Japanese Art Viewing in Kanto: The Envy of the World
- Kakitsubata-zu 燕子花図 (Irises) by Ogata Kōrin 尾形光琳 (1658-1716)
- Karajishi-zu 唐獅子図 (Chinese Lions) by Kanō Eitoku 狩野永徳 (1543-1590)
- Dōshoku sai-e 動植綵絵 (Colorful Realm of Living Beings) by Itō Jakuchū 伊藤若冲 (1716-1800)
- Yukimatsu-zu 雪松図 (Pine Trees in the Snow) by Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙 (1733-1795)
- Matsutaka-zu 松鷹図 (Hawk and Pine) by Soga Shōhaku 曽我蕭白 (1730-1781)
Imagine
you were a scholar of Japanese art and had never viewed the paintings listed above.
You had viewed them regularly in photographs and books but had never seen the
actual, original works with your own eyes. Imagine the time and expense involved
in flying to Japan to view the paintings as a requirement of your research, as
a scholar from New York for example. Imagine how many times you'd have to fly,
as they could never be viewed all at once at a single museum. For Japanese art enthusiasts
of the Kanto area however, no such difficulties exist. Every single one of the
paintings listed above has appeared on display at one or another museum in the
Kanto area over the past three years.
The
"Irises" folding screen painting by Ogata Kōrin for example is exhibited
almost annually at the Nezu Museum in Minami-Aoyama, and was last displayed in
May of this year. Both the "Chinese Lions" folding screen painting by
Kanō Eitoku and the thirty-scroll "Colorful Realm of Living Beings" series
by Itō Jakuchū are owned by the Imperial Household Agency and were featured in exhibition
at the Tokyo National Museum in November 2009. "Pine Trees in the Snow,"
a pair of folding-screen paintings by Maruyama Ōkyo, are owned by the Mitsui
Memorial Museum in Nihonbashi, and were last displayed in November 2010. And finally,
at the Chiba City Museum of Art, a set of five sliding door panels by Soga
Shōhaku, "Hawk and Pine," was part of an exhibition that took place
this last April.
This
is not a simple smattering of assorted paintings. These are all
highly-treasured, internationally recognized masterpieces of Japanese art. Two
are national treasures! (Two additional works from the list would receive the
same designation if they were not owned by the Imperial Household Agency, which is exempt
from this system of registration.) Imagine, if it helps, the Mona Lisa (c. 1503–1519) by Leonardo da
Vinci at the Louvre Museum in Paris, or The
Night Watch (1642) by Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. How
fortunate we are to have paintings of this same high distinction, here, at
home, in Kanto.
Another
remarkable feature of these paintings; all have been viewed, directly in
exhibition, by students of the my 英語専門講読 class!
Subtitled
"Japanese Art and Culture," this unique class within the Department
of English focuses on the
history and
culture of Japanese art, with particular attention given to Edo-period painting. Each
semester, after a thorough investigation of a selected artist's background,
characteristic painting style and works, the class complements or rather "enhances"
its studies with a research excursion to a corresponding museum exhibition. All
four poster images appearing on this blog in fact represent exhibitions
attended by the class. Yes, how indeed fortunate we are to be in the Kanto area,
the envy of every Japanese art enthusiast around the world!
