unknown early 16th century <p>Japanese wakizashi, the hilt of the wakizashi consists of a wooden grip, which is covered with white ray-skin and is secured to the tang near the top by a short bamboo rod. The bamboo rod is bound with a piece of flat black silk tape. The hilt of the wakizashi is decorated with ornaments (menuki) made entirely of gilt. The obverse of the hilt is decorated with a lion passing in front of a clump of peony. Whilst the reverse of the hilt is decorated with another lion seated behind and partly hidden by a clump of peony. The ferrule (fuchi) at the top of the grip is made of shakudo (gold alloy) and has a copper top pierced to admit the tang. It is heavily decorated with embossed gilt and depicts a stream with reeds and other marsh and water plants growing from its banks. From one of two outcrops of rock, both covered with lichens, grows a willow tree bearing fruit; above the tree fly two egrets and on a bridge sits a third egret. The pommel (kashirm/kashire) fits over the end of the grip and is secured by binding tape. It, too, is made of shakudo (gold alloy) and is decorated with a similar scene to that on the ferrule. The guard consists of three parts. The slightly curved steel blade has a flat back and groove. The back and the groove are brightly burnished and this has revealed slight flaws in the metal. A double collar (niju-habaki) is decorated with diagonal scratching and sewn pellets. The wooden scabbard is covered with black lacquer. The tape used to secure the sword to the waistband is made of cord in two colours - mid-brown and fawn.</p> <p>The Imperial Japanese Naval Attaché, Rear-Admiral K. Oguri (active 1914) at Christmas in 1914, presented this wakizashi to Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Arbuthnot Fisher, Baron Fisher of Kilverstone (1841-1920) and his wife. The sword has been provisionally identified as having been made in the Bizen Province, Japan in the early part of the 16th century.</p> WPN1141 National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Edged weapons Wakizashi (WPN1141) http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/images/200/E/11/E1194.jpg Bizen Province, Japan wood; ray-skin; bamboo; silk tape; gilt; gold alloy (shakudo); copper; steel; lacquer; cord unknown 18th century <p>Scaphe dial. This dial has a hinged lid and contains a compass. The outer case is silver with brass rims and a brass push-button clasp. The outside is chased with decorative patterns and a dragon is set in relief on the underside. There is a small silver carrying loop on the top. The compass is set into the lid of the instrument. It has a blacked ring around it, in which are engraved 12 characters (these are the 12 Chinese characters for the hours). The compass itself is silver and has four characters marking the cardinal points. The blued needle is rusty and surmounted by a brass pivot. The glass plate is broken at one edge and held in place by a brass ring. The dial itself is of silvered brass and has a central depression surrounded by 12 Chinese hour characters (marking the directions, not the hours). The hour-lines are engraved in the bowl of the dial and are marked by five Japanese characters. A small vertical brass pin gnomon is set in the centre of the dial.</p> <p>The dial is marked, as normal for a Japanese instrument, with the unequal double hours of the Japanese time system. There are two dials of this type in the MHS, Oxford (new inventory nos 40627 and 48528), the latter being slightly larger than the present instrument.</p> <p>For more information regarding this dial please refer to the OUP & NMM catalogue, 'Sundials at Greenwich'.</p> AST0527 National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Georges Prin Collection Sundials Scaphe dial (AST0527) http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/images/200/D/38/D3868.jpg Japan brass; silver; glass Miyagawa Kozan, born 1842 - died 1916 ca. 1900-1910 C.244-1910 Dingwall Gift Height 22.2 cm Vase http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL3860.jpg Japan Porcelain, with decoration in underglaze turquoise and brown Unknown 1937 In the 1930s kimono for young boys, such as this example, were often patterned with highly graphic propaganda images. Unusually, this kimono commemorates an actual event, the first aeroplane flight from Japan to Europe. The plane, called the 'kamikaze-go' flew from Tokyo to London, landing at Croydon airport on April 9th 1937 making its pilot, Masaaki Iinuma, a hero. The kimono is decorated with images of the plane and, in circles, Mount Fuji, Tower Bridge and the route of the flight, together with the British and French flags. The design also features block letters, in white on grey, which read '1937 Aorenraku 15000'. Aorenraku roughly translates to 'connections across the blue' and 15000 is the distance of the journey in kilometres. FE.2-2005 Width 78 cm (across shoulders) Length 72.5 cm (neck to hem at back) Kimono http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006BK5211.jpg Japan Printed wool Unknown 18th century This is an unusually mounted Japanese companion sword, known as a wakizashi. The blade is unsigned and very worn. The scabbard is covered with lacquered rayskin and decorated with what appear to be miscellaneous pieces of sword-fittings (mostly of iron and patinated copper) which have no coherent theme and seem randomly applied. It is possible that they were added to the scabbard after manufacture. After 1876 when the samurai were abolished as a class and the wearing of swords was prohibited there was very little further demand for swords and sword-fittings. Many craftsmen turned their hands to the newly arrived market of foreigners who avidly collected anything Japanese. Daggers were worn both by samurai and non-samurai including, increasingly, the merchant classes. Merchants tended towards gaudier mountings for their blades so the unusual decoration of this wakizashi would indicate that it was not for a samurai, but it is so oddly decorated that we must assume it was intended for sale to a western visitor to Japan in the late 19th century. 685 to B-1908 (Scabbard) Length 45.1 cm (overall) (Sword) Length 28.1 cm (blade) Sword and scabbard Wakizashi http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006BC9347.jpg Japan (Sword) Forged steel (Scabbard) Lacquered wood, covered in ray skin, with metal fittings of iron and patinated copper Toyokazu ca. 1850-1900 The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching to a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a dragon in a Chinese lantern plant. The great skill of this netsuke carver lay in contrasting the shape and texture of this apparently unlikely combination of subjects. The dragon is one of the 12 animals of the East Asian zodiac in Chinese cosmology. In a recurring cycle of 12, each animal is assigned to a year in a specific order. The traditional order is the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and boar. A netsuke portraying any of these animals was particularly associated with New Year festivities of the appropriate year, but could also be used any time during that particular year. It could also be used again in 12 years time in accordance with the cycle. From the 18th century onwards, netsuke were increasingly signed by the craftsman. This example is signed ‘Toyokazu’. Toyokazu was a carver of Tanba province, who was active from the mid- to late 19th century. He is thought to have been a pupil of Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), who was largely responsible for the fame of netsuke in Tanba province. A.54-1952 Shipman Gift Height 4.0 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0447.jpg Japan Carved and stained wood Arai, Junichi (maker) NUNO Corporation (manufacturer) 1979 Junichi Arai was born in Kiryu in 1932 in the centre of Japan's traditional weaving area. Arai is an acknowledged leader in the field of experimental weaving technology, combining traditional and futuristic, often with unexpected qualities. He worked closely with the fashion designer Issey Miyake in the 1980s. This piece is a multi-textured monochrome patchwork quilt, in which threads of different weights and tensions create a pucker and warp effect. It is a successful combination of synthetic and natural materials, with elasticity and soft textures. The fabric is a simple plain weave with a variation in the individual squares deriving from the subtly different personalities of the yarns used. T.148-1990 Given by the manufacturer Length 332 cm Width 68 cm Loom-width http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN1248.jpg Japan Woven cotton and polyester Unknown 1860-1880 This decorative cloisonné vase is one of a pair (Museum no.1273A-1886). The eggshell blue enamel ground is decorated with copper wires within which coloured enamels have been inlaid. The naturalistic decoration depicts the Japanese crane among bamboo, together with summer flowers such as peonies and convolvulus. By the 1880s, these types of motifs, so evocative in the Western mind of Japan, were combined with earlier styles of geometric patterns. The abstract border motifs are inspired by earlier Chinese styles and the rim and foot-ring of the vase have been gilded. Before the early 1800s Japanese enamelling on metal had been restricted to small decorative pieces. By about 1860 larger-scale wares were being produced with designs based on Chinese prototypes. These were increasingly decorated with naturalistic scenes including animals, insects and plants. Objects such as this vase were exported to the West, where they in turn influenced manufacturers such as Elkingtons. This vase was part of an enormous group of objects (although only a few of them were Japanese) bequeathed to the V&A in 1885 by Joshua Dixon, a successful cotton merchant. Born in Dalston, north-east London, Dixon died on his estate of Winslade Park in Somerset and left his collection initially to the Bethnal Green Museum, which is part of the V&A, for the 'benefit of the people of East London.' 1273-1886 Bequeathed by Joshua Dixon Height 26.8 cm Width 11.2 cm (base) Diameter 16.9 cm (maximum) Vase http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM5777.jpg Japan Nagoya, Japan Cloisonné enamels on copper, with gilded copper rims Yukinaka, born active by about 1725 1700-1750 Object Type The main function of the tsuba is to prevent the warrior's hand from sliding up on to the blade of the sword during combat. It also balances the weight of the blade and protects the hand from an opponent's blade. The pierced style of iron tsuba like this dates back to the late 15th century and has its origins in the schools of Kyoto metalworkers. The decoration of gourds and leaves entwined around bamboo has been carefully executed to include the leaves of the pauwlonia tree. People The tsuba was made by Kaneko Jurobei of Hagi in Choshu Province using the art name 'Yukinaka'. In 1888, when the V&A bought the collection of 92 tsuba of H. Virtue Tebbs, it more than doubled the Museum's holdings of these items. Time This tsuba was made around the middle of the 17th century at a time when the tsuba had become an expressive medium for metalworkers. Tsuba also reflected their owners' social standing and personal taste. By the late 19th century tsuba had become redundant in Japan, but were avidly collected by westerners fascinated by a new art form and which lent itself to the Victorian passion for collecting and cataloguing objects of interest. 1410-1888 Height 8.2 cm Depth 0.4 cm Sword guard Tsuba http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM6403.jpg Hagi, Japan Iron, with shakudo (patinated alloy of copper and gold) and copper Unknown 1750-1820 Object Type The main function of the tsuba is to prevent the warrior's hand from sliding up on to the blade of the sword during combat. It also balances the weight of the blade and protects the hand from an opponent's blade. This tsuba is of patinated copper with a nanako (fish-roe) type of ground with a design in relief of flowers and grasses, some of which are gilt-decorated. People This tsuba is in the style of the Goto school of metalworkers, the official makers of sword-fittings for the shogun's court. Following the dissolution of the samurai in 1876 and the prohibition of the wearing of swords, many former samurai sold their swords and sword fittings. Many of these objects reached Europe, where they were eagerly collected. This piece formed part of a group of 92 tsuba sold to the V&A in 1888 by H. Virtue Tebbs.This purchase more than doubled the Museum's collection of such items. Time This unsigned tsuba was made in the early 19th century. By the late 19th century tsuba had become redundant in Japan, but were avidly collected by westerners fascinated by a new art form that lent itself to the Victorian passion for collecting and cataloguing objects of interest. 1457-1888 Height 7.4 cm Width 6.6 cm Depth 0.5 cm Sword guard Tsuba http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM6396.jpg Japan Patinated copper, with nanako ground and relief decoration in gilt, shakudo and copper Michitoshi, born active by 1825 1800-1850 Object Type The main function of the tsuba is to prevent the warrior's hand from sliding up on to the blade of the sword during combat. It also serves to balance the weight of the blade and, to some extent, protect the hand from an opponent's blade. This tsuba is made of brass in the form of a bell and is inlaid with gold, silver and shakudo with raised decoration of a snake with gold and shakudo eyes and a copper tongue. People The tsuba is signed 'made by Michitoshi' and is of a type worn on swords carried by rich merchants or by samurai when away from the shogun's court. It formed part of a group of 92 tsuba sold to the V&A in 1888 by H. Virtue Tebbs. This purchase more than doubled the Museum's collection of such objects. Time Following the dissolution of the samurai in 1876 and the prohibition of the wearing of swords, many former samurai sold their swords and sword fittings. Many of these objects reached Europe, where they were eagerly collected. In typical Victorian fashion, British collectors became obsessed with collecting and cataloguing this new art form. 1461-1888 Height 7.6 cm Width 7 cm Depth 1 cm Sword guard Tsuba http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM6398.jpg Japan Brass, inlaid with gold and silver, with relief decoration of a snake with gold and shakudo eyes and a copper tongue Unknown 1590-1630 Object Type This tea caddy was made to contain the finely powdered green tea used in the making of so-called thick tea in the Japanese tea ceremony. This involves scooping and pouring the powdered tea from the caddy into a ceramic bowl. Hot water is added and the mixture is worked into a viscous suspension with a bamboo whisk. The one bowlful of tea is usually shared by four or five guests. Japanese ceramic tea caddies are small because they are required to hold tea for only one serving. Place Bizen is located near the coast of Japan's Inland Sea a little over 100 kilometres west of Osaka. It has long been known for its deposits of high quality iron-bearing clay. This turns a distinctive reddish brown colour when fired. Natural ash glazing and irregular scorching of the clay surface are achieved by the use of a wood-firing kiln. Historical Associations This tea caddy was one of over 200 Japanese ceramics bought by the V&A after they had been shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in the United States in 1876. Some, like this piece, were old, but the majority were new or nearly new. The collection was assembled by the Japanese with funds sent from Britain. 189&A-1877 Height 7.8 cm Diameter 5.7 cm Tea caddy http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM7754.jpg Bizen, Japan Stoneware, with a natural ash glaze and ivory lid Unknown 1650-1800 Object Type This tea caddy was made to contain the finely powdered green tea used in the making of so-called thick tea in the Japanese tea ceremony. This involves scooping and pouring the powdered tea from the caddy into a ceramic bowl. Hot water is added and the mixture is worked into a viscous suspension with a bamboo whisk. The one bowlful of tea is usually shared by four or five guests. Japanese ceramic tea caddies are small because they are required to hold tea for only one serving. Place The Takatori kilns are located in the northern part Kyushu, the westernmost of Japan's four main islands. They were founded at the beginning of the 17th century and have long been known for their elegant and finely potted tea ceramics. Historical Associations This tea caddy was one of over 200 Japanese ceramics bought by the V&A after they had been shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in the United States in 1876. Some, like this piece, were old, but the majority were new or nearly new. The collection was assembled by the Japanese with funds sent from Britain. 216-1877 Height 5.6 cm Diameter 6.7 cm Tea canister http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM7753.jpg Japan Stoneware, with ash and iron glazes, and ivory lid Unknown 1850-1870 Object Type Late 19th-century Japanese export fans were made in a wide variety of materials and forms. This fan has a double leaf painted with a different design on either side. Although it has relatively simple bamboo sticks, the guards, which would have been visible even when the fan was closed, are very ornate. The use of ivory encrusted with hardstones and other materials was a style of workmanship especially popular in the West. The high level of ornamentation on export fans is very different from what is found on fans for the native Japanese market. The use of subject matter such as women wearing kimono is also more typical of export than domestic products. Time The opening up of Japan in the mid-1850s after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world triggered a huge expansion in the manufacture of export goods in various media. These were avidly bought by western collectors, artists and designers, and played a central role in the development of 'Japonisme' and then art nouveau. 2279-1876 Given by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt and Lady Wyatt Height 27.2 cm Width 42.2 cm (maximum, open) Depth 2.4 cm (maximum, open) Length 13 cm (tassel) Fan http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM6387.jpg Japan Bamboo, painted silk, ivory encrusted with hardstones, horn and coloured ivory Unknown 1800-1850 Object Type The distinctive colour scheme of this dish is characteristic of one of several important varieties of ceramics made at the Kutani kilns from the early 19th century onwards. The Kutani kilns are located to the southwest of Kanazawa on the Japan Sea side of Japan's central island of Honshu. The styles of this piece, as well as of other kinds of Kutani ware are based on 17th-century originals produced in the western Japanese porcelain kilns of Arita. Time The opening up of Japan in the mid-1850s after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world triggered a huge expansion in the manufacture of export goods, together with a lively trade in older works of art. These were avidly sought out by western collectors, artists and designers, and played a central role in the development of 'Japonisme' and then art nouveau. At the Paris International Exhibition of 1878, the French designer Joseph-Théodore Deck (1823-1891) showed ceramics based directly on Kutani wares. Historical Associations This dish was one of over 200 Japanese ceramics bought by the V&A after they had been shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in the United States in 1876. Some were old, but the majority, like this piece, were new or nearly new. The collection was assembled by the Japanese with funds sent from Britain. 310-1877 Height 24.3 cm Width 24.5 cm Depth 4.2 cm Dish http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM9230.jpg Japan Porcelain, decorated in overglaze enamels Unknown 1860-1880 Object Type This decorative dish was made using many of the techniques found in the manufacture of traditional Japanese sword fittings. Silver was always regarded as a luxury commodity in Japan and was generally used only for inlay, so the use of silver for a single large object is significant. The rim of the dish is modelled as a piece of bamboo and the surface decoration is a naturalistic depiction of birds and wisteria (in various patinated alloys of copper and gold, some applied in relief) together with bamboo (executed in chisel cuts in imitation of brushstrokes, in a technique known as katakiri-bori). People Although we do not know the maker or manufacturer of this piece, it was part of a larger group of Japanese objects acquired from Londos & Co., with whom the designer Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) had close links. Many of the objects offered were rejected by the V&A as the acquisition of these objects raised questions about 'purchasing novelties in manufacture.' Time This dish is typical of the types of Japanese objects with naturalistic designs (which inspired contemporary British designers) being exported to the West around 1880 . The V&A paid what at that time was the considerable sum of £18.00 for the dish. 354-1880 Depth 2.5 cm Diameter 20 cm Dish http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM6976.jpg Japan Silver, with incised and applied decoration in patinated copper, silver and gilt, with shibuichi foot ring Kanzan workshop ca. 1875 Object Type This vase is a good example of late19th-century Japanese export porcelain. It was made in Kyoto, Japan's former imperial capital, which had grown into an important centre of ceramic manufacture during the 17th century. It is one of a pair of vases decorated with an astonishing degree of skill, with naturalistic bird and flower studies framed within a stylized border. The subject matter and treatment of the painted panels is similar to that found in Japanese illustrated books of the kind that were arousing much interest in the West at the time. Time The opening up of Japan in the mid-1850s after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world triggered a huge expansion in the manufacture of export goods in ceramics and other media. These were avidly sought out by western collectors, artists and designers, and played a central role in the development of 'Japonisme' and then art nouveau. Historical Associations This vase was one of over 200 Japanese ceramics bought by the V&A after they had been shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in the United States in 1876. Some were old, but the majority, like this piece, were new or nearly new. The collection was assembled by the Japanese with funds sent from Britain. 369A-1877 Height 37 cm Width 18 cm Diameter 13.5 cm (base) Vase http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM5318.jpg Kyoto (city), Japan Porcelain, decorated in overglaze enamels and gilt Unknown 1800-1880 Object Type This is a typical 19th-century Japanese ornamental comb. Combs were often made of luxurious and eye-catching materials, in this case lacquered wood. The design of the moon behind a tree cleverly continues around the back, encouraging the viewer to turn it over. Ownership & Use This type of comb was meant to be used as a decorative hair ornament rather than as something useful for actually combing the hair. Combs became popular with the emergence of elaborate hair-dos during the 17th century. They complemented the elegant kimono of the wearer and were usually used in combination with ornate hairpins and bodkins. Time In the mid-1850s Japan was opened up after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world. The passion for all things Japanese that this triggered in the West was termed 'Japonisme'. Japanese art objects were avidly bought by Western collectors, artists and designers from specialist dealers or from shops such as Liberty's. Kimono and dress accessories were regarded as the embodiment of Japanese femininity. 