The First Japanese Expedition to Tibet:
What the Monk Kawaguchi Ekai Witnessed

A Monk Entering Tibet (Kawaguchi Ekai), By Fujioka Kōden, Shōwa era, 1935 (Gift of Ms. Miyata Emi, Ms. Uehara Sumi, and Ms. Mizutani Masa)

Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 14
August 22, 2023 (Tue) - October 9, 2023 (Mon)

Nations around the world dispatched explorers to Tibet during the country’s period of isolation in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the year 1901, the Buddhist monk Kawaguchi Ekai (1866–1945) became the first Japanese to enter Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

Ekai’s unprecedented achievements became known through his travel diary and an exhibition held at the Tokyo School of the Arts (now the Tokyo University of the Arts). The collection donated to the Museum by his niece, Miyata Emi, includes some of his beloved items, which provide glimpses of what Ekai witnessed in Tibet.

List of Exhibits

* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated.

Bodhisattva, 14th–15th century (Gift of Ms. Miyata Emi, Ms. Uehara Sumi, and Ms. Mizutani Masa)

The Buddha Śākyamuni, By Takamura Kōun, Shōwa era, 1928 (Gift of Ms. Miyata Emi, Ms. Uehara Sumi, and Ms. Mizutani Masa)

The Buddha Śākyamuni, 18th–19th century (Gift of Ms. Miyata Emi, Ms. Uehara Sumi, and Ms. Mizutani Masa)

The Buddha of Infinite Life, Qing dynasty, 18th–19th century (Gift of Ms. Miyata Emi, Ms. Uehara Sumi, and Ms. Mizutani Masa)

Woman, Tang dynasty, 8th century (Gift of Ms. Miyata Emi, Ms. Uehara Sumi, and Ms. Mizutani Masa)

Objects Brought to Japan by Kawaguchi Ekai, 19th–20th century ( Gift of Ms. Miyata Emi, Ms. Uehara Sumi, and Ms. Mizutani Masa)

This pamphlet is also available at the information desk in the Honkan during the exhibition period.
PDF（5.3MB）

Exhibitions

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