The Collection of the Calligrapher Ichikawa Beian
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Miaosha jing Sutra in Standard Script (detail), By Emperor Shenzong of Ming, Ming dynasty, 1601 (Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Sanken)
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
May 13, 2025 (Tue) - July 6, 2025 (Sun)Ichikawa Beian (1779–1858) was a renowned Chinese-style calligrapher active late in the Edo period (1603–1868). He was also famous as a collector of calligraphy, paintings, pottery, and stationery from China and Japan. Moreover, he also published a self-curated catalog of his collection, entitled Catalog of Calligraphy, Paintings, and Stationery. In the Meiji era (1868–1912), Beian’s descendants donated many objects that belonged in his collection to the Tokyo National Museum, marking the beginning of the Museum’s collection of Chinese calligraphy and paintings.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Inscriptions in Cursive Script for a Painting of Guanyin | By Zhongfeng Mingben (1263–1323), China | Yuan dynasty, 14th century | Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Sanken, TB-35 | |||
| Highlight | "Miaosha jing" Sutra in Standard Script | By Emperor Shenzong of Ming (1563–1620), China | Ming dynasty, 1601 | Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Sanken, TB-44 | |||
| Highlight | Poem in Cursive Script | By Wang Jianzhong (dates unknown), China | Ming dynasty, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Sanken, TB-39 | |||
| Highlight | Poem in Running Script | By Zhou Huang (1714–1785), China | Qing dynasty, ca. 1756 | Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Santei, TB-24 |