38-1888 Height 4.5 cm Width 12.1 cm Depth 0.3 cm Comb http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM8018.jpg Japan Lacquer on a wood base, decorated with gold and silver hiramaki-e and togidashi-e lacquer Unknown 1800-1850 Object Type Writing boxes of this kind were not used in Japan. They were made especially for export to the West, where Japanese lacquer had been admired since the end of the 16th century. The coloured mother-of-pearl design of birds and foliage is typical of early 19th-century lacquer objects made for foreign customers. Time During the late 17th century Dutch merchants were the only Europeans allowed to trade in Japan. Rising prices meant that no Japanese lacquer was officially exported after 1693. As a substitute, merchants turned to cheaper and inferior products made in China. However, during the 18th and 19th centuries, Dutch merchants were able to use their privileged position to place private orders for objects like this box. Places Japanese export wares were shipped abroad from Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour. By the late 18th century a new type of export work, called 'Nagasaki lacquer', had developed there. It is characterised by extremely thin and strikingly coloured pieces of pearl shell inlaid into black lacquer. The main parts of the design were also often underpainted. 51:1 to 3-1852 Height 14.8 cm Width 42.2 cm Depth 25.4 cm Writing box http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AT9070.jpg Nagasaki (city), Japan Wood, covered with black lacquer and inlaid with under-painted mother-of-pearl Unknown 1850-1867 Object Type This Japanese textile is a fukusa or gift cover. In the Edo period (1615-1868) the exchange of gifts was an important social ritual. Gifts were usually presented in a box on a tray over which the fukusa would be placed. The choice of a fukusa appropriate to the occasion was an important part of the gift-giving ceremony. The richness of the decoration was an indication of the donor's wealth and the design showed evidence of their taste and cultural sensitivity Materials & Making Many fukusa are embroidered. Much of the design in this example has been executed in gold thread, which looks dazzling against the black velvet ground. The thread consists of a silk core wrapped in paper and gold leaf. It has been laid on the surface of the fabric and attached with tiny stitches, a technique called couching. The three-dimensional effect was achieved by padding out various parts of the design with cotton prior to embroidering. Subjects Depicted This fukusa depicts the legend of Jo and Uba. They were an old couple who lived a long and happy life together. When they died their spirits occupied the old pine tree on the island where they had lived. On moonlit nights they returned in human form to clear the forest floor, Jo raking in the good and Uba sweeping out the bad. The story symbolises conjugal harmony and long life. 701-1868 Height 76 cm Width 67.1 cm Depth 1.5 cm Gift cover Fukusa http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM7764.jpg Japan Velvet, embroidered with coloured silk and gold-wrapped thread Unknown 1860-1867 Object Type In Japan, where this length of silk crepe was made, the material would have been used to make a kimono. It contains enough cloth to make one garment. Both sexes wore kimono, but the design of this particular length of fabric suggests that it would have been used for a woman's clothing. Materials & Making The pattern of bamboo and flowering trees was created using a resist-dyeing technique. Rice paste was applied to certain parts of the cloth to form a protective coating that prevented penetration of the dye. Once the dye was dry the paste was washed away. Different areas were protected at various stages of the patterning process. Time Japanese objects were imported into Britain in large numbers in the second half of the 19th century. Japanese dyed textiles were very different from those made in Britain. The bold design and bright colours of this length of cloth would have been highly appealing. Fabrics like this would have been used to make exotic garments or used for interior decoration. Historical Associations Japan was keen to show off its textile skills at the big exhibitions that took place in Europe in the 19th century. This length was shown at the Paris International Exhibition of 1867 where it was bought by the Museum. 842-1869 Length 1800 cm Width 47 cm Kimono fabric http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN1240.jpg Japan Silk crepe, with resist-dyed decoration Unknown 1860-1867 Object Type The small size of this chest of drawers suggests that it was designed as a decorative rather than a functional item. It was made specifically for export to the West and is typical of the kind of object made in response to the growing overseas demand for Japanese products. Time In the 1850s Japan opened its ports to foreign trade. As a mass of goods and information about the country reached the West, a craze for all things Japanese swept across Britain, Europe and the United States. In the second half of the19th century craftsmen in Japan made large numbers of objects that catered for this taste. Many of these, like this chest of drawers, were relatively cheap and affordable. Historical Associations Japan was eager to take advantage of the western fascination for its products and exhibited many objects at the big exhibitions that took place in Europe and the United States in the 19th century. Japan organised its first display for the Paris International Exhibition of 1867. This chest of drawers was one of the objects exhibited on that occasion. The Japanese display was very successful and the V&A bought a number of objects, including nine straw-work boxes and cabinets. 847:1 to 6-1869 Height 13.1 cm Width 14 cm Depth 7.6 cm Miniature chest of drawers http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AT8587.jpg Japan Straw-work on a wood base Gensaiken, born active 1858 (decorator) 1850-1865 Object Type In Japan tea is traditionally drunk from small bowls such as this. This example was made in Satsuma in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. The ceramics first made in Satsuma in the 17th century were usually plain. By the second half of the 19th century, when this bowl was made, Satsuma potters were decorating their works in enamels and gilt. Subjects Depicted This bowl is decorated with two carp. The carp is highly prized in Japan and is associated with a Chinese legend in which any fish able to leap over the famous longmen waterfall was transformed into a dragon. The story, known as 'Climbing the Dragon Gate', was a metaphor for success and advancement. Time After Japan opened its ports to foreign trade in the 1850s, a craze for all things Japanese swept across Britain, Europe and the United States. Japan was eager to exploit this enthusiasm and discovered that the big international exhibitions that took place in Europe and America in the second half of the 19th century were an ideal opportunity to promote its products. Japan organised its first display for the Paris Exhibition of 1867. Satsuma had its own section at the show and exhibited many works by its potters, including this bowl. The success of the 1867 display initiated a great vogue in the West for highly decorated Satsuma ceramics. They became so popular that other potteries in Japan began to copy them. 866-1869 Height 4.9 cm Diameter 9.5 cm Tea bowl http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM5954.jpg Satsuma, Japan Earthenware, with a crackled cream glaze and decoration in overglaze enamels and gilt Unknown 1850-1867 Object Type This stacking cabinet is a variation on a cabinet for the incense game. It contains small boxes within boxes to hold incense woods, and an outer tray in the form of a table with legs. Time The opening up of Japan in the mid-1850s after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world triggered a huge interest in Japanese art and design. Western collectors, artists and designers particularly admired lacquer, for which they had no equivalent. But while they appreciated such objects for their craftsmanship and design, they would not have understood their original function. Historical Associations This stacking cabinet was one of a group of objects displayed by the Japanese at the Paris Exhibition of 1867. This and subsequent international exhibitions were largely responsible for introducing Japanese art to the Western public. Lacquerwork formed a central part of the Japanese displays at these exhibitions. Some examples were old, but the majority, like this piece, were new or nearly new. The V&A acquired 20 items of Japanese lacquerwork from the Paris Exhibition. 875 to J-1869 Height 12.4 cm Width 13 cm Depth 8.9 cm Stacking cabinet http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AU5841.jpg Japan Wood, covered with black lacquer, with gold hiramaki-e, togidashi-e and takamaki-e lacquer decoration Unknown 1860-1867 Object Type This dish is typical of objects manufactured for export to the West at the end of the 19th century. It has no real function and was made for purely decorative purposes. The combination of tortoiseshell and lacquer decorated with peacocks embodied the exoticism that the West associated with Japan. Places Since the early 17th century trade with Europe had only been permitted through the Dutch base on the island of Deshima in Nagasaki harbour. Apart from very high-quality items that were made to order in Kyoto, Nagasaki was the source of most Japanese export lacquerware. With the opening up of Japan in the 1850s, Nagasaki was nominated as one of three official ports through which trade with the West could be conducted. In the late 19th century it also became a major centre for the production of gold lacquer applied to an ivory or tortoiseshell ground. Historical Associations This dish was one of a group of objects displayed by the Japanese at the Paris Exhibition of 1867. The Japanese exhibits were enormously popular. This and subsequent international exhibitions were largely responsible for introducing Japanese art to the Western public. The V&A bought 20 items of Japanese lacquerwork from the Paris Exhibition. 887-1869 Height 6 cm Diameter 30.5 cm (maximum) Dish http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AU5822.jpg Nagasaki (city), Japan (probably) Tortoiseshell, with gold hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer, inlaid with mother-of-pearl Unknown 1800-1880 Object Type This is a typical 19th-century Japanese ornamental comb. Combs were often made of luxurious and eye-catching materials such as lacquer or ivory, as in this case. The decoration of cranes symbolises long life. Ownership & Use This type of comb was meant to be used as a decorative hair ornament rather than as something with which to actually comb the hair. Combs became popular with the emergence of elaborate hairdos during the 17th century. They complemented the elegant kimono of their wearers and were usually used in combination with ornate hairpins and bodkins. Time In the mid-1850s Japan was opened up after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world. The passion for all things Japanese that this triggered in the West was termed Japonisme. Japanese art objects were avidly bought by western collectors, artists and designers from specialist dealers or shops such as Liberty's. Kimono and dress accessories were regarded as the embodiment of Japanese femininity. Combs were pretty items that could be bought relatively cheaply. 91-1888 Height 6.1 cm Width 14.5 cm Depth 0.4 cm Comb http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM8019.jpg Japan Carved and incised ivory, with openwork Unknown 1800-1880 Object type This is a typical 19th-century Japanese ornamental comb. Combs were often made of luxurious and eye-catching materials, in this case ivory decorated in gold lacquer with a pattern of maple leaves. This motif is found in the work of British architects and designers such as Edward W. Godwin (1833-1886). Ownership & Use This type of comb was meant to be used as a decorative hair ornament rather than as something with which to actually comb the hair. Combs became popular with the emergence of elaborate hairdos during the 17th century. They complemented the elegant kimono of their wearers and were usually used in combination with ornate hairpins and bodkins. Time In the mid-1850s Japan was opened up after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world. The passion for all things Japanese that this triggered in the West was termed 'Japonisme'. Japanese art objects were avidly bought by western collectors, artists and designers from specialist dealers or shops such as Liberty's. Kimono and dress accessories were regarded as the embodiment of Japanese femininity. Combs were pretty items that could be bought relatively cheaply. 92-1888 Height 4.5 cm Width 9.2 cm Depth 0.5 cm Comb http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM6837.jpg Japan Ivory, painted with gold lacquer and pigments Unknown 1800-1880 Object Type This is a typical 19th-century Japanese ornamental comb. Combs were often made of luxurious and eye-catching materials, in this case blond tortoiseshell decorated with gold lacquer. Ownership & Use This type of comb was meant to be used as a decorative hair ornament rather than as something with which to actually comb the hair. Combs became popular with the emergence of elaborate hairdos during the 17th century. They complemented the elegant kimono of their wearers and were usually used in combination with ornate hairpins and bodkins. Time In the mid-1850s Japan was opened up after more than two centuries of seclusion from the rest of the world. The passion for all things Japanese that this triggered in the West was termed 'Japonisme'. Japanese art objects were avidly bought by western collectors, artists and designers from specialist dealers or shops such as Liberty's. Kimono and dress accessories were regarded as the embodiment of Japanese femininity. Combs were pretty items that could be bought relatively cheaply. 94-1888 Height 3.5 cm Width 10.1 cm Depth 0.4 cm Comb http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM8017.jpg Japan Blond tortoiseshell, with gold hiramaki-e and takamaki-e decoration Unknown 1700-1720 Object Type This cup and saucer is typical of the kind of Japanese porcelain that was made in connection with the growing European interest in tea drinking in the early 18th century. Japanese export cups of this early period did not have handles. The blue, red and gold colour scheme is typical of the so-called Imari style, which was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place The Imari style is named after the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelain for export was sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time From 1639 to the mid-1850s merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced during this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards. C.112&A-1912 Marie Adeline Dumergue Bequest (Cup) Height 4 cm (Cup) Diameter 7.6 cm (maximum) (Saucer) Diameter 12.5 cm (Saucer) Depth 2.6 cm Cup and saucer http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM3287.jpg Arita, Japan Porcelain, with Imari-style decoration in underglaze blue and overglaze enamels and gilt Unknown 1700-1720 Object Type This bottle, of a type made solely for export, is one of a pair (C.1518-1910) previously in the collection of the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace. The small chrysanthemum-shaped stopper echoes the chrysanthemum design that appears on one of the four sides. The designs on the three other sides feature the peony, prunus and squirrel-and-vine. The blue, red and gold Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place Imari was the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time From 1639 until the mid-1850s merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced in this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards. C.1517-1910 The Salting Bequest Height 24 cm (including inserted stopper) Width 10.8 cm Depth 10.8 cm Bottle http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AT9019-1.jpg Arita, Japan Porcelain, with Imari-style decoration in underglaze blue and overglaze enamels and gilt Unknown 1700-1725 Object Type This large covered jar is one of a set of five (C.1520&A to 1525&A-1910) and is a splendid example of the type of porcelain made in early-18th-century Japan for export to Europe. Wares of this shape and size would not have been marketed in Japan. The areas of dark blue were achieved by painting with cobalt oxide under a clear glaze and firing to a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere. The gold, red and other enamel colours were applied and fused on in subsequent, low-temperature firings. The distinctive so-called Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place Imari was the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time During the 18th century, when this vase was made, merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced from 1639 until the mid-1850s. European hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards. C.1521&A-1910 Salting Bequest Height 72.6 cm Vase http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AK4925.jpg Arita, Japan Porcelain, with Imari-style decoration in underglaze blue, overglaze enamels and gilding Unknown 1680-1700 Object Type This teapot is typical of the kind of Japanese porcelain made in connection with the growing interest in tea-drinking in late 17th-century Europe. The use of bright enamel colours on a fine white body is characteristic of the so-called Kakiemon style. This takes its name from the family of decorators reputed to have introduced the techniques of overglaze enamelling to Arita in western Japan in the 1640s. Kakiemon-style wares were the costliest and most sought after of all Japanese export ceramics. They were widely copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place Kakiemon-style wares were transported by sea from Imari, the port nearest to Arita. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time From 1639 until the mid-1850s, merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced during this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards. C.413&A-1909 Height 9.5 cm Width 14.3 cm (including handle and spout) Depth 8.2 cm Teapot http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AU8417.jpg Arita, Japan (teapot) Europe (mounts) Porcelain, with Kakiemon-style decoration, and silver-gilt mounts Hiroshige, Utagawa, born 1797 - died 1858 Tsutaya Juzaburo, born active by 1804 (publisher) 1858 Object Type Japanese woodblock prints were commercial productions made for popular consumption. They were made by artists, block cutters and printers working independently to the instructions of specialist publishers. The popularity of landscape prints in 19th-century Japan was a reflection of the growth of travel and the associated demand for depictions of famous beauty spots. Place The Satta Pass and the wild sea below it was a well-known location on the Tokaido highway. This main route along the eastern seaboard of Japan connected Edo (modern Tokyo) and Kyoto. The pass was created in 1655 to improve the road at this point. Mount Fuji can be seen rising majestically in the background. Time This print was published in Edo just at the time that commercial and diplomatic ties were being established between Japan and western nations in the mid to late 1850s. During the second half of the 19th century large numbers of prints were exported to Europe and the United States. They were avidly sought out by western collectors, artists and designers, and played a major role in the development of 'Japonisme' and then art nouveau. E.1275-1922 Height 38 cm (unframed) Width 25.5 cm (unframed) The Sea at Satta in Suruga Province Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji (Woodblock print) http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM7637.jpg Japan Block print on paper Konoike (of Yokohama) 1890-1895 Object Type This silver teapot was made in Japan at the end of the 19th century specifically for export to Britain.The design of chrysanthemums is a traditional Japanese one, but the form of the vessel is western. Time By the time that this teapot was made in the 1890s Japanese crafts had undergone three decades of dramatic change. Revolution in Japan in 1868 had brought an end to feudal rule and the start of a period of modernisation along western lines. Old systems of patronage disappeared and traditional objects became obsolete. Craftsmen turned their skills to the making of decorative objects for the expanding export market. The silversmith Konoike, who made the body of this teapot, was one such craftsman. He was based in the great trading port of Yokohama near Tokyo. People Konoike was specially commissioned to make this teapot by Liberty and Company. This famous London shop was founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1875. Liberty's specialised in selling goods imported from Asia and played an important part in fostering the late 19th-century craze for all things Japanese. From the 1880s Liberty also began to commission works from British designers, particularly those whose work was influenced by Japanese art. M.32-1973 Height 10.2 cm Width 15 cm (including spout and handle) Depth 9.2 cm Diameter 6.4 cm (base) Teapot http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM7948.jpg Yokohama, Japan Silver repoussé Unknown ca. 1800-1880 Object Type In Japan, ravelling tea sets of this kind are associated with the cult of the tea ceremony. The tea ceremony usually takes place in a specially-built tea room, but there are times when it is practised in the open air as part of an outing to view cherry blossoms, the moon or maple leaves. It is on these occasions that tea sets like this are used. Time By the 19th century, when this set was made, the tea ceremony was practised by large numbers of Japanese. It was an elegant pastime, but no longer an elitist one, as it had been during the 16th and 17th centuries. Many 19th-century western collectors of Japanese art were dismissive of the often austere utensils used in the tea ceremony. This set, however, would have been appealing for its compactness of design and relatively ornate qualities. Christopher Dresser (1834-1904), who visited Japan in 1876, is known to have designed a travelling tea service influenced by Japanese prototypes. Use The contents of this tea set are different from what you would find in a western equivalent. This is because the Japanese tea ceremony involves the preparation and drinking not of steeped tea, but of finely powdered green tea and hot water whipped up in a tea bowl with a bamboo whisk. M.39:1 to 21-1965 Given by Miss J. F. Newcombe (Box) Height 11.2 cm (Box) Width 19.3 cm (Box) Depth 11.5 cm (Kettle) Height 9.5 cm (Kettle) Width 11.4 cm (including spout) (Kettle) Depth 10 cm (excluding