150th Anniversary Thematic Exhibition
Rediscovered! Tracing the Journeys of Ancient Textiles and the Ōtani Expeditions
Rediscovered! Tracing the Journeys of Ancient Textiles and the Ōtani Expeditions
-
Altar Pendants (detail)
Found at the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China; The Cao clan’s Guiyi Army period in Dunhuang, 9th–10th century; Ōtani collectionAsian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
September 21, 2022 (Wed) - December 4, 2022 (Sun)Many of the textiles collected and brought to Japan by the Ōtani expeditions were found in Dunhuang in Gansu Province and Turfan in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in present-day China. Fragments of Buddhist ornamental textiles from Dunhuang and burial clothing from Turfan reveal the many textile techniques and designs that traversed the continent.
During research conducted last year, curators “rediscovered” each textile’s original purpose as well as other details. Visitors are invited to trace the journeys of these textiles along with those of the Ōtani Expeditions while viewing the exhibition.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Textile with Birds, Animals, and Figures inside Linked Circles | Found at the Astana-Karakhoja Tombs, Turfan, China, Ōtani collection | The Qu clan’s Gaochang Kingdom period, 6th–first half of 7th century | TI-505-58 | |||
| Highlight | Textile with Geometric Floral Motifs | Found at the Astana-Karakhoja Tombs, Turfan, China, Ōtani collection | The Qu clan’s Gaochang Kingdom period, 6th–first half of 7th century | TI-505-54 | |||
| Highlight | Textile with Geometric Floral Motifs (Fragments) | Found at the Astana-Karakhoja Tombs, Turfan, China, Ōtani collection | The Qu clan’s Gaochang Kingdom period, 6th–first half of 7th century | TI-505-55 | |||
| Highlight | Textile with Geometric Floral Motifs (Fragments) | Found at the Astana-Karakhoja Tombs, Turfan, China, Ōtani collection | The Qu clan’s Gaochang Kingdom period, 6th–first half of 7th century | TI-505-72-1 | |||
| Highlight | Temple Banner, One Section with Flowers | Found at the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China, Ōtani collection | Tibetan Empire period–The Cao clan’s Guiyi Army period in Dunhuang, 8th–10th century | TI-505-19 | |||
| Highlight | Textile with a Bodhisattva (Fragment) | Found at the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China, Ōtani collection | The Cao clan’s Guiyi Army period in Dunhuang, 9th–10th century | TI-505-3 | |||
| Highlight | Textile with a Buddha and Vines (Fragments) | Reportedly found at the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, or in Murtuk, China, Ōtani collection | Tang dynasty, 8th century | Gift of Mr. Umehara Ryūzaburō, TI-397 | |||
| Highlight | Altar Pendants | Found at the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China, Ōtani collection | The Cao clan’s Guiyi Army period in Dunhuang, 9th–10th century | TI-505-50 |