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Year of the Tiger: Looking at Tigers in Japanese, Chinese and Korean Art

  • Image of "Embroidered Insignia Patch, Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century"

    Embroidered Insignia Patch, Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century

    Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room T2
    January 2, 2010 (Sat) - January 31, 2010 (Sun)

    In the Chinese zodiac, 2010 is the year of the tiger. Together with the Azure Dragon, the Vermillion Bird and the Black Tortoise, the White Tiger is one of the guardian deities which symbolize the four directions, and from ancient times has been depicted on objects such as mirrors and bricks.

    Tigers often appear in Japanese proverbs as symbols of virtue and power. Examples include, "Outstanding figures can transform themselves as drastically as tigers and leopards shed their coats: virtuous people as tigers, and respected leaders as leopards," meaning that they would correct their faults swiftly. Another example is the saying, "Clouds follow the dragon and winds follow the tiger," which implies that praiseworthy followers appear under distinguished leaders. Based on these traditions, tigers were favored by the warrior class in Japan as themes of paintings and designs of sword fittings. In Korea, they were symbols of warrior-class officials.

    Another quality of tigers is that they give abundant protection and affection when raising their cubs. For this reason, a "tiger's child" in Japanese has traditionally been a metaphor for personal treasures. Tigers also appear at the children's festival on May 5th, as auspicious symbols to wish for the healthy growth of children. In this exhibition, commemorating the beginning of the year of the tiger, we have gathered works from Japan, China and Korea themed on tigers - the courageous, powerful, virtuous and affectionate. We wish you the very best for the New Year.

 Exhibition includes

* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated.
 Tiger, By Maruyama Okyo, Edo period, 18th century
Embroidered Insignia Patch, Korea, Joseon dynasty, 19th century
Tiger-shaped Pillow, Transparent glaze with a bird painted in iron black on the white slipped body, Cizhou ware, Jin - Yuan dynasty, 12th - 13th century (Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke)
 
 
New Year's Celebration at the Tokyo National Museum
 
Saturday, January 2 - Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tiger
Tiger, By Maruyama Okyo, Edo period, 18th century
Celebrating the New Year 2010, the Tokyo National Museum will open from January 2. The New Year exhibition will feature the year's zodiac sign tiger, and the museum will host various family events.

At Honkan (Japanese Gallery), there will be a Feature Exhibition of the New Year - Year of the Tiger: Looking at Tigers in Japanese, Chinese and Korean Art from January 2, 2010. Family events will be held on the 2nd and 3rd of January, including Shishimai dance performances, Taiko (Japanese drum) performances, and Daikagura of Edo Traditional vaudeville entertainment.

Visit the Tokyo National Museum and experience the Japanese New Year's celebration!
 
 General Information
Dates Saturday, January 2 - Sunday, January 31, 2010
Venue Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park)
Hours 9:30 - 17:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing time)
Closed Mondays except January 11; Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Admissions Adults: 600 (500)yen, University Students: 400 (300)yen
* Brackets indicate fees for groups of 20 or more
* Special Exhibition "THE POWER OF DOGU" is charged separately
* High school students and under, and persons under 18 and 70 years old and over are admitted free. Please present ID upon entry
* Persons with disabilities and one accompanying person each are admitted free. Please present ID upon entry
Access 10 minutes' walk from JR Ueno station (Park exit) and Uguisudani station
15 minutes' walk from Keisei Ueno station, Tokyo Metro Ueno station (Ginza line, Hibiya line) and Tokyo Metro Nezu station (Chiyoda line)
General Inquiries Tokyo National Museum TEL: +81-3-5405-8686
 New Year Thematic Exhibition
Chinese Masterworks: Three Friends of Winter Paintings and Calligraphy from the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties
RoomT1, Honkan
 Saturday, January 2 - Sunday, January 31, 2010

Five Pine Trees
Five Pine Trees, By Li Shan, Qing dynaty, 18th century
   Many subjects found in Chinese flower and bird paintings are symbols of people's hopes and prayers. Pines, for example, represent longevity; bamboo represents virtue, peace and the prosperity of one's decendants; and plums represent nobility and refinement. Other symbols include:
-Lotus flowers, aquatic birds and fish, which represent abundance;
-Peonies, which represent wealth;
-Peaches, which symbolize longevity;
-Grapes, gourds and pomegranates, which symbolize prosperous descendants;
-Phoenixes, which represent a peaceful world; and
-Bats, which represent fortune.