spout) (Saucepan) Height 5.6 cm (Saucepan) Width 11.5 cm (including handle) (Saucepan) Depth 9 cm (including spout) (Tea bowl) Height 5.3 cm (Tea bowl) Diameter 10.4 cm (Whisk) Length 8.9 cm (Whisk) Diameter 3 cm (Container) Height 9.6 cm (Container) Diameter 3.9 cm (Bag) Height 7.1 cm (Bag) Diameter 2.5 cm (Cloth) Height 28 cm (Cloth) Width 26.7 cm (Tea caddy) Height 5.5 cm (Tea caddy) Diameter 3.5 cm (Stand) Height 11.1 cm (assembled) (Stand) Width 9.5 cm (assembled) (Stand) Depth 9.5 cm (assembled) Travelling tea service http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL8244.jpg Japan (Box) Wood, gold lacquer and gold and silver kirikane (Kettle) Patinated copper (Saucepan) Silver gilt (Tea bowl) Stoneware, with grey glaze, incised (Whisk) Bamboo (Container) Cloisonné, with silk cloth (Tea caddy) Pewter (Stand) Iron (Scoop) Wood From Japan Kamakura period, 14th century AD Kannon (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara) was one of the principal bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism in east Asia. In Jōdo ('Pure Land') Buddhism he often appears with the bodhisattva Seishi (Sanskrit: Mahasthamaprapta) flanking the Buddha Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha) in a triad welcoming the souls of the dead into the Western Paradise. In this statue, Kannon is shown in traditional welcoming posture and originally held a lotus flower which had the power to carry the faithful to paradise. The structural technique used is yosegi zukuri, which means that the statue is made of hollow components fitted together. The decoration on the robes, consisting of leaves, waves, hatching and linked swastikas, is all of gold foil typical of sculpture of the Kamakura period (1185-1333). L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) Asia JA 1886.3-22.7 Height: 87.000 cm The bodhisattva Kannon http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps154909_m.jpg From Japan Kamakura period, 14th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Kamakura period, late 12th century - 13th century AD The central figure is the three-faced, four-armed bodhisattva Kannon (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara). In Japanese Buddhism Kannon is shown in may different forms. Here, he is shown as Fukūkensaku ('with the Never-empty Noose'), carrying in one hand the rope with which he captures the hearts and minds of the faithful. He sits on a white lotus on a high rock which together suggest the 'Great Womb Mandala', the central image of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. Bottom right stands Bishamon-ten (Vaishravana), Guardian King of the North, sword in hand. Bottom left stands the bodhisattva Shu Kongō (Vajrapani) on an earthen mound grasping a vajra (thunderbolt). These two figures appear to be based on ninth-century clay sculptures in Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara. The painting has some interesting technical details. The artist has applied white paint through from the back of the silk (urahaku) to represent the skin of the central figure, which he has then shaded rose-colour on the surface and outlined with vermilion. The lotus petals are brightened with lines of silver paint, and in many cases the coloured outlines are drawn first then filled in. The brushwork of the rocks is particularly skilful. The back of the silk is painted with gold to strengthen the colours. The painting is a fine example of an artist of the Kamakura period (1185-1333) adapting the earlier styles of the Nara period (710-94). L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Brooke Sewell Bequest Fund Height: 1230.000 mm Width: 874.000 mm Fukūkensaku Kannon with two Guardian Deities, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps150553_m.jpg Japan Kamakura period, late 12th century - 13th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD389 (1967.2-13.02) Japan Kamakura period, 14th century AD, or later Following his victory in the civil wars between his own Minamoto clan and the Taira clan in 1185, Yoritomo (1147-99) founded a new system of warrior rule in Kamakura. This ended a period of some 600 years of centralized authority of the imperial court at Kyoto. Yoritomo is here shown seated on a tatami dais, wearing sokutai formal court costume and cap, and carrying a ceremonial board (shaku). The decorated hilt of a long sword (efu no tachi) juts forward from his waist. The inscription above in coloured cartouches celebrates his military prowess and political authority. This is a copy of one of a set of three hanging scrolls (designated in Japan as 'National Treasures') preserved at Jingōji Temple in Kyoto. The three scrolls are traditionally said to depict Minamoto no Yoritomo, Taira no Shigemori and Fujiwara no Mitsuyoshi. According to tradition, they were painted by the court portraitist Fujiwara no Takanobu (1142-1205) or, alternatively, they may have been dedicated at the new Sentō'in sub-temple of Jingō-ji, founded about 1230. However, there has recently been a lively debate in Japan about the Jingō-ji scrolls. A new theory suggests that they may depict members of the succeeding Ashikaga dynasty: Ashikaga Tadayoshi, Ashikaga Takauji and Ashikaga Yoshiakira respectively. The theory also suggests that the paintings were donated to the temple by Tadayoshi in 1345. The inscription on this copy, clearly identifying the sitter as Yoritomo, has been used to support the traditional attribution. However, recent conservation and analysis of this scroll in the Oka Studio at the Kyoto National Museum have revealed physical characteristics which suggest that the copy may have been made as late as the Edo period (1600-1868). The original identity of the sitter is still hotly debated. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Purchased with the assistance of G. Eumorphopolous and the National Art Collections Fund Height: 1450.000 mm Width: 885.000 mm Minamoto no Yoritomo in court dress, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps344485_m.jpg Japan Kamakura period, 14th century AD, or later British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD10 (1920.7-13.01) Unknown 1600-1630 Object Type Most Japanese export lacquer was made to order in forms suited to Western interiors and lifestyles. This object corresponds to the basin of a European metalwork basin and ewer set, which would be used for washing hands after dinner. Time Japanese lacquerware was first shipped to Europe during the late 16th century and was quite unlike anything that had been seen there before. It became extremely sought after and was imported in large numbers throughout the 17th century. Most European country houses and palaces possessed examples of Japanese export lacquer. Design & Designing Up until the 1620s export lacquer was produced in a distinctive style known as Namban. This was a manner of decoration that combined elements of Chinese, Korean and Gujurati work from India. It made extensive use of inlaid mother-of-pearl with gold and black lacquer. The decoration covered the entire surface and included the use of ornate borders, characteristics not found on lacquerware made for the home market in Japan. The Namban style is found both on objects for the foreign market and on religious paraphernalia used by Japanese Christians. W.13-1957 Presented by The Art Fund Depth 8.7 cm Diameter 49.3 cm Basin http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AT9021.jpg Japan Wood, covered in black lacquer, with gold hiramaki-e lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay Unknown 1630-1690 Object Type This panel is thought to have originally been part of a cabinet or screen made in Japan for the European market. Since lacquer had no natural equivalent in the West, Japanese lacquerware was always much in demand. This resulted in objects being cut up and reused when sections became damaged or when fashion changed. Although lacquerwork for the Japanese home market rarely depicted detailed figures, men and women dressed in kimono are often found on export products designed to appeal to Westerners. Time Japanese lacquerware was first shipped to Europe during the late 16th century and was quite unlike anything seen before. It was much admired and was imported in large quantities throughout the 17th century. Most European country houses and palaces possessed examples of Japanese export lacquer. Places High quality export lacquer was made to special order in Kyoto, Japan's former imperial capital. It was then transported to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch merchants. W.181-1910 The Salting Bequest Height 22 cm Width 65 cm Depth 1.5 cm Panel http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM5338.jpg Japan Wood, covered in black lacquer, with gold, black and red hiramaki-e and takamaki-e, inlaid with silver and gold foil and mother-of-pearl Unknown ca. 1630 (Stand) 1680-1700 Object Type Most Japanese export lacquer was made in forms suited to Western interiors and lifestyles. This object is in the form of a cabinet with internal drawers that has no equivalent in Japan. To make it more practical, stands were frequently added in the West. Materials & Making The sap from the lacquer tree could be processed to produce a glossy, durable and highly attractive decorative surface. Japanese lacquer-ware was first shipped to Europe during the late 16th century and was quite unlike anything seen before. It was much admired and was imported in large quantities throughout the 17th century. Most European country houses and palaces possessed examples of Japanese export lacquer. Places High-quality export lacquer was made to special order in Kyoto, Japan's former imperial capital. It was then transported to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch merchants. From the early 17th century onwards, the Dutch were the only Europeans allowed to trade in Japan, which they did through the Dutch East India Company. FE.38:1 to 13-1978 Height 107.5 cm (on stand) Width 67 cm Depth 36 cm Cabinet on stand http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL3068.jpg (Cabinet) Japan (Stand) Netherlands (probably) Cabinet of lacquer on wood; stand of painted pine Liberty & Co. Ltd. (retailers) ca. 1890-1900 Decorative schemes in the Aesthetic style often included imitation leather wallpapers. Some arbiters of taste, such as the writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), preferred them to conventional wallpapers because of the rich and luxurious effect they created. He recommended their use in his series of lectures on interior decoration. He also hung a Japanese leather paper in the drawing room of his ‘house beautiful’ at 16 Tite Street, London. This paper was one of several made for Liberty & Co., the London department store. Liberty’s specialised in Aesthetic style and oriental furnishings. The paper may have been made in Japan, where there were a number of workshops specialising in the production of imitation leather papers in the later 19th century. They manufactured them for the European market. E.436-1999 Given by Mr Paul Reeves Height 28.7 cm Width 16.8 cm Wallpaper http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL7147.jpg Japan (possibly) Embossed paper with bronze metallic pigment Unknown 1670-1700 Object Type Figures of animals, which are often found in pairs, are especially common among early Japanese export porcelain. Lions in Japan are often found as guardian figures, but this symbolism is unlikely to have been known in the West. The use of bright enamel colours on a fine white body is characteristic of the so-called Kakiemon style. The family of decorators who worked in the Kakiemon kiln are reputed to have introduced the techniques of overglaze enamelling to Arita in the 1640s. Kakiemon-style wares were the costliest and most sought after of all Japanese export ceramics. They were widely copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place Kakiemon-style wares were transported by sea from Imari, the port nearest to Arita in western Japan. Porcelain for export was sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time From 1639 until the mid-1850s merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced in this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards. C.35-1958 Height 12 cm Width 14.2 cm (head to tail) Depth 11 cm (maximum, front to back) Figure http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM5314.jpg Arita, Japan Porcelain, with Kakiemon-style decoration in overglaze enamels Unknown 1700-1720 Object Type This bottle, of a type made solely for export, is one of a pair (C.1517-1910) previously in the collection of the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace. The small chrysanthemum-shaped stopper echoes the chrysanthemum design that appears on one of the four sides. The designs on the three other sides feature the peony, prunus and squirrel-and-vine. The blue, red and gold Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. Place Imari was the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch and Chinese merchants. Time From 1639 until the mid-1850s merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. This was due to the Japanese government's seclusion policy, which was enforced in this period. Hard-paste porcelain comparable in quality to Chinese and Japanese imports was first made at Meissen in Germany in the early years of the 18th century. Porcelain was made in Britain from the late 1740s onwards. C.1518-1910 The Salting Bequest Height 24 cm (including inserted stopper) Width 10.8 cm Depth 10.8 cm Bottle http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AT9019.jpg Arita, Japan Porcelain, with Imari-style decoration in underglaze blue, and overglaze enamels and gilt Miyake, Issey, born 1938 (designer) 1990s In the early 1990s, small bags with designer logos swung all over London, New York and Paris, and only the trained eye could distinguish the real articles from the counterfeit. Stalwarts such as Jane Shilton continued to provide quality for many women with their affordable and well-made range of handbags. Shoe shops and boutique groups produced accessories that perfectly complemented their styles. Meanwhile, fashion designers featured more and more accessories at their catwalk shows, with hats, bags and shoes supplying the fizz, and the sale, for many collections. This black leather bust-shaped handbag by Issey Miyake plays on the idea of the femininity of the handbag--formed into a hollow torso it is subtle and disconcerting. T.149-1991 Given by Francesca Galloway Height 52.5 cm (including handle) Width 40 cm Depth 21 cm Handbag http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN9206.jpg Japan Shaped leather Kiyomitsu 18th century-19th century The blade of this Japanese guardless dagger (‘aiguchi’) is signed Kiyomitsu. It probably dates from the 18th or 19th century. The hilt and scabbard are of a hard dark wood with the grain emphasised, inlaid with insects and snails in ivory and pearl-shell in low relief. The mounts are of silver engraved with ‘karakusa’ scrolls. There is a small utility knife (‘kogai’) in the side of the scabbard. The blade and mounting are contemporary with each other. Daggers were worn both by samurai and by non-samurai, including, increasingly, the merchant classes. Merchants tended towards gaudier mountings for their blades, so the restrained colours of the lacquer and metal fittings on this dagger would indicate that it was probably made for a samurai, perhaps an older gentleman. 65 to C-1907 (Scabbard) Length 32.1 cm (Dagger) Length 20.7 cm (blade) Dagger and scabbard Aiguchi http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006BC9344.jpg Japan (Dagger) Forged steel (Scabbard) Lacquered wood, with ivory, mother-of-pearl and silver decoration Japan Kamakura period, early 14th century AD Jion Daishi (AD 632-82) was the Chinese patriarch of the Hossō (Chinese: Faxiang) sect, which he brought to Japan from China and which became one of the main six sects of Nara Buddhism. His original Chinese name was Guiji. His portrait was kept for veneration in Hossō temples throughout Japan, especially the great temples of Kōfukuji, Yakushiji and Hōryūji. Special 'Jion Daishi meetings' were held from the tenth century onwards when his portrait was displayed. This accounts for the relatively large number of surviving paintings from this time. The patriarch is portrayed here as a tall, imposing figure with bushy eyebrows and strong features. The inscription at the top gives a brief account of his life. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 1675.000 mm Width: 855.000 mm Height: 1675.000 mm Width: 855.000 mm Hanging scroll painting with a portrait of the monk Jion Daishi http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps120774_m.jpg Japan Kamakura period, early 14th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD377 (1964.7-11.01) From Japan Kamakura period, 13th century AD Gyōdō was a ceremony derived originally from China in the Tang dynasty (AD 618-906). Priests wearing bodhisattva masks paraded outside temples. Bodhisattva masks are particularly associated with the raigō forms of these ceremonies, which enacted the welcome of the dead into Paradise by the Buddha Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha). This example is made of lacquered, painted and gilded wood. The procession was led by dancers carrying a shishi mask to exorcise the route. Gift of Lady Francis Oppenheimer Height: 23.000 cm Width: 20.030 cm Bodhisattva mask for Gyōdō http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339677_m.jpg From Japan Kamakura period, 13th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1963.7-22.1 From Japan Kamakura or Muromachi period, 14th-15th century AD Aizen is one of the five Myō-ō (Sanskrit: Vidyarajas), 'Kings of Light', personified spells and protectors of the esoteric Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, whose principal deity, Dainichi Nyōrai (Mahavairacana), is the Buddha from whom boundless light emanates. Aizen is usually portrayed wearing a lion-skin hat or wearing a shishi head-dress and he sits on a lotus throne. He has six arms, each holding one of his attributes: bow, arrow, vajras (thunderbolts), some missing from this figure. The figure is made of lacquered and pigmented wood, with crystal inlaid eyes and some metal fittings. The crystal eyes inset from the back of the head, the hollowed base and the treatment of the flesh suggest that it was made by a later artist of the thirteenth-century Kei school of sculpture centred around Unkei, the natural son of the sculptor Kōkei who revived the energetic style of the Tempyō era (AD 729-49). The pigment was probably reapplied in the nineteenth century when the dais was also restored. Asia JA 1885.12-27.27 Figure of Aizen Myō-ō http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339877_m.jpg From Japan Kamakura or Muromachi period, 14th-15th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Kamakura / Muromachi period, 14th century AD The Buddhist deity Benzaiten (Sanskrit: Sarasvati), is depicted playing a biwa, a kind of four-stringed lute. She is seated on a rocky dais covered in lotus leaves which is lapped by frothing waves. Beyond in the distance a waterfall cascades down from a mountainous valley. Benzaiten derived from the ancient Indian river goddess Sarasvati, who in Japan went on to be associated with water, the harvest, speech, learning and the arts. From the Kamakura period (1185-1333) onwards she was also widely venerated as a deity of good fortune. The combination of a highly detailed and brightly coloured figure with an ink-wash landscape is typical of many Buddhist paintings from the Kamakura and Muromachi (1333-1568) periods. Particular stylistic and technical features suggest that this painting was made in the era of the Northern and Southern Courts (1336-92): the leaping gold flames on the halo - executed in raised shell-white gesso (mori-age) covered in gold paint - and the combination of blue hair tresses edged at the forehead in pale green. Most other paintings of Benzaiten from this period depict her as a beauty in Chinese costume and her appearance here, as a bodhisattva with jewelled crown and necklace, is unusual. From 1999 to 2000, the painting was repaired and remounted in the Oka Studio at the Kyoto National Museum with assistance from agencies of the Government of Japan. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Height: 1355.000 mm Width: 574.000 mm Height: 1355.000 mm Width: 574.000 mm Benzaiten, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps344484_m.jpg Japan Kamakura / Muromachi period, 14th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD28 (1924.7-14.02) Japan Kamakura period, early 14th century AD The bodhisattva Jizō (Sanskrit: Ksitigarbha) was widely worshipped in Japan from the late Heian period (794-1185) as the deity who would save the faithful should they be reborn into one of the hells of the Six Realms. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333) he is generally portrayed as a compassionate young monk dressed in monastic robes and stole (kesa) and carrying a ringed travelling staff and a sacred jewel. He is most often shown, as here, floating down to greet the believer on a cloud (raigō-zu). The delicate sensitivity of the facial features and detailed and elaborate lotus and hemp leaf patterning on gold that covers the robes indicate a date in the late Kamakura period (early fourteenth century). At the top of the hanging scroll are the outlines of Mt. Kasuga and Mt. Mikasa, under which hover five seated Buddhist deities regarded as the 'original state' (honji) of the native Shintō deities of the Kasuga Shrine, Nara. Jizō was regarded specifically as the Buddhist counterpart of the Shintō deity Ame-no-koyane-no-mikoto, enshrined in the Third Hall of the Kasuga Shrine. The painting therefore reflects the honji suijaku ('manifestation from the original state') doctrines of the medieval period (twelfth to sixteenth centuries), which sought to unify the two religions of Buddhism and Shintō, and is a regarded as a kind of mandala of the Kasuga Shrine. The painting is said to derive from the Jizō-in Temple in Itano District, Tokushima Prefecture. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) Brooke Sewell Fund Height: 1349.000 mm Width: 404.000 mm Mandala of the Kasuga Shrine Deity in the form of the bodhisattva Jizō, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps157092_m.jpg Japan Kamakura period, early 14th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD390 (1967.6-19.05) Japan Kamakura period, late 13th century AD With the spread of faith in the Jōdo (Pure Land) sect of Buddhism during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the bodhisattva Jizō (Sanskrit: Ksitigarbha) was widely worshipped by the general populace as a salutary deity: Jizō would rescue them if they were reborn into one of the many hells vividly described in the doctrines of the sect. He is shown in the guise of a travelling monk with ringed staff and sacred jewel, who intercedes in the Six Realms of Birth to save the faithful and take them to the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida (Amitabha). The bodhisattva directs a calm, benevolent gaze down towards the distressed believer, and his delicate fingers gesture with great sensitivity. The halo is outlined in simple cut gold-leaf (kiri-kane). It is more common for Jizō to be shown coming towards us from a distance on a cloud (raigō-zu). The pose here, therefore, with the large figure standing statically on a pair of lotus-flower pedestals, is unusual. Certain technical and stylistic features suggest a date in the later thirteenth century, which is relatively early for Jizō imagery. These include the generally subdued colouring of the robe and the monk's stole held with a metal ring at the shoulder (kan-kesa), as well as the strong, modulating ink outlines of the drapery. The ancient silk support is damaged in many places, particularly the area of Jizō's right arm and shoulder. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 948.000 mm Width: 382.000 mm The bodhisattva Jizō, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps101717_m.jpg Japan Kamakura period, late 13th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 18 (1913.5-1.055) From Japan Kamakura period, 13th century AD The Buddha Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha) was the principal deity in temples of the True Pure Land or Jōdo Shinshū sect. It often formed the central element of a triad, flanked by two bodhisattvas. Here, Amida holds his hands in a gesture that welcomes the souls of the dead faithful to the Pure Land (Sukhavati). As with many statues of this period, the figure is made using the yosegi zukuri technique, with a number of pieces of wood hollowed out and fixed together. The realistic eyes are made of crystal and inserted from the inside of the head before the statue was finished. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) Asia JS 1945.4-19.1 Height: 96.000 cm Wooden figure of the Buddha Amida http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps154509_m.jpg From Japan Kamakura period, 13th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Edo period, AD 1796 The Buddha Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha) is shown in a standard iconography, descending on a cloud accompanied by the bodhisattvas Kannon (Avalokiteshvara) and Seishi (Mahasthamaprapta). However, the entire painting - outlines, drapery and areas of colour - is composed of tens of thousands of spidery written characters quoting text from the three great sūtras of the Jodō (Pure Land) sect of Japanese Buddhism. This tour de force of fanatical piety was the work of an otherwise obscure official named Katō Nobukiyo (1734-1810). His most ambitious project was a set of fifty such scrolls showing the five hundred arhats done for the Zen sect temple Ryūkō-ji in Edo, which took five years from 1788 to 1792 to complete. The signature reads 'Tōbu Shiragane Tamagawa jō Enjinsai kōnen rokujū-san ju kin shoga, ('Respectfully written and painted by Enjinsai at the old age of 63 years, at the upper reaches of the Tamagawa River at Shiragane in Eastern Musashi Province') and the seals read 'Enjinsai' and (?) 'Nobukiyo in'. William Anderson Collection Height: 1323.000 mm Width: 382.000 mm Katō Nobukiyo, Descent of the Buddha Amida with two attendant bodhisattvas, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338414_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1796 British Museum: Asia JA JP 3453 (1881.12-10.04) From Japan Kamakura-Muromachi period, 14th-15th century AD This head of the Buddha Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha), ruler of the Western Paradise, is one metre tall, and must have come from a statue many times life size, possibly seated. This may have been the central figure of a triad, with the bodhisattvas Kannon (Avalokiteshvara) and Seishi (Mahasthamaprapta) on either side. The face has the marked expression of compassion, which characterizes Buddhas. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) Asia JA 1950.10-25.1 Height: 1.000 m Wooden head of the Buddha Amida http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204098_m.jpg From Japan Kamakura-Muromachi period, 14th-15th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD Although this bowl must have been preserved as a teabowl for the Tea Ceremony, it was originally one of a set of five vessels for everyday use. It is an early form of Kiseto or ‘Yellow Seto' ware, made at Mino in the latter part of the sixteenth century. It developed from early attempts at imitating Chinese celadon. Another type was Setoguro, or 'Black Seto', one of a variety of newly fashionable developments of the old Seto traditions. The Schmidtt-Meade Gift Diameter: 9.000 cm Height: 9.100 cm Kiseto ware bowl http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339388_m.jpg From Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.31 From Japan Muromachi period, early 16th century AD The sujibachi-type helmet was constructed from a number of vertical plates rivetted together. Each plate was turned up along the long edge to form a strengthening ridge, or suji. The iron was 'russetted', that is, deliberately rusted to a deep patina which prevented further rusting. The shikoro, or neck protector is articulated to allow the arms to be raised above the head. The crossed hawks' feathers are a mon, or clan badge. Other types of helmet from the Sengoku jidai ('Period of Warring States' from the mid-fourteenth century to 1600) include the hoshibashi which is covered with short protruding spikes and which originated during the Heian period (AD 794-1185). The helmet is signed by the armourer Katsuyoshi of the Myochin school. Gift of Brigadier W. G. Lang-Anderson Iron helmet http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339470_m.jpg From Japan Muromachi period, early 16th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1953.4-17.1 Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD In the right-hand image we see a multi-storeyed building in Chinese style rising above three other roofs, and a solitary figure in a boat on the lake. Two tall pine trees dominate the foreground. In the left-hand image two men approach a pavilion by a lake, on the waters of which sails another boat. The square seal on each, reading 'Kantei', has been found on a dozen or so paintings - they all exhibit sharp brushwork and economical composition, as seen in the present works. The mountains, cliffs, buildings, and trees here are done using long, thick, 'axe-cut' strokes, with washes fading away to suggest the mist at the base of distant mountains. Kantei is thought to have been a priest attached to the Tōshōdai-ji temple in Nara during the late Muromachi period (1333-1568), and possibly to have been a disciple of the famous monochrome landscape artist Shūbun (worked about 1414-63). The landscapes here certainly demonstrate the same style, derived from Chinese ink painting. The records of a temple in Nara mention an order for folding screens from 'Kantei' in the sixth month of 1543, and there is a strong possibility these two works were also originally mounted on screens. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) William Anderson Collection Height: 500.000 mm Width: 317.000 mm Kantei, Landscapes, a pair of hanging scroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps251301_m.jpg Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 358-9 (1881.12-10.01135-6) Japan Muromachi period, 15th century AD For the haboku ('broken ink') style, the artist uses no outlines, but instead relies on areas of splashed ink wash and layers of ink shading to create the three-dimensional impression of mountains, trees, and rocks in a landscape. The technique involves a remarkable economy of brushwork, and it is because of this shorthand nature that it is described as haboku (broken ink) or hatsuboku (flung ink). This work has affinities in its composition and technique with a landscape by Shūbun (flourished 1414-63), with an inscription by Kōsai Ryūha (1375-1446) (Private Collection, Tokyo). However, that work has a larger and more confident scale, a more coherent relationship of foreground to middle-ground and is stylistically more advanced. There are stronger resemblances to a painting with a square seal reading 'Sessō' in the Masaki Art Gallery, Osaka Prefecture - in the shape of the trees and mountains, the very dark ink tones, and even the paper. The similarities are such that the two works appear to have been painted by the same artist. 'Sessō Tōyō' is now generally held to have been the name used by the greatest ink painter of the Muromachi period (1333-1568), Sesshū Tōyō (1420-1506), during the first half of his career. before he went to China. Although the seal here reads 'Shūbun', the surrounding paper is very rough and scratched, suggesting it has perhaps been tampered with. If this is indeed a painting by Sesshū, it represents an very significant example of this master's early work. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Asia JA JP 352 (1913.5-1.097) Height: 635.000 mm Width: 317.000 mm Sessō Tōyō, Haboku-style landscape, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps265346_m.jpg Japan Muromachi period, 15th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Late Muromachi period, second half of the 16th century AD This scroll depicts the story of how, when the Japanese capital was at Nara (710-794), the emperor paid a visit to the Tōgū Palace in the fourth month and was struck by the beauty of the blossoming cherry trees and lakeside willows at the Nanden (Southern Hall). He began to compose verses inspired by pairs - comparing, for example, spring and autumn, a moonlit night and a snowy morning, passing showers and wind in the pines - and judged which of each pair was the superior. The night was passed with his courtiers, making music and developing a total of forty-two poetic themes. In the scene illustrated, the emperor sits within the room, a koto (lateral harp) beside him. On the veranda are several courtiers wearing black eboshi (court hats), and holding fans, with two court women also in attendance. An ox-cart is drawn up on the right, and to the left can be seen the blossoming cherry trees. Mono-awase ('pairing things') was a popular aristocratic pastime from the Heian period (794-1185) onwards, with participants demonstrating their refinement by passing judgement on the relative merits of poetic imagery. The stylized clouds used here as a compositional feature suggest that this painting was produced at the end of the Muromachi period (1392-1568). It appears to be an example of ko-e ('small pictures'), miniature scrolls produced for the amusement of younger members of the court. The scroll bears false seals, applied later, which read 'Tosa' and 'Kikusui'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Asia JA JP ADD369 (1960.4-9.03) Height: 158.000 mm Length: 11665.000 mm Poetry Contest of Forty-two Matches, a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339594_m.jpg Japan Late Muromachi period, second half of the 16th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Muromachi period, late 15th century AD Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) an outstanding cultural figure of the Heian period (794 -1185), is still widely regarded in Japan as the patron of scholarship. He was a scholar of Chinese and also a politician who rose to be Minister of the Right, one of the highest ranks in the government of the time. However, he was exiled to Kyūshū as the result of a conspiracy of the Fujiwara family. After his death in exile there were several disasters in the capital of Kyoto which people believed were caused by his angry spirit. He was therefore reinstated and raised to the rank of a Shintō deity (renamed Karai Tenjin) and the Kitano Shrine was founded in his memory. In the Muromachi period (1333-1568) there was a revival of interest in kambun (Chinese-style writing) and Michizane's reputation was re-established as the greatest Japanese poet who had written in the Chinese language. This Muromachi-period painting shows Michizane in pure Chinese dress holding a small branch of plum blossom, the badge of a Chinese scholar-gentleman. His Chinese appearance may be a reference to the legend that he studied Zen in China after his death. One of his poems is inscribed at the top of the painting. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 710.000 mm Width: 293.000 mm Sugawara no Michizane in Chinese dress, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps181135_m.jpg Japan Muromachi period, late 15th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 1 (1913.5-1.038) Japan Kamakura-Muromachi period, 14th century AD The sixteen arhats (Japanese: rakan) were disciples of Shaka (Sanskrit: Shakyamuni), the historical Buddha. At his request they remained in the world after attaining nirvana in order to help others. Paintings of the arhats, often in sets of sixteen hanging scrolls, became popular in China during the Five Dynasties (907-60) and Song dynasty (960-1279). Many of these were imported to Japan during the Heian and Kamakura periods (together 794-1333), where they were revered and copied. The Japanese artists took up the Chinese practice of a combination of painting styles. Here, the figure and lion are expressed in an older line-and-colour technique, with sweeping outlines for the arhat's robe and some fine detailed work in the lion's face and mane. The background is in the newer ink-painting style using a relatively dry brush. Altogether the effect is more informal than representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, emphasizing the humanity of the arhats so as to appeal to the popular imagination. In general, arhats are shown with Indian-looking features and the wasted limbs of aesthetes. The artist is unknown, though this painting is similar in style to sets of arhats by the suiboku monk-painter Ryōzen who was active in Kyoto from about 1348 to 1355. Almost all his paintings are of Buddhist subjects. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) William Anderson Collection Height: 944.000 mm Width: 392.000 mm Angaja (Ingada), a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203563_m.jpg Japan Kamakura-Muromachi period, 14th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 347 (1881.12-10.03) Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD The artist of this painting is not known, though comparison with other signed paintings suggest it is the work of the Zen monk-painters, Kei Shōkei, who had a characteristically crisp style. Shōkei was one of the most important painters in Kamakura during the Muromachi period (1185-1333). The painting shows the influence of Chinese painting of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), as interpreted in Japan by the priest-painter Shūbun. Regarded as one of the leading painters of his time, Shūbun perfected fifteenth-century Japanese Zen ink-painting. Following the Southern Song tradition, the space is divided into three planes. In the foreground, figures move along a embankment lined with willow trees. Across the river, a zigzag path leads to the middle plane with a temple gate, and higher still, the temple itself with its five-storey pagoda. This echoes the pines and finally the mountain peaks in the distant third plane with its pale blue wash. The eye is led through the space not only by the paths but also by the strong diagonal lines of the composition. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Brooke Sewell Fund Height: 1310.000 mm Width: 533.000 mm Kei Shōkei (attributed to), Mountain landscape, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203558_m.jpg Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD387 (1966.7-25.013) From Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD Shigaraki was one of the ancient centres of pottery producing domestic wares, in the area which now forms Shiga Prefecture. Robust, thick-walled Shigaraki ware has been made since the Kamakura period (1185-1333). It is made with a sandy clay containing felspar which is distinctly visible through the ash glaze. This jar is typical of the ware, with characteristic incised circles around the shoulder. Height: 33.000 cm Height: 33.000 cm Shigaraki ware tea storage jar http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps313664_m.jpg From Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD British Museum: Asia 1958.10-21.2 From Japan Edo period, 17th century AD According to tradition there were six major centres in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) with kilns producing pottery with a natural glaze (resulting from the glassification of ash falling from the walls of the kilns): Seto, Tokoname, Echizen, Shigaraki, Bizen and Tamba. They were all in provinces in Honshū. Only Seto developed a deliberate glaze in imitation of Chinese wares. The remaining kilns have continued to produce ash-glazed wares like this piece, with its typically rough, gritty body, which is stamped, incised and partially glazed. The Schmidtt-Meade Gift Height: 25.300 cm Tamba ware mizusashi (water jar) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339379_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.93 From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD The container bears an ink inscription, 'Itto', which is the mark of the eighth Teamaster of the Urasenke tradition of the Tea Ceremony, whose life spanned the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Urasenke tradition originated with Sen no Rikyū (1522-1591) who revised the etiquette of the Tea Ceremony at the request of the military leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536/7-98). Sen no Rikyū's rules survive today much as he remodelled them.   Kōgō ('incense container') in the form of a dove http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339387_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.2-26.101 From Kyoto, Japan Edo period, 18th century AD Such spouted vessels were originally for domestic use, but were ideal for use as kensui, or waste water vessels, for the Tea Ceremony. Fine pieces such as this were probably made for that function. The mark 'Akahadayama' stamped on the base is that of a studio active in Kyoto from the end of the sixteenth century. The Schmidtt-Meade Gift Diameter: 14.000 cm (major diameter including spout) Kataguchi (spouted vessel) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339381_m.jpg From Kyoto, Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.26 Probably from ōfuke, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD This fresh water container has spiralling fronds painted under the white glaze much in the Ezetō ('Illustrated Seto') style. Such wares were made in the Mino kilns working in the Seto tradition, and also at nearby ōfuke (near modern Nagoya) where this piece was probably made. Among the major kiln groups established by the Kamakura period (1185-1333), only those at Seto developed the deliberately applied glaze instead of the old natural ash glaze. Early pieces imitated wares from the Chinese Song dynasty (AD 960-1279). The rich Seto glaze was perfected during the fifteenth century, and later adopted by potters of Mino Province (modern Gifu Prefecture). Schmidtt-Meade Collection Height: 19.000 cm Seto ware mizusashi (water jar) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339380_m.jpg Probably from ōfuke, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.89 From Japan Edo period, 17th -18th century AD Such eccentrically shaped teabowls became popular around the end of the sixteenth century, when the Japanese Tea Ceremony had become widely influenced by the lavish fashions of the growing urban society. The bowl is also striking because of the hakeme, or brushed marks, resulting from the brushed application of the glaze mixture, after the original Korean technique. The Schmidtt-Meade Gift Diameter: 7.700 cm (min.) Diameter: 7.700 cm (min.) Teabowl with hakeme http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339671_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 17th -18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.27 From Japan Edo period, 19th century This Raku-style teabowl was made by the versatile Kyoto potter Takahashi D&omacrhachi II (1795-1854). Dōhachi's father moved to Kyoto from Ise in about 1750 and opened a china-store. He was also a netsuke carver and potter. His son, Dōhachi II is usually regarded as the most skilful of the line of five generations which worked through the nineteenth century. He was patronized by temples and the nobility, and earned the Buddhist rank Hokkyō ('Bridge of the Law'). He is also known by the name Ninami, formed by a combination of the character 'nin' of the Ninnaji Temple and the name Anami given to him by the Daigōji Temple in Kyoto. He worked for a time for the Lord of Kishi and visited Satsuma. Towards the end of his life, from 1842, he built a kiln at Momoyama, Fushimi, on the outskirts of Kyoto. Dōhachi's Raku-style wares have more varied forms than true Raku pieces as he made free use of the spatula. He also imitated Korean, Chinese and Anamese (Vietnamese) wares, and was competent in the styles of the great Kyoto potters, Kenzan and Ninsei. In particular, he revived the colour-painted pieces of Ninsei for use with powdered tea in the Tea Ceremony. The Schmidtt-Meade Gift Diameter: 12.200 cm Raku-style teabowl, by Takahashi Dōhachi&nbsp;II http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339362_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 19th century British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.91 From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD This bluish-green glazed variant of the Temmoku style imitates the 'hare's fur' type of Chinese wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279) and Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), with its vertical fur-like lines within the glaze. Temmoku wares were orignally brown and black iron glazed pieces said to have been brought from the place of manufacture at the Tianmu (Temmoku) Zen Buddhist temple at Zhejiang (Koshu) in China. This bowl was fired upside-down resting on the rim. The metal edging was added because the glaze had not sufficiently adhered to the thin mouth of the bowl. The Schmidtt-Meade Gift Diameter: 11.900 cm Temmoku type teabowl http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339367_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.80 From Japan, Edo period, 17th century AD Ichinyū was the fourth generation of the Raku line of potters. He died in 1696, aged 59. He took the name Ichinyū when he became a lay Buddhist in 1691 and went to live at the Baiko temple at Yamada near Kyoto. He typically uses a black glaze with an underlying slight reddish tinge. His teabowls characteristically have a small foot compared with this of the other Raku masters. The Schmitt-Meade Gift Diameter: 12.500 cm Teabowl, by Raku Ichinyū http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339363_m.jpg From Japan, Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1992.5-25.60 Possibly from Kaga Province, Japan Edo period, probably 18th century AD Raku wares were first made in Kyoto during the Momoyama period (1568-1600) by a tilemaker called Chōjirō, the son of a Korean immigrant. His tiles caught the eye of the renowned Teamaster, Sen no Rikyū who some time between 1577 and 1580 asked him to make teabowls and other utensils for his use. Sen's patron, the military leader, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536/7-98) also appreciated Chōjirō's work and gave him the name Raku, meaning 'pleasure'. The Raku line of potters has continued to the present day. Raku pots are hand-made from strong iron-bearing clay, thick-walled and light-bodied. they are then low-fired at 800-1000°C in single-chamber kilns. A lead glaze is used and the resulting colours are normally red, black or white. Raku teabowls are prized by Teamasters for their sturdiness and individuality. This teabowl was made in a Raku tradition which developed at ōhi, some distance from Kyoto. ōhi ware was discovered by the Kyoto Teamaster, Sensō in the mid-seventeenth century. The colour and shape of this teabowl make it a pleasure to the eye and to the touch, and a perfect foil to the pale green foam of the whisked tea. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Bequeathed by Oscar Raphael Diameter: 11.600 cm (across mouth) ōhi ware teabowl http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204848_m.jpg Possibly from Kaga Province, Japan Edo period, probably 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1945.10-17.490 Probably from the Imbe district, Bizen Province, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD The kilns of Bizen had been established in the Middle Ages. One type of pottery produced was very practical, and favoured by Teamasters for Tea Ceremony wares. It was almost metallically hard and highly glazed , often with interesting natural glaze effects, produced by the ash in the kiln. The Bizen potters produced many fine large pieces, which were particularly suitable for use as jars, carrying water to the hearth of the tea-room. The wide mouth was necessary so that water could be ladled into the metal kettle. This piece is almost sculptural in its effect; the surface is enlivened with random slashes cut into the clay. The hollow cylindrical handles would allow it to be hung by cords. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) From the collection of the late 19th-century dealer and pottery specialist Noritani Ninagawa Gift of Sir A.W. Franks Diameter: 232.000 cm Mizusashi (water jar) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204837_m.jpg Probably from the Imbe district, Bizen Province, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA F1891 From Japan Edo period, late 17th century AD This elegant teapot is made of porcelain decorated in overglaze red, blue and green enamels in a formal Kakiemon style. Its larger size suggests that it was made at a time when tea was becoming gradually cheaper. This shape was the prototype for later European wares. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 15.000 cm Height: 15.000 cm Porcelain teapot http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203425_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, late 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1954.7-16.1.a,b From Japan Edo period, 17th-18th century AD Tea Ceremonies were often held outside, especially when combined with the viewing of cherry blossoms or the colours of autumn. Sets of tea utensils were chosen to enhance the feeling of the season. This group of objects is a fine example of how the Tea Ceremony brought into harmony a number of objects of varying style, material and origin The teabowl is E-Karatsu ('picture Karatsu') type pottery from Hizen Province, painted with simple motifs in underglaze iron brown. The rim has been repaired with gold and silver lacquer which has in turn been incised with a wave motif. The caddy (second from right) is probably of Takatori pottery from Chikuzen Province and has a turned ivory lid. The tea-whisk is made from a single node of bamboo. It has been split and split again. The two sets of tines are separated by steaming, curving and by threading at the base. The whisk-holder is made of woven bamboo. The paper napkin-holder is porcelain decorated in underglaze blue. The lacquer container was made later to fit the teabowl. It is richly decorated in gold makie and nashiji with a design of an ivy-covered fence. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of Mr. And Mrs. D. Hewett Height: 12.000 cm (container) Portable set for outdoor Tea Ceremony http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204841_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 17th-18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1955.2-21.1.a-h From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD There were two kinds of kettles used for the Japanese Tea Ceremony - the massive cast iron chagama used for formal events, and the more decorative type with an up-and-over handle, used for less formal or outdoor Tea Ceremonies. The body of the kettle is cast in two halves. The lower half is roughly textured like the true chagama, while the upper half is burnished and inlaid with a grapevine pattern in gold and silver. This technique was more often used for armour, sword fittings and firearms. The copper lid is impressed Ryūbundō. This was a firm of nineteenth-century iron-casters who seem to have made the lids for fitting to kettles made by other makers. The lid has a gilt-copper knob. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) L. Smith and V. Harris, Japanese decorative arts from (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) Height: 12.200 cm (excluding handle) Height: 12.200 cm (excluding handle) Kettle for informal tea http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204973_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1969.9.25.1 From Sanage, Owari Province (modern Aichi prefecture), Japan Heian period, 9th-10th century AD Sanage was one of the main centres for high-quality ceramic production in the Nara period (AD 710-94) and early Heian period (AD 794-1185). It is close to present-day Nagoya. Sanage wares continued the tradition of high-fired ceremonial Sue wares of the late Kofun period (sixth-seventh century AD), which were thrown on the wheel. The Sue potters recognized the decorative potential of the deposit of ash from the kiln on the body of the pots, producing natural glazes. This jar was probably among the finest available at the time in Japan, when all-over Chinese-style glazing was rarely attempted. It was probably made for use in a temple, a shrine or at court. A chip out of the rim has been repaired with lacquer and this suggests that it was deliberately spoiled, perhaps to prevent its being stolen for later use as a funerary jar. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1987.6.2.1 Height: 24.600 cm Sanage ware ceremonial jar http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps190467_m.jpg From Sanage, Owari Province (modern Aichi prefecture), Japan Heian period, 9th-10th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Ise Province (modern Mie prefecture) Japan, late 18th - early 19th century AD In Japan, the appreciation of incense was an art in itself, associated both with the Tea Ceremony and flower arrangement (ikebana). Incense burners and containers consequently had to conform to the general concepts of 'tea taste', though other styles of burner could be used on different occasions. This box is made to look like a stone on which maple leaves, a Japanese symbol of Autumn, have fallen. The texture and colour scheme would also have produced an autumnal mood fitting for the occasion. The Banko kilns were founded by the potter Nunami Rōzan (1718-77) who often imitated the work of Kenzan (1663-1743) the potter brother of the great Rimpa artist Kōrin. Certainly the freedom and boldness of the design, combined with the poetic sentiment, suggests the artistic line of Kenzan. The inside of the lid is inscribed with a poem but it has become illegible during firing. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of E.S. de Beer Diameter: 45.000 mm Incense box http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204972_m.jpg From Ise Province (modern Mie prefecture) Japan, late 18th - early 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1954.4-18.15 From Mino Province, Japan Edo period , early 17th century AD This kind of pottery, with geometric patterns or freely dipped glaze in copper greens and iron browns, was made according to the taste of the military man and Tea enthusiast, Furuta Oribe (1545-1615), and is named after him. Oribe favoured sharp square shapes and smart, semi-abstract designs based on textile motifs. They were among the most stylish wares of the Momoyama period (1568-1600). The practice of dividing the surface into two completely different halves was a characteristic feature of the Momoyama style, one that continued well into the Edo period in Oribe pottery. The most formal Tea Ceremony ended with the serving of a formal meal (kaiseki) and this dish could well have been used for one of the courses. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) L. Smith and V. Harris, Japanese decorative arts from (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) J.W. Peer Groves Collection Diameter: 22.300 cm Oribe ware food dish http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204971_m.jpg From Mino Province, Japan Edo period , early 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1955.4-29.1 From Mino Province, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD During the Tea Ceremony a small very elegant cake is eaten before drinking the tea. The sweetness of the cake contrasts pleasantly with the bitterness of the tea. The Teamaster chooses an appropriate cake dish which in turn is admired by the guest as part of the ceremony. This cake dish is of Shino ware, a name possibly derived from the name of the sixteenth century tea enthusiast, Shinosōshin. Shino ware was almost as highly prized by Teamasters as Raku ware. They admired the simple hand-made shapes and the unpredictable results produced by the thick glaze and the low-temperature firing, which produced uneven effects of texture and colouring. Shino differed from Raku in its light palette and the use of simple stylized decorative motifs. Here the decoration consists of a single reed and a roughly sketched border design. Compare this cake dish with an Ofuke ware water pitcher, where the glaze has been painted on: here the dish was dipped into the glaze, producing a less predictable result. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of Sir A.W. Franks Diameter: 20.000 cm Shino ware cake dish http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204970_m.jpg From Mino Province, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA F1825 From Karatsu, Hizen Province (modern Saga prefecture), Japan Edo period, 17th century AD Several styles of pottery and porcelain were introduced into the island of Kyūshū and south-western Honshū by immigrants from nearby Korea in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Much of the pottery was simple and unobtrusive, but it was particularly favoured by Teamasters. This crackled white-ware was one of the types made at the kilns of Karatsu to the north of the famous porcelain centre of Arita. Interesting glaze effects were produced by the near-random way in which it was dipped in the glaze, leaving an unglazed area on the base where it was held. It is not quite clear what the function of this piece was, but it is likely that it was used as a kensui (slop-jar). It was certainly admired and loved, as witnessed by the gold and silver lacquer repairs to the rim. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA F1804+ Height: 150.000 mm Bulbous Karatsu ware jar http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204838_m.jpg From Karatsu, Hizen Province (modern Saga prefecture), Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Caddy: Edo period, 17th century AD The pottery tea caddy (second from the left) was probably made in a kiln in the Seto area (Owari Province), a famous pottery producing region. The glaze is reminiscent of the bark, faded by time, of the yamazakura (mountain cherry). It seems that a Teamaster gave the caddy this name, which has been inscribed on the lid of the brown and red lacquered container on the left. Evidently, the caddy was loved so much that a set of containers was gathered in which to keep it, perhaps in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. It was first placed in the small inner bag of gold silk brocade on a cream ground. This was placed in the lacquered box, which was in turn encased in the outer bag of gold silk brocade on a dark blue ground. Finally, this was placed in the cherry-wood box, which would have been carefully tied. The box is also inscribed with the name yamazakura. Part of the ceremony itself would be the careful undoing of each successive layer, an indication of the respect in which the object was held. After use considerable time would be spent packing everything away with equal attention. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Arthur Morrison Collection Height: 85.000 mm ((container)) Tea-caddy, with its set of bags and containers http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps205560_m.jpg From Japan Caddy: Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1947.4-18.5.a-c From Japan Edo period, early 19th century AD This inrō is made of black lacquer with a coloured shell inlay, gold foil and makie in Somada style. The Somada school was active throughout the Edo period (1600-1868), producing lacquer of extreme delicacy. This unusually colourful design of chrysanthemums (and bush clovers) behind a fence uses a wide range of materials and techniques with outstanding skill; many of the flowers are 'two-tone' pink and greenish-white, and at least two shades of gold are used. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1945.10-17.419 Length: 6.400 cm Lacquer inrō http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204847c_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, early 19th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD The technique of tsuishū originated in Song dynasty China (AD 960-1279). It was developed in Japan during the Muromachi period (1333-1568), mainly for use on large dishes and nests of boxes. To create a lacquer surface of sufficient thickness for carving was a long and painstaking process. Lacquer will only harden when the surface comes into contact with a humid atmosphere. Therefore a large number of thin layers must be built up one on top of the other. During the Edo period (1600-1868), this technique was sometimes used for inrō such as this one. Its design is of the 'Three Friends of Winter' (plum, pine and bamboo).The inrō forms a complete set with its ojime (bead clasp) and netsuke (decorative toggle). L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) L. Smith and V. Harris, Japanese decorative arts from (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) Height: 8.500 cm Height: 8.500 cm Red lacquer inrō http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204847b_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA OA+340 From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD This inrō is an exceptionally fine example of the makie technique, which imitates sumie (ink-painting). The design was made by carefully polishing away the top gold layer to reveal the black lacquer underneath. It is signed by the lacquerer Kanshōsai and it is also inscribed with the name of the painter, Tosa Mitsusada, who created the design of shellfish and seaweed. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Bequeathed by Oscar Raphael Length: 7.700 cm Lacquer inrō http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204123a_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1945.10-17.405 From the Ryūkyū Islands, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD This nest of boxes is a good example of how Chinese techniques of decoration were probably introduced directly to the Ryūkyū Islands, south-west of the main islands of Japan, in the East China Sea. The main decoration is painted using the litharge technique: a small amount of oil is added to the paint so that it covers the lacquer surface. The Japanese rarely painted directly over lacquer in this way. The designs are outlined with gold foil and there are also shallow patches of nashiji. The design of birds and butterflies among camellias is very Chinese, but its freshness owes much to the mature Ryūkyū style. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1974.2-26.81 Height: 38.000 cm Octagonal nest of boxes for food http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps179368_m.jpg From the Ryūkyū Islands, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD Chinese legend provided endless material for Japanese artists and craftsmen. Kanyū was a Chinese general whose exploits are described in the classic 'Tale of Three Kingdoms'. He came to be regarded as the God of War. Even this small figure conveys the power of the god-general with his fierce expression, impressive beard and ornate Chinese-style robes. He carries a glaive with a long curved blade in his right hand. Netsuke of this type appear in the Sōken Kishō, the only early guide to the subject (and also to inrō, purses and sword furniture), published in woodblock-printed book form in Osaka, 1781. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) R. Barker and L. Smith, Netsuke: the miniature sculptu (London, The British Museum Press, 1976) Gift of Sir A.W. Franks Height: 9.300 cm Ivory netsuke, Kanyū http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204653e_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA F690 From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD The shishi or 'lion dog' was a mythical leonine creature originating in China where it was a common subject of decorative arts. In Japan, pairs of stone-carved shishi often guard the entrance to Shintō shrines. Large numbers of ivory netsuke were made in Japan in the first half of the Edo period (1600-1868) in imitation of imported Chinese seals. Netsuke of this type appear in the Sōken Kishō, the earliest authoritative guide to the subject (and also to inrō, purses and sword furniture), published in woodblock-printed book form in Osaka, 1781. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 5.200 cm Height: 5.200 cm Netsuke, shishi on a seal base http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204653a_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1891.9-5.24 Japan Edo period, around AD 1844 Princess Takiyasha was the daughter of the provincial warlord Taira no Masakado who tried to set up an 'Eastern Court' in Shimōsa Province in competition with the emperor in Kyoto. However, his rebellion was put down in AD 939 and Masakado was killed. After his death, Princess Takiyasha continued living in the ruined palace of Sōma. This print shows the episode from the legend when the emperor's official, ōya no Mitsukuni, comes to search for surviving conspirators. The princess is reciting a spell written on a handscroll. She summons up a giant skeleton which comes rearing out of a terrifying black void, crashing its way through the tattered palace blinds with its bony fingers to menace Mitsukuni and his companion. Kuniyoshi, the artist, probably referred to an illustration in his collection of western prints to produce this grinning skeleton in all its accuracy of detail. The legend was also the theme of a Kabuki play. At the time that this print was made the Tempō Reforms had made it illegal to depict Kabuki actors and theatre scenes in woodblock prints, so Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) may have produced this 'historical' version of the story in order to get round the law. Kuniyoshi often used the triptych format (three prints forming a single composition) to dramatic effect, spreading large forms across all three sheets. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 370.000 mm (each) Width: 250.000 mm (each) Height: 370.000 mm (each) Width: 250.000 mm (each) Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Princess Takiyasha summons a skeleton spectre to frighten Mitsukuni, a triptych of colour woodblock prints http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps207836_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1844 British Museum: Asia JA 1915.8-23.0915-16 Japan Edo period, AD 1820s The young woman depicted here is probably the teenage daughter of a rich merchant. In her gorgeously coloured and patterned kimono, she adopts an awkward girlish pose with her legs crossed in her lap. She curls her little finger elegantly as she adjusts her hair in her small hand mirror. This painting is outstanding for Eisen's treatment of the girl's dress. Particularly skilful is the combination of gauze over-kimono painted with flowering pinks, with the cherry blossoms and wicker fence of the under-kimono showing through. In addition, the elaborate obi (sash) tied in a large bow at her back has florid blue and white peony-like blooms against a background worked with gold thread. Eisen's painting has little of the balance and restraint of earlier artists such as Harunobu and Kiyonaga, and in the past critics have tended to dismiss his work as 'decadent'. But even though urban culture in the late Edo period certainly had its florid aspects, witness this painting and the fashions it depicts, the art still maintained considerable vigour. The neat clear-cut characters of this signature suggest an early date in the career of Eisen (1790-1848), in the early-mid Bunsei era (1818-30). The signature reads 'Eisen sha' ('painted by Eisen'). The seals read 'Keisai, Eisen no in'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, Ukiyo-e paintings in the Briti (London, The British Museum Press, 1992) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) Ralph Harari Collection Height: 850.000 mm Width: 340.000 mm Keisai Eisen, Young woman arranging her hair, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202937_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1820s British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD703 (1982.7-1.018) Japan Edo period, around AD 1834 The 'Eight Views of Lake Biwa' (near Kyoto) were first established in the medieval period as Japanese equivalents of Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, long celebrated in Chinese literature and painting. Following the enormous success of his first great landscape series 'Fifty-Three Stations along the Tōkaidō Highway' (Tōkaidō gojūsan-tsugi no uchi), Hiroshige (1797-1858) designed this series for the same publishers, Takenouchi Magohachi and Yamamoto Heikichi. The feeling of the ōmi series is quite different. Appropriate to the 'classical' subject, the designs have an austere grandeur, with human interest, such an important feature of Hiroshige's work, kept to a minimum. In 1500 when the ōmi theme was first adopted by Japanese artists, Prince Konoe Masaie and his son chose a classical poem to match each scene. To complete his work, Hiroshige has included the poems. This one reads: Omou mono Akatsuki chigiru Hajime zo to Mazu kiku Mii no Iri-ai no kane Lovers think 'So begin our dawn vows' When first they hear The evening bell of Mii Temple L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Samuel Tuke Collection Height: 252.000 mm Width: 382.000 mm Utagawa Hiroshige, 'Evening bell at Mii Temple' (Mii banshō), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202699_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1834 British Museum: Asia JA 1907.5-31.591 Japan Meiji era, AD 1879 The scene features Empress Jingū, a legendary regent of Japan of the late fourth to early fifth century, who is said to have led an invasion of Korea. She is seen here about to carve with her bow on the rock-face the belligerent declaration, 'The emperor of Korea is my dog'. Many Japanese of the Meiji era adopted Western dress, and Jingu's costume appears to feature a bustle, although these were not introduced to the imperial court