China
3rd floor Room 5
May 16, 2023 (Tue) - August 6, 2023 (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.
Flower Vase Shaped Like a Cong Ritual Container, Guan ware, China, Southern Song dynasty, 12th–13th century (Important Cultural Property, Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige)
Chinese Ceramics
3rd floor Room 5
May 16, 2023 (Tue) - September 3, 2023 (Sun)
This section of the gallery explores the history of Chinese ceramics, spanning the 7th to 19th century. The objects on view are rotated on a regular basis, but typically feature examples of fine porcelain made for the imperial household at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns alongside objects produced for commercial purposes in private kilns and elsewhere.
Textile with Wickerwork and Circles, Named "Itoya's Reversible Brocade" , Ming dynasty, 16th–17th century
Chinese Textiles: Prized Textiles
3rd floor Room 5
May 30, 2023 (Tue) - August 20, 2023 (Sun)
In Japan, “prized textiles” (meibutsu gire) refers to textiles admired by practitioners of the tea ceremony. They include textiles from China, India, Iran, and other regions, and range from plain-weave silk to damask and gold brocade. In Japan, many of these textiles were given names based on their previous owners or the Buddhist temples where they were kept. Tea practitioners collected and admired these textiles, using them to frame paintings and calligraphy, and to make pouches for tea utensils.
Oasis6 Education Space: Fortune-telling in Asia
3rd floor Room 6
September 21, 2022 (Wed) - March 31, 2024 (Sun)
Activity area: Fortune-telling in Asia. Recommended for visitors with children.
4th floor
Stone Bas-relief, Queen Mother of the West / Chariot / Hunting, From Jinyangshan, Shandong province, China, Eastern Han dynasty, 1st-2nd century
Stone Relief Carvings of China
4th floor Room 7
April 18, 2023 (Tue) - April 14, 2024 (Sun)
This section of the gallery features stone relief carvings from China. They were excavated from tombs found in eastern China and date to the Eastern Han dynasty (24–220 AD). The tombs consisted of a subterranean chamber to house the sarcophagus with a shrine above ground for bereaved families to perform rituals. The stone walls, pillars, and supports of these tombs were decorated with bas-relief scenes of everyday life, historical events, and contemporary belief systems.
Fishermen on the Xiang River after Li Tang, By Jin Cheng (1878–1926), Republic period, 1925
Landscapes of the Modern Era: Reinventing China’s Traditional Painting Genre
4th floor Room 8
April 25, 2023 (Tue) - June 4, 2023 (Sun)
Around the turn of the twentieth century, artists in China were faced with the dilemma how to carry on one of the oldest painting traditions of their country: the landscape. Amidst great social changes and the country’s modernization, Chinese painters explored new forms of expression in different ways, from exhibiting their works at public exhibitions, studying and teaching at art schools, and studying abroad in Europe and Japan. This exhibition introduces the innovative landscapes created by these artists during the modern era.
Inscriptions of the Stone Drums(detail), Warring States period, 5th-4th century BC (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō)
Seal, Clerical, Cursive, Running and Standard Script: Chinese Styles of Calligraphy
4th floor Room 8
April 25, 2023 (Tue) - July 9, 2023 (Sun)
Chinese characters are classified into five types of script: seal, clerical, cursive, running, and standard script. The scripts are said to have changed over time, occurring in the following order: seal script (late Shang dynasty), clerical script (Warring States period), cursive script (Western Han dynasty), running script (Eastern Han dynasty), and standard script (End of the Eastern Han dynasty to the Three Kingdoms period). The exhibition will be divided into two sections: seal and clerical in the first half of the exhibition (April 25–June 4), and cursive, running and standard during the second half (June 6–July 9).
Three Characters for a Plaque in Clerical Script, By Zhao Zhiqian (1829–84), Qing dynasty, 19th century (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō)
Chinese Literati
4th floor Room 8
April 25, 2023 (Tue) - July 9, 2023 (Sun)
The literati were people who devoted themselves to reading, calligraphy, painting, and other highly valued art forms in China. Their way of life was viewed as an ideal. This exhibition room recreates the studies of the literati, where they created works of calligraphy and painting.
5th floor
Box with an Immortal and Dragon, Yuan dynasty, 14th century
Chinese Lacquerware
5th floor Room 9
April 4, 2023 (Tue) - July 2, 2023 (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 it 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 (ca. 10,000–2100 BC). Over the millennia, a number of decorative techniques evolved in China, including lacquer relief carving and lacquer with incised lines filled with gold leaf. Chinese lacquerware frequently feature abstract spiral patterns (called “pommel scrolls”) or pictorial scenes of landscapes, flowers, birds, pavilions, and people.
Jar with Lions Qing dynasty, Qianlong era (1736–95)
Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty
5th floor Room 9
April 4, 2023 (Tue) - July 2, 2023 (Sun)
This section of the gallery introduces decorative art from China’s Qing dynasty (1644–1912), including works of jade, cloisonné, glass, and bamboo. These works illustrate the fine craftsmanship and sophisticated design aesthetic of decorative art from this period.
Bronze Dagger, Found in Ochon-ri, Pyongyang, Korea, Early Iron Age, 2nd century BC
Polished Stone Tools and Metal Tools of Korea
5th floor Room 10
May 23, 2023 (Tue) - November 19, 2023 (Sun)
This section of the gallery introduces archeological artifacts from Korea, including stone and bronze weapons and sophisticated cast ornamental fittings with animal motifs. It also features mirrors, hooked belt fittings, and other items associated with the Lelang Commandery, an administrative division established by China’s Han dynasty in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.