Among these, pines and bamboo, which retain their bold green foliage even during the bitterly cold months, and plum blossoms, which bloom ahead of other flowers and possess a pure perfume, came to symbolize moderation and unwavering purpose and are known together as "the Three Friends of Winter." This developed into a familiar theme, and paintings featuring these motifs came to be seen as auspicious. This exhibition presents a selection of Three Friends of Winter and other auspiciously themed paintings from the Ming dynasty to commemorate the New Year.

The calligraphic works illustrate the renmen (literally, "continuous line") style which flourished from the end of the Ming to the beginning of the Qing dynasties. The transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty, which occurred when the Han people were overtaken by the Manchurians, represents a major turning point in Chinese history. The renmen style, refined at the end of the Ming dynasty, was upheld by the retainers of the Ming emperor, and its distinctive appearance seems to reflect the turbulence of the times. Featuring both powerfully expressive and lyrical pieces, this exhibition showcases the rich variations seen among works by this unique group of calligraphers.
 Exhibition includes

* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated.
 Old Pine Tree, By Jin Shi, Ming dynasty, dated 1458
Plum Blossoms, By Chen Lu, Ming dynasty, dated 1446 (Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Sanken)
Bamboo, By Wu Hon, Qing dynasty, 17th century
Five Pine Trees, By Li Shan, Qing dynaty, 18th century
Deer and Cranes, By Shen Chuan, Qing dynasty, dated 1739 (Gift of Mr. Yamazaki Tatsuo)
Peach, By Wu JunJing, Qing dynasty, dated 1907 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
Poem in Cursive Script, By Ni Yuanlu, Ming dynasty, 17th century
Poem in Running Script, By Wang Duo, Ming dynasty, dated 1650 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
Poem in Four Lines of Five Characters in Cursive Script, By Fu Shan, Ming - Qing dynasty, 17th century (Gift of Mr. Aoyama San'u)
 Featured work at Honkan (Japanese Gallery)
Man'yo Shu Poetry Anthology, Genryaku version
Room 2, Honkan Tuesday, December 15, 2009 - Monday, January 11, 2010

Man'yo
Man'yo Shu Poetry Anthology, Genryaku version Vol.20, Heian period, 11th century (National Treasure)
   The Tokyo National Museum currently holds 14 volumes of the Genryaku version of Man'yo Shu, celebrated as Japan's oldest poetry anthology, which were formerly preserved by the Furukawa family, and another six volumes formerly preserved by the Takamatsunomiya family, comprising 20 volumes in total from which some sections are missing.

The Genryaku version is named after an inscription at the end of Volume 20, dating it to the first year of the Genryaku era (1184). The Genryaku version numbers among the "five great versions of Man'yo Shu," together with the Katsura, Ranshi, Kanazawa and Tenji versions which were also transcribed during the Heian period. The Genryaku version is especially prized among these works as it contains the greatest number of poems and annotations, making it extremely valuable in the study of both calligraphy and the Man'yo Shu alike.
 Featured work at Honkan (Japanese Gallery)
Autumn and Winter Landscapes
Room 2, Honkan Wednesday, January 13 - Sunday, February 7, 2010

Autumn
Landscapes of Autumn and Winter, By Sesshu Toyo, Muromachi period, 15 - 16th century (National Treasure)

Other photos		    When viewing the painting beginning with the lower part and advancing upwards, both landscapes can be experienced in a very realistic perspective, the space developing from the foreground towards the background. There is incredible depth and unfolding space condensed in these small surfaces. They also display a firmness and intellectual layout, unknown in the field of ink paintings prior to Sesshu.