until the 1880s. The finished print is no. 15 in the series Dai-Nippon shi ryaku zue ('Concise Illustrated History of Great Japan'), issued in April 1879. Among the group of fifty-two preparatory drawings by Yoshitoshi (1839-92), originally pasted into one album, this falls into the subject category of valiant emperors and historical figures loyal to the imperial cause. The emperor had been newly 'restored' to power in 1868, and works were being produced as propaganda for the imperial institution. Yoshitoshi's prints can also be seen as a precursor to the flourishing of history painting of the later Meiji era (1868-1912), which Japanese artists knew was regarded as the highest form of painting in the West. The basic outlines of the drawings were done in pale red ink, which was overlaid with black as the lines took a more definite shape. Where alterations were needed paper was pasted over. The collection of drawings fully demonstrates the force and emotive power of Yoshitoshi's art, and allow a glimpse into the fascinating process of his artistic creativity over a period of more than a decade. Height: 350.000 mm (drawing) Width: 738.000 mm (drawing) Height: 350.000 mm (drawing) Width: 738.000 mm (drawing) Height: 350.000 mm (drawing) Width: 738.000 mm (drawing) Height: 350.000 mm (drawing) Width: 738.000 mm (drawing) Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Empress Jingū leading the invasion of Korea, a preparatory drawing and colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps297332_m.jpg Japan Meiji era, AD 1879 British Museum: Asia JP ADD943 (1990.6-14.01(4)) (painting);Asia JA 1990.10-12.01 (1-3) (print) Japan Meiji era, August AD 1890 The priest Iwakura no Sōgen became infatuated with Irokotōhime, a beautiful courtesan of the ōtomo family. He broke his vow of chastity, even though he knew it would mean expulsion from his temple. But tragedy struck when Irokotōhime died and he was left alone. This triptych shows the actor Onoe Baikō V (Onoe Kikugorō V, 1844-1905) in the role of Sōgen in the play Hanafubuki. The story was first adapted to the Kabuki theatre during the 1670s, and it developed into several different versions, sometimes incorporating elements from other tales. This work is one of a series showing half-length portraits of actors depicted across all three sheets of the triptych format, a genre which was popular at the time. Yoshitoshi (1839-92) had met and become friends with the subjects of these works, Onoe Baikō V and Ichikawa Danjurō IX (1839-1903), about thirty years previously: the two actors dominated the Kabuki stage during the Meiji era (1868-1912). The draughtsmanship on the triptych is outstanding, with bold but simple compositions and an intensity of emotional expression. The printing, too, is done to a very high quality. Yoshitoshi is regarded as one of the last true woodblock artists in Japan at a time when this art was dying out, and his works are renowned for their imagination and drama. The cartouches detail the title, the actor, and the character portrayed. The signature beneath reads 'Yoshitoshi ga' ('Picture by Yoshitoshi') and the seal reads 'Yoshitoshi'. Height: 371.000 mm Width: 251.000 mm Height: 371.000 mm Width: 251.000 mm Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Yuki ('Snow'), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339010_m.jpg Japan Meiji era, August AD 1890 British Museum: Asia JA 1989.11-1.01.1-3 Japan Meiji era, AD 1885 This print shows the journalist Fukuchi Gen'ichirō (1841-1906) reporting on the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. It is taken from the series Kyōdō risshi ki ('Self-made Men Worthy of Emulation'). Several artists participated, and the publisher, Matsuki Heikichi, was commended by the government for its noble theme. The print's accompanying text outlines Fukuchi's inspirational life. The domain of Satsuma in the south-west of Japan was a wealthy one, and had remained largely independent during the Tokugawa period (1600-1868). Samurai of the domain had been prominent in the fall of the shogunate and the establishment of the Meiji government in 1868. However, when their leader Saigō Takamori (1827-77) was discredited they mounted an armed uprising in 1877, which was finally suppressed in September of the same year. Fukuchi was born in Nagasaki, where he learnt Dutch, and at eighteen went to Edo (modern Tokyo) to learn English. He worked as an interpreter and translator for the shogunate, but his allegiance then changed towards support of the new regime. He was an essayist and playwright as well as journalist. Fukuchi's activities as a war correspondent gained respect for the profession of journalist, and he was granted an audience with the emperor, where he gave a first-hand report of the Satsuma rebellion. Kiyochika specialized in prints showing the changing appearance of Edo as it was industrialized and Westernized. His works often followed older Ukiyo-e prints in their subject matter, but stylistically he often used Western techniques of perspective and shading. The signature in the bottom-right reads 'Shinsei Kiyochika' and the seal reads 'Shinsei.' J. Meech-Pekarik, The world of the Meiji print: (New York, Weatherhill, 1986) Height: 368.000 mm Width: 250.000 mm Height: 368.000 mm Width: 250.000 mm Kobayashi Kiyochika, The journalist Fukuchi Gen'ichirō, a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps263092_m.jpg Japan Meiji era, AD 1885 British Museum: Asia JA 1989.8-8.01 Japan Edo period, AD 1860 A toy-stall has been decked out with a display of toys - dolls, stick horses, a toy axe, horns, and drums. The stall-holder is showing off a doll to a young girl and she turns excitedly to her mother, who has obviously agreed to the purchase. The scene is one of many produced during the Edo period depicting the appearance and customs of foreigners. From 1858, foreigners were allowed to reside in Yokohama and other designated treaty ports, and there was much curiosity about their ways. Sadahide (1807-73) was a prolific but minor printmaker, who had trained under Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864). He produced theatrical prints, contemporary scenes, and pictures of foreigners, such as this one. He was one of eleven Japanese print artists who showed their works at the Paris Exposition of 1866, for which he received the Légion d'Honneur. Sadahide's works incorporated the Western technique of shading, seen here on the barrel and the folds of the clothing. The composition is made to appear as an unfurled scroll. In the cartouche is written 'Dōban e-jō saishiki' ('Hand-coloured copperplate print'), in emulation of the European prints being imported at the time. The inscription beneath reads 'Go'untei Sadahide ga' ('Picture by Go'untei Sadahide'). The print was formerly in the Jack and Mary Hillier collection of Japanese prints featuring toys that was recently acquired by The British Museum. Purchased with the assistance of The British Museum Friends Utagawa Sadahide, European Toy Stall, a woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339288_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1860 British Museum: Asia JA 1998.2-18.019 Japan Edo period, AD 1860 Yoshitora (worked about 1850-80) was an artist of Edo (modern Tokyo) who produced many pictures of foreigners living in the nearby coastal town of Yokohama, one of the limited number of ports that the shogunal government agreed to open to foreign trade in 1858. These works were often produced rather quickly and with little care, in an attempt to meet the high demand from the general public for works showing the exotic visitors. Yoshitora produced more of this type of print, known as 'Yokohama pictures' (Yokohama-e) than any other artist of the time. Compositions were often copied from other works, with only minor changes made or with the simple addition of a title, as is the case with this print. The characters around the umbrella read 'Gaikoku jimbutsu-zukushi' ('Scenes of Foreigners') and those to the left are to be read 'Igirisu' ('England'). The woman's dress here is largely imaginary, as artists themselves were seldom able to see the foreigners in real life. They used Western illustrations and earlier Nagasaki school prints for reference and made up a semi-fictional appearance. Sometimes a short explanatory text would be added. The supply of Yokohama prints came to out-strip demand, and their production peaked in about 1861. After this, printmakers attempted to revive the public's interest by switching to topographical views of foreign lands. The bottom-left inscription reads 'Yoshitora ga' ('Picture by Yoshitora') and the censorship seal above indicates the twelfth month of the monkey year (1860). M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1988) Height: 360.000 mm Width: 243.000 mm Height: 360.000 mm Width: 243.000 mm Scenes of Foreigners: England, a colour woodblock print by Utagawa Yoshitora http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339007_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1860 British Museum: Asia JA 1946.4-13.07 Japan Edo period, AD 1787 Shiba Kōkan (1747-1818) was the first Japanese to produce a copperplate print in 1783, a technique he learnt by studying a manual purchased from Dutch traders in Nagasaki. At this time Chinese and Dutch traders provided the main contact with the world beyond Japan. Kōkan was a skilled woodblock artist, but he became fascinated by Western approaches to visual representation, and wrote a treatise praising the accuracy and usefulness of Western pictures. Many European topographical prints were entering Japan at the time which he could study. Here Kōkan presents a native Japanese view of Ryōgoku Bridge over the Sumida River in Edo (modern Tokyo), in which he maximizes the effects of vanishing-point perspective. Ideally such perspective prints (uki-e) were designed to be seen through a viewing machine known as an 'optique', with a lens and mirror. Because the viewer sees a reflection of the print, the image itself has to be produced in reverse and the restricted vision makes the image seem more vivid. These devices were known in England as 'diagonal viewing machines' or 'zograscopes', and in Japan as Oranda-megane ('Dutch glasses') or nozoki-megane ('peeping glass'). The title, Tweelandbruk, is a literal translation into Dutch (the standard language of foreign studies in Japan at the time) of the bridges name, 'Bridge between Two Provinces' (Ryōgoku-bashi) The inscription tells us that the print was produced in the ninth month of 1787 and that Kōkan etched the plates himself. L. Smith (ed.), Ukiyo-e images of unknown Japa (London, The British Museum Press, 1988/89) Height: 285.000 mm Width: 418.000 mm Height: 285.000 mm Width: 418.000 mm Shiba Kōkan, 'Tweelandbruk', a hand-coloured copperplate etching http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps155415_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1787 British Museum: Asia JA 1949.11-12.010 Japan Edo period, about AD 1795-1810 Almost all Ukiyo-e artists produced substantial quantities of explicitly erotic works. Erotic prints and paintings were usually in the more discreet formats of albums, printed books and handscrolls, such as here. Normally each work consisted of a sequence of twelve scenes, but this scroll only has ten, suggesting that two - perhaps one that included the artists's signature - have been trimmed from the work. The firm attribution to Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819) is based on certain key elements of the style, such as the dry brushwork and mannerisms of the facial features, particularly the sensuously long eye-lashes. The similarities with the painting style of Shun'ei's teacher, Shunshō, suggests a date for this scroll not long after Shunshō's death in 1792. Shun'ei consciously avoided conventional poses in his shunga ('spring' pictures, that is, erotica) and the incidental detail gives many of them a strongly anecdotal feel. Here, the black-robed man leans back slightly dishevelled among the cushions, drawing on his pipe. The woman dozes across his knee, one hand inside her kimono sleeve pulling it up to slightly cover her face; only her eyebrows and a tightly closed eye are visible. In another scene, a husband surprises his wife as she is washing her hair. Combs and hairpins are left discarded on the floor beside the bowl and their mutual pleasure is evident in their rapt expressions. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) T. Clark, Ukiyo-e paintings in the Briti (London, The British Museum Press, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 280.000 mm Width: 6373.000 mm Height: 280.000 mm Width: 6373.000 mm Katsukawa Shun'ei (attributed to), Ten scenes of lovemaking, a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203277_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1795-1810 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD615 (1980.3-25.04) Japan Edo period, around AD 1803 This painting shows the Kabuki female impersonator, Segawa Ronosuke, probably in the role of Princess Shizuka in the play Yoshitsune sembon-sakura ('Yoshitsune and the Yoshino Cherry Trees'). Clear clues are offered by the background of cherry blossoms and the haiku poem, probably composed and written by the actor himself. It reads: Sakura saku Koro wa shizuka in Hōkō kana (In the season of / Blossoming cherry / Why not proceed more slowly?) In the play, Shizuka is forced to flee to Mt. Yoshino, famous for its cherry trees. Here she is seen dressed for the journey, carrying a large black lacquered hat and walking stick with a bundle on her back. One sleeve of her kimono has been slipped off, and the white under-kimono contrasts strikingly with the brilliant primary colours of her outer robe, with its pattern of yellow kerria flowers scattered over a stream. Segawa Ronosuke is recorded as having played the role of Shizuka once, at the Ichimura theatre in the eighth month of the year 1803, and it is likely that this is the performance that Toyokuni (1769-1825) has recorded. The signature reads 'Ichiyōsai Toyokuni ga' ('painted by Ichiyōsai Toyokuni'). The seals read 'Ichiyōsai, Toyokuni'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, Ukiyo-e paintings in the Briti (London, The British Museum Press, 1992) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 938.000 mm Width: 255.000 mm Utagawa Toyokuni, The Kabuki actor Segawa Ronosuke as Shizuka Gozen, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202939_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1803 British Museum: Asia JA JP 1439 (1913.5-1.0399) Japan Edo period, published AD 1859 This print is one of the series 'Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji' (Fuji sanjūrokkei), Hiroshige's last major series in the upright format typical of his later landscape prints. The design is reminiscent of Hokusai's 'Under the Wave, off Kanagawa' of about 1830, and is almost certainly Hiroshige's tribute to the earlier master. Hiroshige died on the 6th day of the 9th month of 1858, before the series was published. He may have been a victim of the cholera epidemic which swept through Edo that summer and autumn. At Satta the old Tōkaidō Highway followed the rocky coastline, which was often washed by stormy seas. Pine trees cling to the steep cliff and, as in Hokusai's print, the wild waves contrast with the serene form of Mount Fuji in the background. Hiroshige has added a flock of plovers which give the impression of flecks of foam tossed up by the waves. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Ernest Hart Collection Height: 354.000 mm Width: 243.000 mm Utagawa Hiroshige, 'The Sea at Satta, Suruga Province' (Suruga Satta kaijō), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202961_m.jpg Japan Edo period, published AD 1859 British Museum: Asia JA 1902.2-12.0396 (25) Japan Edo period, AD 1788 The album 'Poem of the Pillow' is a masterpiece among the erotic works by Utamaro (died 1806), and indeed, among the entire erotica of the Ukiyo-e school. Utamaro has avoided the stereotypical scenes of love-making that were often produced at the time, and instead created an innovative and powerfully sensual design. He uses a very low viewpoint and places the unusually large figures so that they seem to expand beyond the frame of the picture. The eye is shocked by the white of the woman's skin against the bright scarlet under-kimono, and the transparency of the gauze fabric that covers the couple's entwined legs only heightens the sensuousness. Finally, however, the viewer focuses on the heads and shoulders. The details emphasise the emotion of the moment: the man's eye as he gazes intently at his lover, the tender touch of their delicate fingers and the exquisite nape of the woman's neck. Written on the fan is a suggestive verse by the comic poet Yadoya no Meshimori: Hamaguri ni Hashi o shikka to Hasamarete Shigi tachikanuru Aki no yūgure Its beak caught firmly In the clam shell, The snipe cannot Fly away Of an autumn evening The 'Poem of the Pillow' is the first of a series of de luxe printed books produced by Utamaro in partnership with the publisher Tsutaya Jūsaburō. The variety of themes - birds, shells, snow, moon and flowers - widened the range of subject-matter and styles in Ukiyo-e of the time. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) J. Hillier, The art of the Japanese book, (London, Philip Wilson Publishers, 1987) S. Asano and T. Clark, The passionate art of Kitagawa (London, 1995) Height: 255.000 mm Length: 369.000 cm Height: 255.000 mm Length: 369.000 cm Kitagawa Utamaro, Lovers in an upstairs room, from Uta makura ('Poem of the Pillow'), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps293268_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1788 British Museum: Asia JA OA+133.06 Japan, about AD 1797-98 This is probably intended as a 'parody picture' (mitate-e) which reworks an episode from Epsiode 9 of Ise monogatari (Tales of Ise), 'Journey to the East' (Azuma-kudari). The question is, who is actually performing the parody? The two upper figures on the centre and right sheets clearly impersonate, respectively, the courtier-poet Ariwara no Narihira, the main protagonist of the Tales, and a standard-bearing retainer. Otherwise, however, the hairstyles of the figures are clearly feminine, though each either wears or carries some kind of man's court head-gear. The scene may simply be an imagined parody of the famous scene from classical literature, populated by Utamaro's habitually idealized young men and women. More specifically, though, it is possible that the scene records one of the costume parades perfomed each autumn in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter as part of the Niwaka Festival. Male and female geisha in fanciful costumes would process around the quarter on floats or with other elaborate props. Female geisha would sometimes dress as men for these events. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Height: 369.000 mm (approx.) Width: 249.000 mm (approx.) Height: 369.000 mm (approx.) Width: 249.000 mm (approx.) Kitagawa Utamaro, Parody of Narihira's Journey to the East, a triptych of colour woodblock prints http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps347799_m.jpg Japan, about AD 1797-98 British Museum: Asia JA 1906.12-10.0364(1-3) Japan Edo period, around AD 1800 Utamaro (died AD 1806) was a master at catching the moods of his female subjects, often in the more private moments of their lives. Here a married woman is engaged in her morning toilette. Her gaze is caught by the beauty of a potted morning glory: perhaps it has come into bloom overnight for the first time. Her straight back, placed almost in the centre of the horizontal space and topped by the rounded marumage hairdo, forms a strong triangular composition with the potted plant on the left, and the copper water bowl and porcelain dish with toothbrush and mouthwash to the right. Utamaro used a similar triangular composition in other paintings of the period. Utamaro was particularly skilled at using the patterns of textiles to indicate the shapes of bodies beneath, and here the lines of the checked blue outer-kimono suggest convincingly the woman's bended knee. Even without much shading, the knee appears to project towards the viewer; folds of cloth bunched at the elbow create a similarly naturalistic effect. The rougher blue and white checks of the under-kimono and towel give variety to the range of textures. The touches of red, especially around the naked knee, give a sensuality that is rarely missing from Utamaro's works. The signature reads 'Utamaro hitsu' ('the brush of Utamaro'). The seal reads 'Utamaro'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, Ukiyo-e paintings in the Briti (London, The British Museum Press, 1992) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) S. Asano and T. Clark, The passionate art of Kitagawa (London, 1995) Bequeathed by C. Maresco Pearce Height: 394.000 mm Width: 549.000 mm Kitagawa Utamaro, Woman at her morning toilette, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202925_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1800 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD380 (1965.7-24.04) Japan Edo period, about AD 1818-20 In the middle of the night, a courtesan gets up to trim the wick of a standing lantern. She is clad only in her light silk under-kimono. The shadow of her arm is thrown on to the paper lamp-shade. The black lacquer tray with two tea-cups suggests the presence of a client behind the screen, and the array of scattered hairpins and accessories and the outer kimono and obi flung over the screen further suggest their intimacy. The slender figure is emphasized by the soft red silk kimono decorated in tie-dyed starfish pattern. Her collar is hand-painted with a design of a cuckoo signed Gototei (one of Kunisada's art-names). Perhaps he would like us to think that he is the unseen visitor. Kunisada (1786-1864) makes original use of the screen to create a sense of space. Together with the unusual lighting effects and informal, intimate pose of the woman, he produces a feeling of immediacy drawing the viewer into the scene. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Narazaki Muneshige, and Yamaguchi Keisaburo (eds.), Ukiyo-e shÅ«ka, vol. 2 (Tokyo, shu eisha, 1979) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1988) J.J. O'Brien Sexton Collection Purchased with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund Height: 380.000 mm Width: 251.000 mm Utagawa Kunisada, Beauty beside a standing lantern, a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202696_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1818-20 British Museum: Asia JA 1942.1-24.015 Published in Edo (Tokyo), Japan Edo period, AD 1796 Kikō zui ('Illustrated Compendium of Clever Machines') was the first publication in Japan to give sufficiently precise instructions to enable the construction of clocks and automata. The author, Hosokawa Hanzō Yorinao (died 1796?) was an inventor, mathematician and, finally, government calendar expert. In making this valuable information public he was responding to the growing interest in Edo in the later eighteenth century in 'Dutch Studies' (Rangaku) (meaning here, 'European' - the Dutch were the only Europeans permitted to trade with Japan until the 1850s). The mechanisms of European clocks had to be converted to the more elastic Japanese system of telling the time, whereby daylight and darkness were each always divided into six units, which therefore differed in length according to the season. Particular attention was also paid in Japan to developing the clockwork mechanisms for automata toys, which became a fashionable parlour toy among the wealthy. The 'tea-serving doll' (cha-hakobi ningyō) shown here is the most famous. The doll moved forwards towards the guest when a cup of tea was placed in his doll hands, waited respectfully while it was drunk and then turned around and trundled back with the empty cup. T. Clark, 'Acquisitions: Japanese Compendium of Clever Machines', British Museum Magazine: Th-21, 34 (Summer 1999), p. 34 Purchased with the assistance of The British Museum Friends Height: 225.000 mm (covers) Width: 159.000 mm (covers) Hosokawa Honzō Yorinao, a woodblock print from Karakuri zui ('Illustrated Compendium of Clever Machines') http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps333310_m.jpg Published in Edo (Tokyo), Japan Edo period, AD 1796 British Museum: Asia JA 1998.2-18.055 (JIB 932) Japan Edo period, around AD 1710 Printing blocks for Japanese colour woodblock prints were usually cut from mountain cherry trees, which have a hard wood that can be cut with fine detail, and withstand the wear of taking hundreds, even thousands of impressions. They are cut vertically from the trunk, following the grain. Chisels and mallets, and gouges were used to clear away background areas of wood. Knives were used to cut the fine detail, leaving narrow ridges of wood in relief to print each of the lines. From the 1740s onwards a simple registration system, called the kentō, was used to print colours and patterns inside the black outlines. This consisted of one right-angled cut in a corner and one straight cut near one long edge of each block. Each different colour generally required a separate printing block. Full-colour printing using from ten to twenty blocks became standard after 1765. This block is a rare early survival from around 1710, the period when only the black outlines of a design were printed, and any colouring was added by hand afterwards. Both sides of the block are carved with two separate designs of courtesans and immortals by the ukiyo-e artist Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764), but inexplicably the artist's signature has been cut out of the block after printing. The block is relatively thick and the cutting deep compared to later examples. One side shows three types of prostitute - a bikuni entertainer, a Yoshiwara courtesan and a young male prostitute - drinking sake from a large tub, a parody of the 'Three Vinegar Tasters'. The other side shows a courtesan with the Immortal Gama Sennin, whose attribute is a toad, and has the title Yūkun Gama sennin ('Courtesans' version of Gama Sennin'). A copy of the completed album is also in The British Museum's collection. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of Harold Yates Height: 245.000 mm (approx.) Width: 490.000 mm (approx.) Okumura Masanobu (after), a wooden printing block for two illustrations from the album Yūkun Sennin ('Courtesans - Immortals') http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps296583_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1710 British Museum: JA JA 1938.11-12.53 Published in Osaka, Japan Edo period, 6th month, AD 1803 This is the opening illustration for a three-volume series published in Osaka by Ueda Uhei and Nurakami Sakichi. The books show the annual customs and daily life of the pleasure quarters in a series of double-page spreads. This spread shows a parade of courtesans of the Shimmachi pleasure quarter in Osaka at New Year. They are on their way to the local temple of the deity Aizen Myō-ō. It was customary at New Year for courtesans to dress in the fine new kimonos given to them by their clients. The number of new kimonos they wore corresponded to the number of clients they had, so it was a time to display their popularity. The spread is particularly striking, with the design crossing the page in a strong diagonal from right to left. The courtesans themselves are distinguished from their attendants by the obi sashes tied in the front, their elaborate hair-styles with combs and long hairpins and their impossibly high wooden geta (clogs). The umbrellas all bear a mallet-shaped mon (crest) of one of the houses of pleasure. From around 1805, two years after this work was published, Saitō Shūho (1769-1859) became an unadventurous painter in the academic style of the Kanō school. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 257.000 mm Width: 182.000 mm Height: 257.000 mm Width: 182.000 mm Saitō Shūho, Kishi empu ('Mr. Aoi's Chronicle of Charm'), a colour woodblock printed book http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203290_m.jpg Published in Osaka, Japan Edo period, 6th month, AD 1803 British Museum: Asia JA 1952.11-8.011 (1-3) (JIB 515A) Published in Japan Edo period, around AD 1710 This illustration is a parody of a well-known classical painting subject that showed the founders of the three great creeds of Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism. They are all drinking vinegar, and are forced into the uncharacteristic agreement that it tastes awful. Here the sages are represented by three types of prostitute: a bikuni entertainer; a high-ranked courtesan, and an apprentice (male) Kabuki actor. They are shown serving themselves from a barrel of sake (rice wine) with obvious enjoyment. The album Yūkun sennin ('Courtesans - Immortals') contains eleven black and white prints from what was probably a set of twelve. Each illustration humorously gives the three, usually female, figures the attributes of Chinese hermits and holy men in appropriate settings. Another page shows a coutesan conversing with the Immortal Gama, whose attribute is a toad. The British Museum also has the wooden block used to print two of the illustrations, carved back-to-back on a single piece of cherry wood. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 275.000 mm Width: 190.000 mm Height: 275.000 mm Width: 190.000 mm Okumura Masanobu, Courtesans as Three Sake Drinkers, a woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203293_m.jpg Published in Japan Edo period, around AD 1710 British Museum: Asia JA 1915.8-23.012 (JIB 44) Edo (Tokyo), Japan Edo period, around AD 1790 A government official named Seki Mitsubumi was visiting Nagasaki in 1789. There he commissioned a Chinese artist resident in the city to paint a set of five handscrolls, showing birds which had been imported there from China in 1762 on a boat called the Hachiban ('Boat No. 8'). On his return to Edo, Mitsubumi showed the paintings to the publisher Matsumoto Zembei, who decided to publish a selection of the images as a de luxe woodblock-printed album at the end of 1790. The Ukiyo-e artist Kitao Masayoshi (1764-1824) was employed to copy the Chinese artist's paintings and make designs for the engravers and printers. A second volume published in 1792 gave information about the birds. The birds are outlined in black following the normal Ukiyo-e convention. However, the landscape setting has been depicted using elaborate techniques to suggest the soft colour transitions of the original Chinese painting. These include texturing of the surface of the printing block or wiping the edges of inked areas. The only known complete copy of this rare album has recently been discovered in the collection of the Kōbe City Museum, Japan. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1988) Height: 251.000 mm (covers) Width: 187.000 mm (covers) Height: 251.000 mm (covers) Width: 187.000 mm (covers) Kitao Masayoshi, Partridges, a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203294_m.jpg Edo (Tokyo), Japan Edo period, around AD 1790 British Museum: Asia JA JIB90 Edo (Tokyo), Japan Edo period, AD 1784 The artist Kitao Masanobu (1761-1816) also wrote novels under the pen-name Santō Kyōden. He established himself as the chief guide and a leader in taste in the exclusive world of the high-ranking courtesans of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter of Edo. The popularity and influence of the pleasure quarters were at their height in the 1770s and 1780s. Many artists, including Harunobu, Kōryūsai, Shigemasa and Kiyonaga competed with each other in producing sumptuous tributes to the courtesans. These took the form of colour woodblock prints, illustrated books and albums. This album, designed by Masanobu, was published by the ambitious and energetic publisher Tsutaya Jūsaburō. It was an attempt to surpass all competitors. The large format is twice the size of normal single-sheet prints, and the colour-printing is of outstanding complexity and richness. Each print also includes waka poems, reproducing the actual handwriting of the women depicted. In this print, Hinazuru is shown modelling one of her fine New Year kimonos. Chōzan is seated at an elegant Chinese-style writing-table, checking her calligraphy primer and a copy of the classic Eiga monogatari ('Tales of Glory') before writing her New Year verses of greeting on the poem slips before her. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) J. Hillier, The art of the Japanese book, (London, Philip Wilson Publishers, 1987) L. Smith (ed.), Ukiyo-e images of unknown Japa (London, The British Museum Press, 1988/89) Jack Hillier and Lawrence Smith, Japanese prints: 300 years of (London, The British Museum Press, 1980) Jack Hillier Collection Height: 275.000 mm Width: 380.000 mm Kitao Masanobu, The courtesans Hinazuru and Chōzan a coloured woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204981_m.jpg Edo (Tokyo), Japan Edo period, AD 1784 British Museum: Asia JA 1979.3-5.0146 (JH 146) Japan Edo period, about AD 1792-93 Ohisa was one of the favourite subjects of several Ukiyo-e print artists in the 1790s, especially Kitagawa Utamaro (died 1806). Ohisa was the daughter of the proprietor of the Takashima chain of cake-shops and tea shops in Edo and seems to have made her reputation serving tea at the family shop near Ryōgoku Bridge. On this print her beauty is celebrated in the poem, top right, by Karabana Tadaaya. The translation reads: Charms and tea are brimming over And neither gets cold! Let me not wake From this lucky dream of the New Year At Takashimaya. In the late 1780s one of Utamaro's main products, de luxe anthologies of poems, were banned by law, so he, together with publisher Tsutaya Jūsaburō, started to make these half-length (ō-kubi) prints instead. Set against a silvery-white mica background, the format shows the bijin ('beautiful women') to perfection. Utamaro is particularly celebrated for his ability to capture the individuality of his female subjects in all their moods. Here Ohisa turns to glance questioningly at someone just outside the picture. Her black gauze kimono has a pattern of yellow and white flashes, and the neck-line is carefully arranged to reveal the back of her neck. Her obi (sash) has a design of a plover wheeling above stylized waves. The fan bears the triple oak-leaf family crest (mon) of the Takashima family. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) L. Smith (ed.), Ukiyo-e images of unknown Japa (London, The British Museum Press, 1988/89) S. Asano and T. Clark, The passionate art of Kitagawa (London, 1995) Asia JA 1927.6-13.06 Height: 376.000 mm Width: 247.000 mm Kitagawa Utamaro, Ohisa of the Takashima tea-shop, a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202960_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1792-93 British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan, Edo period, published AD 1835 Hokusai (1760-1849) had achieved enormous success with the publication of his series of colour prints 'Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji' (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) between about 1829 and 1832. The series was even extended by a further ten prints. Following this he went on to design 102 more views of the famous peak which were published in three volumes over a period of about fifteen years. They were printed from blocks made in the workshop of the master carver Egawa Tomekichi. For this book, Hokusai chose to work in monochrome. He used fine black line and various subtle shades of grey, concentrating on eccentric and imaginative compositions, rather than the realistic depiction of actual places. L. Smith (ed.), Ukiyo-e images of unknown Japa (London, The British Museum Press, 1988/89) H. Smith (ed.), Hokusai: one hundred views of (London, Thames and Hudson, 1988) J. Hillier, The art of the Japanese book, (London, Philip Wilson Publishers, 1987) Jack Hillier and Lawrence Smith, Japanese prints: 300 years of (London, The British Museum Press, 1980) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Jack Hillier Collection Height: 227.000 mm Width: 157.000 mm Katsushika Hokusai, Dragon ascending Mount Fuji from 'One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji' (Fugaku hyakkei), a woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203288_m.jpg Japan, Edo period, published AD 1835 British Museum: Asia JA 1979.3-5.0454 (1-3) (JH 454) Japan, AD 1986 (Artist's Proof 13/20) This view of Mount Fuji is from Shinjuku on the west side of the centre of Tokyo, the 'second city centre' (fuku-toshin) that underwent staggering development of high-rise buildings in the period of rapid economic growth from the 1960s through the 1980s. The artist has juxtaposed distant Fuji with the unyielding side of a skyscraper in the foreground. At the fringes of West Shinjuku, the current high-water marks of redevelopment, the scale of the buildings suddenly drops away to normal again, providing a clear perspective westwards across Musashi Plain. However, today Fuji is only visible from Tokyo for a few days each year when the meteorological conditions relieve the smog and exhaust fumes, typically on New Year's Day when the traffic stops. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Gift of The British Museum Friends Height: 450.000 mm Width: 565.000 mm Hagiwara Hideo, 'In the Valley between the Buildings' (Biru no tanima ni), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps344483_m.jpg Japan, AD 1986 (Artist's Proof 13/20) British Museum: Asia JA 2000.3-29.03 Japan, AD 1830-33 Ejiri was a post-station on the Tōkaidō Highway on the west side of Suruga Bay, near modern Shimizu City. This was close to the famous beauty spot of Miho-no-Matsubara. This view depicts a much more prosaic location, a path that snakes through a marsh. The silhouette of Mt Fuji is drawn with a single line, providing a backdrop for the figures and trees battling the wind in the foreground. Bending their bodies and clutching at scarves and hats, all turn their faces away from us - as if we were the source of the blast that carries off the tissues that had been tucked into the woman's kimono. The tissues flit skyward, accompanied by dancing leaves and an escaped hat. The porter who has lost his hat gesticulates in surprise, a circle of padding left forlorn on his head. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Bequeathed by Charles Shannon, RA Height: 259.000 mm Width: 382.000 mm Katsushika Hokusai, 'Ejiri in Suruga Province' (Sunshū Ejiri), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps236098_m.jpg Japan, AD 1830-33 British Museum: Asia JA 1907.5-31.0545 Japan, AD 1830-33 This print is only superficially different in composition toHokusai's 'South Wind, Clear Sky', and yet the two designs are deliberately contrasting, down to the smallest detail. The calm, bright dawn has given way to agitation and darkness, as a sudden storm erupts around the base of the mountain, with jagged lightning forming an untidy echo of the slopes. The manner of drawing Fuji's triple summit with a deep ravine on the left side is interpreted to show the 'back' (that is, north) side of Mt Fuji. If this is so, then Hokusai's intention may have been to set up poetic contrasts between this and the previous design, of front/back, morning/evening, fair weather/storm. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Height: 241.000 mm Width: 365.000 mm Height: 241.000 mm Width: 365.000 mm Katsushika Hokusai, 'Rainstorm Beneath the Summit' (Sanka haku'u), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps293416_m.jpg Japan, AD 1830-33 British Museum: Asia JA 1906.12-20.0526 Japan, AD 1830-33 'Drawn by Old-Man Itsu, the former Hokusai Printed in blue, one view on each sheet, published progressively. These pictures show the shape of Fuji as it differs depending on the place. It is not always drawn the same - now the shape as seen from the beach at Shichiri-ga-hama: or the view as seen from Tsukuda Island - and will be of assistance to those learning [to paint] landscapes. If carved progressively, they should even exceed one hundred. They are not limited to thirty-six.' Printed advertisment, New Year 1831 A series devoted solely to landscape was a novelty in Japanese art. The major factor in establishing pure landscape as a new genre of Ukiyo-e print was probably the sudden availability in the later 1820s of cheap Berlin blue. This strong, brilliant pigment could be used for water and sky, and would not fade. This print belongs to what is thought to be the first group of five designs in the series, done originally entirely in shades of Berlin blue. Shichiri-ga-hama, 'Seven-League' Beach, lies in the foreground with Mt Fuji seen past the island of Enoshima in the middle-ground. Cumulonimbus clouds rise on the horizon, suggesting summer storms, and yet Fuji is well covered with snow. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Gift of Sir Hickman Bacon, Bt Height: 244.000 mm Width: 364.000 mm Katsushika Hokusai, Shichiri-ga-hama [Beach] in Suruga Province (Sōshū Shichiri-ga-hama), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps344482_m.jpg Japan, AD 1830-33 British Museum: Asia JA 1907.5-31.0144 Japan, AD 1830-33 It is said that when conditions are right in late summer or early autumn, with a wind from the south and a clear sky, the slopes of Fuji can appear dyed red by the rays of the rising sun. This is the most abstracted composition and yet the most metereologically specific of Hokusai's series. The delicately hovering clouds part to form a halo around the summit veined with sparse remnants of snow. The lower regions are still in shadow and it is only the bare slopes above the tree-line that catch the sun, turning (in this impression) a bright, brick red. The three shades of blue in the sky seem like a mirror-reversal of the three colours on the mountain. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Height: 261.000 mm Width: 382.000 mm Height: 261.000 mm Width: 382.000 mm Katsushika Hokusai, 'South Wind, Clear Sky' (Gaifū kaisei) ['Red Fuji'], a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps237757_m.jpg Japan, AD 1830-33 British Museum: Asia JA 1906.12-20.0525 Japan Edo period, AD 1822 Surimono (literally ‘printed thing') were de luxe colour woodblock prints privately produced as greetings or tributes for special occasions such as the New Year or a person's change of name. In 1822, a Year of the Horse, Hokusai designed a series of elegant still-life surimono compositions, called Uma-zukushi ('A Set of Horses'), which all contained oblique references to the animal. Most surimono included a poem. The one inscribed on this print is by Sanseitei Marumi: Hatsuhikage Nioteru haru ni ōmi no ya Kagami no yama o Miru mo mabayuki In the rays Of the Spring sun On Lake Biwa Mirror Mountain Also glitters (Translation by Roger Keyes) The ōmi hakkei ('Eight Views' of Lake Biwa near Kyoto) had long been a subject for classical ink-paintings, and was also taken up by print artists (see also the example by Hiroshige). Hokusai introduces a number of references here: Mii Temple, Ishiyama Temple and Mount Hira appear on the porcelain plant pot; the lacquer pitcher and basin are decorated with scenes of the Ukimidō 'Floating' Temple at Katada and the Long Bridge of Seta; on the towel we see Awazu Castle and the returning boats at Yabase (the towel itself representing the sail); and the miniature pine tree recalls the ancient pine at Karasaki. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) R. Keyes, The art of Surimono (London, 1985) Bequeathed by Charles Shannon Height: 201.000 mm Width: 176.000 mm Katsushika Hokusai, 'The Talisman' (Mayoke), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps094855_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1822 British Museum: Asia JA 1937.7-10.0212 Japan Edo period, about AD 1829-33 This is perhaps the single most famous of Hokusai's woodblock prints - perhaps of all Japanese prints. It belongs to the series 'Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji' (Fugaku sanjūrokkei). The graceful snow-clad mountain stands out unperturbed against the deep blue of the horizon. Yet it is reduced to a tiny hillock compared with the towering strength of the wave which threatens to engulf the struggling boats. Such clever, playful manipulation of the composition is a feature on many of Hokusai's works. This monumental series was the first to exploit the new chemical Berlin blue pigment, which had recently become cheaply available from China. It provided Hokusai with a strong blue for both sky and water and had the added advantage that it did not fade. Hokusai's series was so commercially successful that the publisher, Nishimuraya Eijudō, extended it with another ten prints, printed this time with black instead of blue outlines. Though highly valued today, several thousand impressions were taken from the cherry-wood printing blocks, literally as many as the publisher could sell. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Asia JA 1937.7-10.0147 Height: 259.000 mm Width: 372.000 mm Katsushika Hokusai, 'Under the Wave, off Kanagawa' (Kanagawa oki nami-ura), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps094863_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1829-33 British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th century AD Beneath Mt. Fuji, the most famous and celebrated mountain in Japan, is shown the well-known beauty spot, Shiraito Falls. The name means 'white threads', which is exactly how Buzen has painted them. The trees across the centre of the painting, which divide the composition horizontally, look more like individual leaves, with the trunks and branches forming veins. The most noticeable feature of this painting is its relationship with other craft processes. Buzen (1734-1806) was experienced in engraving; here the generally muted tones, and the central trees and rocks below in particular, are reminiscent of imported Western copper-plate etchings. Buzen had studied painting with Tsukioka Settei (1710-86), but he was an original painter who stood outside of any school. Here he does not seem to be concerned with the possibilities of brush and ink effects, and has rejected the use of applied white pigment for the cascading water. The signature reads ‘Yūzen hitsu; Buzen sha' ('From the brush of Yūzen, copied by Buzen') and the seal reads 'Dōkan' (one of the artist's art names). It is not known if this Yūzen is the same figure as Miyazaki Yūzen (died 1758), who perfected a revolutionary technique for dyeing pictures into cloth in the early eighteenth century. