Cards (Karuta) with Storage Boxes, Edo period, 18th century
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 8
January 2, 2025 (Thu) - March 9, 2025 (Sun)
From the late 16th century, changes in society helped artisans to develop the decorative arts. In the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603), samurai warlords united Japan after more than a century of fighting. The following Edo period (1603–1868) saw economic growth under a new samurai government, with merchants and other people gaining the wealth to buy art.
Potters succeeded in making Japan's first porcelain in the early 17th century. Methods for decorating porcelain and other ceramics then became more diverse, as shown by works with gold, silver, and color enamels. Meanwhile, textiles saw rapid technical advances. The loom was improved to make complex weaves possible, while dyeing became as detailed and expressive as painting.
Items like furniture and dining sets were coated with lacquer and decorated with metal powders, most often gold. Lacquer workers refined this technique, called maki–e, and combined it with new materials for more elaborate designs. Metalworkers also began using a wider variety of base metals and alloys, creating works with greater detail and precision.
Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
Highlight | Cards ("Karuta") with Storage Boxes | Edo period, 18th century | H-498 | ||||
Highlight | Kimono ("Kosode") with Bamboo, Plum Blossoms, and the Character for “Bush Warbler” | Edo period, 18th century | I-2922 | On exhibit from February 26, 2025 | |||
Highlight | Formal Outer Kimono ("Kaidori") with Peach Blossoms and Floating Sake Cups | Edo period, 18th–19th century | I-4289 | On exhibit from February 26, 2025 | |||
Highlight | Important Art Object | Large Lobed Dish with a Flying Phoenix | Imari ware | Edo period, 17th century | Gift of Ms. Yamamoto Tomiko and Mr. Yamamoto Kenji, G-5751 | ||
Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Water Jar with Peonies | Studio of Ninsei | Edo period, 17th century | G-303 |