Three-Legged Cooking Vessel with a Handle, Reportedly found in Hapcheon, Korea, Three Kingdoms period, 6th century (Gift of the Ogura Foundation)
The Rise and Fall of Kings in Korea
5th floor Room 10
May 23, 2023 (Tue) - November 19, 2023 (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.
Jar with a Dragon Among Clouds, Joseon dynasty, 17th century (Gift of Ms. Shimizu Nobuko)
Korean Ceramics
5th floor Room 10
May 23, 2023 (Tue) - November 19, 2023 (Sun)
This gallery introduces Korean ceramics from the Proto-Three Kingdoms period (ca. 1st century BC–3rd century AD) to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). The development of Korean ceramics during the Proto–Three Kingdoms period was influenced by the Lelang Commandery, an outpost established by China’s Han dynasty in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Rulers of powerful states struggled for supremacy during this period, resulting in a rich variety of distinct ceramic aesthetics in each region. Under Chinese influence, a blue-green glaze called celadon began to be produced in Korea during the Goryeo dynasty (935–1392). Over time, celadon wares took on a distinct gray-green coloring that came to be known as Goryeo celadon. The production of pottery then diversified during the Joseon dynasty to include white porcelain and Buncheong ware, a type of stoneware often featuring designs in white slip and iron pigment.
Bodhisattva with One Leg Pendent, Three Kingdoms period, 7th century (Gift of the Ogura Foundation)
Buddhist Art of Korea
5th floor Room 10
April 11, 2023 (Tue) - October 9, 2023 (Mon)
Buddhism began to spread on the Korean Peninsula during the 4th and 5th centuries. This section introduces Buddhist art from the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–668 AD), the Unified Silla dynasty (669–935), and the Goryeo dynasty (935–1392), including gilt-bronze statues, bricks, roof tiles, and ritual implements.
Folding Screen, Joseon dynasty, 19th century (Gift of the Ogura Foundation)
Art of the Joseon Dynasty
5th floor Room 10
May 30, 2023 (Tue) - September 24, 2023 (Sun)
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
Viṣṇu, Angkor period, 12th century
Khmer Sculpture
Basement Room 11
April 11, 2023 (Tue) - April 7, 2024 (Sun)
Cambodia’s Angkor period (ca. 9th century–15th century) saw the development of a unique Khmer culture, as epitomized by Angkor Wat, a huge temple complex built from the end of the 11th century to the 12th century, during the golden age of the Khmer Empire. This section introduces Khmer sculpture, with a focus on Buddhist and Hindu statues and reliefs from Angkor’s temples. These were acquired in 1944 through an exchange project with the French research institute l'École Française d’Extrême-Orient.
The Buddha, Konbaung dynasty, 18th century
Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
April 11, 2023 (Tue) - October 9, 2023 (Mon)
Sculptures of Hindu and Buddhist deities have been produced in Southeast Asia for millennia. Though originally inspired by Indian art, each region developed its own distinct styles. This section features gilt-bronze statues of Buddhist deities and Hindu gods from Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Drum, 18th–19th century (Gift of Mr. Sakiyama Kisaburō)
Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia
Basement Room 12
April 11, 2023 (Tue) - April 7, 2024 (Sun)
This gallery explores India’s prehistoric culture through a variety of archaeological artifacts, from wedge-shaped stones from the early Paleolithic period, over 600,000 years ago, to copper objects from the Copper Hoard Culture that flourished in the 2nd millennium BC, after the fall of the Indus civilization. This section also introduces a diverse range of archaeological materials from Southeast Asia, with a focus on weapons, personal ornaments, and other artifacts from the bronzeware culture that prospered in northern Thailand’s Ban Chiang region, predominately from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD.
Elephant-shaped Vessel Dark brown glaze, Angkor period, 12th–13th century
Southeast Asian Ceramics
Basement Room 12
April 4, 2023 (Tue) - July 30, 2023 (Sun)
This section introduces ceramics from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a focus on objects collected by the Japanese entrepreneur Okano Shigezō.
Waist Cloth (Sarong) with Flowers, Birds, and Animals, 19th–20th century
Asian Textiles: Textiles of Indonesia
Basement Room 13
May 30, 2023 (Tue) - August 20, 2023 (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.
Muslim Women Visiting a Mullah, By the Provincial Mughal school, India, Second half of the 17th–start of the 18th century
Indian Miniature Paintings
Basement Room 13
May 9, 2023 (Tue) - June 4, 2023 (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.
Fishing Boat (Model), Second half of the 19th–start of the 20th century
People of the Sea in Taiwan
The Life and Culture of the Tao People
Basement Room 13
April 11, 2023 (Tue) - July 2, 2023 (Sun)
The Tao (Yami) people are an ethnic group living on an island situated off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, called Orchid Island.
Historically, they are believed to have originally travelled there by boat from the northern Philippines. The Tao people are dedicated to preserving their culture and continue to practice their ancestral traditions. Traditional gondola-like boats that bear symbolic designs representing Tao ancestors can still be found in fishing villages on the island. These boats are primarily used to catch flying fish, which hold religious significance in Tao culture. For the Tao people, the ocean is more than a mere fishing site—it is a sacred place for receiving blessings from the gods. This exhibition celebrates the prayers and wisdom that have grown out of the Tao people’s intense connection with the sea.