On the other hand, the individual components within the picture are rendered with very characteristic brush strokes that differ from one component to the other: the rock is rendered with simple yet strong lines, the snowy mountain rendered using a combination of round and narrow lines, dry and wet lines.

The artist of this work, Sesshu, was trained at young age at Shokokuji, and later became a Zen monk-painter active around the Onin upheavals (1467-77). He was a rare talent who succeeded in developing a strong and firm layout within the genre of Japanese ink painting (also called landscape painting). This painting is one of the most representative of his works together with the "Landscape Scroll of the Four Seasons (Long Landscape)" (Mouri Museum, Yamaguchi Prefecture) and the "View of Amanohashidate" (Kyoto National Museum).
 Visit the tigers in the galleries and create your own 2010 calendar
Saturday, January 2 and Sunday January, 3, 2010
Calendars available in Room T2 and 20, Honkan
Activity at Room 20, Honkan 10:00 - 16:00
 New Year's Celebration Events  (Locations are subject to change)
Shishimai - Lion dance performance
January 2, 2010  starting at 10:30 and 13:00
January 3, 2010  starting at 10:30 and 13:00
Outside Honkan (Japanese Gallery) entrance
Performed by Toto Kasai Hayashi Mutsumikai
Taiko - Japanese drumming performance
January 2, 2010 starting at 11:00 and 13:30
January 3, 2010 starting at 11:00 and 13:30
Main Gate entrance area
Performed by Wadaiko Obiki
Daikagura of Edo -Traditional vaudeville entertainment
January 2, 2010  starting at 12:00 and 14:30
Main Gate entrance area
Performed by Senmaru
Mini concert - By clarinet group "Amateur"
January 3, 2010  starting at 12:00 and 14:30
Heiseikan Lounge
Ikebana Flower Arrangements
Saturday, January 2 - Monday, January 11, 2010
By Prof. Kurashige Nobu, Ikenobo College
Installed at the Main Gate and Honkan
TNM&TOPPAN Museum Theater(in Japanese)
Saturday, January 2 - Sunday, January 3, 2010
New-year gifts for the first 60 guests each day
Yose entertainment at the Museum - Comic storytelling (in Japanese)
Monday, January 11, 2010  starting at 13:30
Heiseikan Auditorium
Performance by Kingentei Basho, Umaji, and Umakichi, Kokontei Kikuharu
2,000 yen including regular admission fee. Tickets now on sale.
Inquiries: 03-3821-9270 (Tokyo National Museum, Events)
Shishimai - Shishimai - "lion dance" performance
 
Taiko - Japanese drums Taiko - Japanese drums
 Event in Collaboration with Kan'eiji Temple
  Special opening of the Konpon-Chudo (Main Hall) of Kan'eiji temple
Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January, 3, 2010, 10:00 - 15:00
Featuring oil painted portraits of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns ,et al.

 the Konpon-chudo Hall of Kan'eiji The Konpon-chudo (Main Hall) of Kan'eiji
 New-year Gifts and sale from the Museum Shop
New-year Gifts from the Museum Shop
Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January, 3, 2010
Receive a raffle draw with purchases of 2,500 yen and over
New year Book Sale
Saturday, January 2 - Monday, January 11, 2010
 New-year Gifts and Service from the Restaurants
Restaurant L'Accord
Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January, 3, 2010
Receive a raffle draw with every 1,500 yen spent per guest
Prize A : Seiyoken Gateau Selection
Prize B : Half bottle of Seiyoken white wine
Hotel Okura Garden Terrace
Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January, 3, 2010
Complimentary Amazake (hot sweet sake) service for restaurant guests
 Special Exhibition on January (Separate fees apply)
"THE POWER OF DOGU"
Room T5, Honkan
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 - Sunday, February 21, 2010
Exhibitions