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) William Anderson Collection Height: 573.000 mm Width: 884.000 mm Suminoe Buzen, Mt Fuji and Shiraito Falls, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps346885_m.jpg Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD1955 (1881.12-10.0815) Japan, around AD 1935 Tatsuta-hime, the Shintō goddess of autumn and the harvest, is shown here as an elegant modern beauty in a high-waisted kimono with long swinging sleeves. She poses before a distant, barren Mt Fuji. The artist is quoted as saying about Princess Tatsuta: 'She's the crowning woman of my life. She's Miss Nippon!' L. Smith, The Japanese print since 1900: (London, The British Museum Press, 1983) T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Height: 512.000 mm Width: 390.000 mm Height: 512.000 mm Width: 390.000 mm Takehisa Yumeji, 'Princess Tatsuta' (Tatsuta-hime), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps127591_m.jpg Japan, around AD 1935 British Museum: Asia JA 1982.10-7.010 Japan Late 19th century AD Mt Fuji is the most famous and revered mountain in Japan. It is admired for its height, shape, and beauty, and has featured in Japanese poems and paintings since ancient times. It was a favourite theme of the Rimpa artists, who specialized in a stylized and richly decorative art. The father of Dōitsu (1845-1913), Yamamoto Sōdo, was a follower of the important Rimpa artist, Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828). The composition places the mountain to the left of a rectangular space, as was traditional. The peak is covered in snow, but the slopes beneath are given a rather colourful treatment using tarashi-komi - a technique unique to the Rimpa school where ink is dripped onto areas of still-wet paint to create a puddled effect. 'Dry brushwork' creates the illusion that the mountain is disappearing into the mists below, and the pines have stylized, mushroom-shaped foliage. These trees represent the pine groves of Miho-no-Matsubara, a celebrated spot from which to view Mt. Fuji. The signature reads 'Uka Dōitsu', and the seal reads ‘Dōitsu Uka'. Y. Yamane, M. Naito and T. Clark, Rimpa Art from the Idemitsu Co (London, The British Museum Press, 1998) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Gift of Klaus Naumann Height: 345.000 mm Width: 685.000 mm Sakai Dōitsu, Mt Fuji and Pines, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338586_m.jpg Japan Late 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD605 (1979.10-8.035) Japan Edo period, AD 1662-70 Ise monogatari is a collection of prose and poetry episodes (many on the theme of love) written in the tenth century by anonymous members of the court. These nine surviving sheets, from a high quality album, illustrate important episodes from the work. They have also been matched with the relevant poems and text in the elegant calligraphic hand of various court nobles contemporary with the artist. The scene shown here is taken from Episode 9, 'Azuma-kudari: Fujinoyama' (Journey to the East: Mt Fuji). A man - traditionally identified as the courtier Ariwara no Narihira (AD 825-880) - travels past Mt. Fuji, and although it is the fifth month, the peak is still covered in snow. In Episode 4, 'Nishi-no-tai' (West wing), also shown here, the man sits on the veranda of a mansion, with a white plum tree in bloom in the garden, and a full moon overhead. The lady of the house, whom he had courted, has disappeared, and he visits in her absence remembering their affair. Jokei was trained in the Kyoto Tosa school of painting, and in 1661 was awarded the court title for distinguished artists, hokkyō ('Bridge of the Law'). This work displays a greater originality and simplicity in its compositions than is seen in other versions, and shows Jokei's customary round-faced figure style and clear, brilliant colouring. The signature reads 'Sumiyoshi hokkyō hitsu' ('From the brush of Sumiyoshi of hokkyō rank'), and the seal reads 'Hokkyō'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) William Anderson Collection Length: 196.000 mm (each) Width: 173.000 mm (each) Sumiyoshi Jokei (paintings) and various courtiers (calligraphy), pages from an album of Ise monogatari ('Tales of Ise') http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339582_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1662-70 British Museum: Asia JA JP 187-195 (1881.12-10.0326-34) Japan Edo period, about AD 1860-65 The Sumida River in Edo was a place of amusement for all social groups: artisans and merchants lived close to its banks and feudal lords had their summer villas there. Samurai too flocked from the upper class Yamanote district. These scrolls of spring and summer scenes show (on the right) a pair of geisha enjoying cherry blossom on the embankment near Mimeguri shrine. On the left scroll two geisha are shown boarding a boat for a trip with a patron. Beyond is the famous landmark of Ryōgoku Bridge, and a fresh green willow tree lends a feeling of cool to the days of early summer. In the background Mt. Fuji can be clearly seen still with a topping of snow. In modern times, it is normally hidden behind a cloud of pollution unless a strong wind clears the atmosphere. Hiroshige II (1826-69), previously known as Suzuki Shigenobu, was the pupil and adopted son of the renowned Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). The pupil faithfully continues Hiroshige's techniques in this pair of hanging scrolls: the landscape backgrounds are done in a soft wash, while the figures are picked out in splashes of brighter colour. The singature reads 'Hiroshige hitsu' ('the brush of Hiroshige'). The seal reads 'Nisei Ichiryūsai Hiroshige gain' ('painting seal of the second-generation Ichiryūsai Hiroshige'). L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, Ukiyo-e paintings in the Briti (London, The British Museum Press, 1992) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 888.000 mm (each) Width: 298.000 mm (each) Utagawa Hiroshige&nbsp;II, Two views of Mt. Fuji from the Sumida River, a pair of hanging scroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202924_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1860-65 British Museum: Asia JA JP 1554 (1913.5-1.0298);Asia JA JP 1555 (1913.5-1.0299) Japan, AD 1765 or later This woodblock print is a 'parody picture' (mitate-e) which reworks the subject 'Monk Saigyō gazing at Mt Fuji' (Fuji-mi Saigyō). Saigyō was the pen-name of Satō Norikiyo (1118-90), a warrior in the service of Emperor Toba, who in 1140 took religious vows and left his family at court to travel the country and compose some of the greatest waka poetry in the Japanese language. One common depiction of an episode from Saigyō's life shows him as an aged man in monk's black robes, with walking stick and travelling hat, pausing on his journey to gaze in wonder at Mt Fuji. This is certainly the scene parodied here, the woman's long pipe suggesting Saigyō's stick. She can be identified as a courtesan by her sash (obi) tied at the front. She sits admiring a free-standing screen (tsuitate) painted with a view of Mt Fuji and Miho-no-Matsubara, leaning back as if overwhelmed. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Bequeathed by Charles Shannon, R.A. Height: 268.000 mm Width: 208.000 mm Suzuki Harunobu (attributed to), Parody of Monk Saigyō gazing at Mt Fuji, a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps344884_m.jpg Japan, AD 1765 or later British Museum: JA JA 1937.7-10.034 Japan, mid-19th century AD We look past a collection of sea-going cargo-ships towards Tsukuda and Ishikawa Islands, with the shoreline of Edo Bay to the right and snow-covered Mt Fuji in the distance. A solitary cormorant perches on the tip of one of the masts, which dips down in a V-shape in inverted complement to the slopes of the mountain. Nammei was a highly eclectic artist of the late Edo period (1600-1868). Here he has depicted Fuji using a 'boneless' (mokkotsu) style, with washes of ink and colour. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) William Anderson Collection Height: 290.000 mm Width: 682.000 mm Haruki Nammei, Mt Fuji from Edo Bay, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps346887_m.jpg Japan, mid-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 1927 (1881.12-10.01036) Japan Hōreki era (AD 1751-64) - early Meiwa era (1764-71) The Sumida River was, and remains, the main waterway of Edo (modern Tokyo). It runs through Shitamachi, the low-lying merchant and artisan district in the eastern part of the city, and during the Edo period (1600-1868) provided both water transportation and a setting for people's enjoyment through the seasons. By the mid-eighteenth century, Edo had grown into an enormous city of over one million inhabitants and developed its own distinctive culture; people began to take pride in the river, and view it as a suitable theme for depiction in art. These scrolls are among the earliest detailed depictions of the Sumida River presently known. This set of scrolls describes the appearance of the river's banks in all four seasons. The first scroll moves downstream from the upper reaches of the western bank, the second starts downstream and moves up the eastern bank. The third continues on from where the first left off, travelling further downstream on the western bank, and finishing with an auspicious view of Mt. Fuji. The scene here is taken from the second scroll, and shows Ryōgoku Bridge (Ryōgoku-bashi). All three great bridges that crossed the Sumida (a fourth was added in 1774) are depicted partly from below, so as to display fully their structural magnificence and strength. People crossing the bridge are described very carefully, with clear distinctions as to social status, occupation, age, and sex. The signature reads 'Fujiwara Kyūei sha'. The seals read 'Fujiwara shi' and 'Arinari'. These are thought to indicate Kanō Kyūei Tanenobu (dates unknown), the fourth generation head of the Honjō Midori-chō branch of the Kanō school. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) T. Kobayashi, '"Sumida-gawa ryogan zukan" no seiritsu to tenkai', Kokka, 1172 (July 1993), pp. 8-9 Asia JA JP 805-7 (1881.12-10.01434) Width: 312.000 mm (each) Length: 9057.000 mm (first scroll) Length: 9057.000 mm (first scroll) Length: 9057.000 mm (first scroll) Kanō Kyūei, Scenes along the Length of the Sumida River, a set of 3 handscroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps341052_m.jpg Japan Hōreki era (AD 1751-64) - early Meiwa era (1764-71) British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan, AD 1857 The kites are for the Boy's Festival on the 5th day of the fifth month (mid-summer). The leaping carp is a symbol of manly perseverance, and are shown here in exaggerated scale, seeming artificially stuck into the landscape. They rise higher than the samurai district of Surugadai across Suidō Bridge, higher than Edo Castle (left) and higher even than Mt Fuji itself. The series 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo' of 1856-58 (which actually overran to 118 designs), was the final, crowning achievement to Hiroshige's career. Twenty-one of the views included Mt Fuji seen on the distant horizon and three more featured the artificial hills constructed in various locations in Edo (modern Tokyo) as 'mini-Fujis' by members of the Fuji-kō (the Fuji cult). This was a self-help confraternity (brotherhood) which encouraged pilgrimage, rituals and prayers devoted to Fuji. One account of 1825 claimed as many as 70,000 devotees. The mini-Fujis were artificial Fuji-shaped hills set in parks which allowed the infirm (or lazy) to engage in a substitute pilgrimage - or simply to enjoy them as a kind of theme park. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Gift of Henry Bergen Height: 360.000 mm Width: 240.000 mm Utagawa Hiroshige, 'Suidō Bridge and Surugadai' (Suidōbashi Surugadai), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps271062_m.jpg Japan, AD 1857 British Museum: Asia JA 1948.4-10.072 Japan, AD 1833-34 Mt Fuji was highly visible along much of the main Tōkaidō Highway that went out from Kyoto as the 'Eastern Sea Road', following the Pacific coast towards Edo (modern Tokyo). Genre scenes depicted those who used the highway: ordinary travellers, porters, ecclesiastics, warriors on horseback and high-ranking individuals in palanquins (covered litters). Hiroshige's series, integrating ordinary people into a lyrical landscape in all its aspects and moods, has always been particularly popular. Three tiny figures are visible in the top-left corner of this windswept scene. A woodcutter carries a large load, oblivious to the spectacular view, but the other two travellers gaze and gesticulate towards Fuji, perfectly symmetrical and elegantly white on the horizon across Suruga Bay. A pass was cut high up the steep mountainside at Satta on the orders of the Shogunate in 1655, so that a Korean embassy procession of that year would not have to wait for low tide, as was the case with the coast road used previously. T. Clark, 100 views of Mount Fuji (London, The British Museum Press, 2001) Height: 241.000 mm Width: 368.000 mm Height: 241.000 mm Width: 368.000 mm Utagawa Hiroshige, 'Yui: Satta Peak' (Yui, Satta-mine), a colour woodblock print http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps347507_m.jpg Japan, AD 1833-34 British Museum: Asia JA 1906.12-20.0786 Japan Edo period, early 17th century AD This pair of six-fold screens shows scenes from the two final battles of the Gempei Wars, Ichinotani (right) and Yashima (left). The Gempei Wars (1182-85) were fought between the Taira (or Heike) and Minamoto clans. The Minamoto were victorious, and Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-99) became the first shogun (military dictator) of Japan. For over four centuries after the event the campaign was retold as an oral epic, Heike monogatari ('Tale of the Heike'), which was chanted by blind players of the biwa (lute). It was first recorded in written form in 1371. The Tale is told from the Taira point of view, lamenting their tragic rise and fall; hence the opening sentence with its strong Buddhist feeling: 'The bell of the Gion Temple tolls into every man's heart to warn him that all is vanity and evanescence' (translation by H. Kitagawa and B.T. Tsuchida). This pair of screens was painted nearly 500 years after the events themselves, during the early Edo period (1600-1868). They may have been intended to demonstrate how the recently established Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868) claimed their authority to rule from the precedent of the earlier Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333). The paintings follow the text of Tale of the Heike so faithfully that with close examination, it is possible to identify particular events and individual warriors. In fact, labels bearing the names of the warriors were stuck on later, though not all accurately. On the Ichitani screen the attack of the Minamoto troops, charging down through the Hiyodori Pass led by Minamoto no Yoshitsune is particularly dramatic. At Yashima a conspicuous place is given to the famous story of Nasu no Yoichi, the Minamoto warrior who took up the challenge to shoot at a fan on one of the distant Taira boats. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of the Trustees of James Martin White Height: 1554.000 mm (each) Width: 3738.000 mm (each) Battles of Ichinotani and Yashima, a pair of 6-fold screen paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps239003full_m.jpg Japan Edo period, early 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD324 (1950.11-11.022);Asia JA JP ADD325 (1950.11-11.023) Japan Early Meiji era, around AD 1870 Ezo was the pre-modern Japanese name for what is now called Hokkaidō, the northernmost of the four main islands that now make up the Japanese archipelago. The indigenous race, the Ainu, differ in physiognomy, language and culture from the mainland Japanese people, who fully explored and colonized the island in the late nineteenth century. There had been expeditions before that time, when trading posts were first established. Paintings by Japanese artists depicting the Ainu first appeared in the later eighteenth century. The artist Hirasawa Byōzan (1822-76) lived for periods among the Ainu and painted many works depicting their lives and customs. This scroll begins by illustrating Ainu legends, then shows the people and houses, seal-catching, and finally the bear-killing ritual. This held particular interest, as it was fundamental to the spiritual beliefs of the Ainu culture. After the kill, the iomante ceremony was held to pray to the deceased bear's spirit, which is the scene depicted here. The bushy-haired Ainu men are seated on mats before an altar where the corpse is laid out. Around it are lacquer containers of offerings, and fish, clothing, and swords. Prayer sticks (inaw) are attached to the bear's head and to the fence. Traditional Ainu beliefs meant that they never sculpted or painted human images, so scrolls like this by Japanese artists provide us with an invaluable record of a way of life that has now all but disappeared. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) , Ainu no shiki to seikatsu, ('The Seasons and Life of the Ainu') (Saitama Prefectural Museum, 1999) Asia JA JP ADD275 (1948.7-10.08.1) Height: 258.000 mm Length: 7860.000 mm Hirasawa Byōzan (attributed to), Scenes of Daily Life of the Ezo, a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps284623_m.jpg Japan Early Meiji era, around AD 1870 British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Edo period, early 18th century AD The Ryūkyū Islands are a chain of more than 70 islands stretching south-west from the southernmost Japanese island of Kyūshū. Ryūkyū is the Japanese rendering of Liu-qiu, a Chinese name dating from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The group is now known as Okinawa Prefecture. During the Edo period (1600-1868) the islands were a separate kingdom. Embassies would visit Japan to pledge allegiance either upon the accession of a shogun, or with the coming to the throne of a new Ryūkyūan king. Between 1634 and 1850 ambassadors from the Ryūkyū Kingdom visited on eighteen occasions. This pair of scrolls shows the procession to Edo Castle in 1710, one of the largest ever, when both types of embassy coincided. On this occasion they were escorted by a procession from Satsuma domain, which was also travelling to the shogunal headquarters to swear loyalty. In total over one thousand people are shown. The scrolls emphasize the exotic nature of the Ryūkyūans distinctive for their colourful clothing and the music that accompanied the event. Crowds gathered to watch the spectacle from specially erected stands set up along the route. The various materials and items the visitors carry are all described in meticulous detail, suggesting that Shunko (died 1726) - as a painter of the official Kanō school - was not merely a spectator, but had close contact with Arai Hakuseki (1657-1725), a Confucian scholar for the bakufu government who was involved with the organization of the event. The signature reads 'Shunko hō' ('Presented by Shunko') and the seal reads 'Shunko'. M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) Asia JA JP 1402-3 (1886.3-9.01-02) Height: 345.000 mm Kanō Shunko, Procession of an Embassy from the Ryūkyū Kingdom, a pair of handscroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps340677_m.jpg Japan Edo period, early 18th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Edo period, late 18th -early 19th century AD A tree is being carried along in a large basket, suspended from poles carried on several men's shoulders. Its branches are festooned with gohei (strips of white paper which symbolize sacredness in the native Japanese religion, Shintō), resembling flowers. Most of the crowd of men around the tree are wearing eboshi hats and suikan (loose white jackets). The two leaders are wearing kamishimo (old-style ceremonial dress) and are carrying two swords each. This is all typical dress for a festival or sacred rite. Sūkei has given the men a great variety of postures and expressions, helping to convey the sense of growing excitement and anticipation among the participants. Sūkei (1760-1817) belonged to the Hanabusa school, which was started by Hanabusa Itchō (1652-1724) as a more populist branch of the academic Kanō school. Sūkei maintained the clever, unconventional style of the school, as well as its high technical quality. The exaggerated and distinctive method of depicting figures seen here had its origins in Itchō's work. The signature reads 'Kō Sūkei', and the seal reads 'Nobuyoshi no in' ('Seal of Nobuyoshi'). Nobuyoshi was the artist's given name. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) William Anderson Collection Height: 952.000 mm Width: 447.000 mm Kō Sūkei, Shrine Festival, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338588_m.jpg Japan Edo period, late 18th -early 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 756 (1881.12-10.01732) Japan Late Edo period, early 19th century AD, before 1841 Gold dust has been applied to the silk in the sotoguma ('outside shading') technique in order to create a hexagonal and a circular space in the composition. Within the hexagon is depicted a winter scene - a mynah bird perched on a bamboo branch piled with snow. This is described as a copy of a work by the Chinese artist Bian Jingzhao, a painter of bird-and-flower themes of the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644), who was well known in Japan. The circle contains a summer scene - insects, such as a grasshopper and dragonfly, sit on a gourd plant in bloom. The original of this was by Zhao Chang, a painter of bird-and-flower works of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126), known for his realistic style. Each vignette has the original artist's name inscribed at top left. Although the original models are attributed to different artists, the styles have here been made 'uniform'. Classical Chinese works were highly respected, but the loyalty of Kanō painters was to their school, and the model used for this work was probably an earlier Japanese copy by a Kanō artist. Nakanobu (1811-71) was a son of Isen'in Naganobu, head of the Kobiki-chō branch of the Kanō school, who was later adopted as the head of the Hama-chō branch. The signature reads 'Kōsen Fujiwara Nakanobu hitsu' ('From the brush of Kōsen Fujiwara Nakanobu', and the seal reads 'Kōsen Nakanobu'. Nakanoby ceased to use the name Kōsen after 1841. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) William Anderson Collection Height: 536.000 mm Width: 823.000 mm Kanō Tōsen Nakanobu, Birds and Flowers after Classical Chinese Paintings, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338579_m.jpg Japan Late Edo period, early 19th century AD, before 1841 British Museum: Asia JA JP 969 (1881.12-10.0155) Japan Edo period, AD 1810 This is a copy after the celebrated handscroll Landscapes of the Four Seasons, painted in 1486 by the famous and highly revered artist Sesshū Tōyō, and now classed as a National Treasure in Japan. The postscript to this copy tells us more precisely that it is in fact a copy of an earlier copy - by Kanō Eisen Hisanobu (1696-1731). Osanobu (1796-1846) executed this 16 metre long scroll when he was only 15 years old (14 by Western reckoning). The scroll is filled with scenes of mountains, craggy rocks, trees, expanses of water, and figures looking almost lost in the vastness of the landscape. It features the thick, sharp brushwork of Sesshū, and cross-hatched shading. It is mostly done in black, with touches of colour for the foliage and human figures, as can be seen in the section illustrated here. Osanobu attached great importance to the study of classical paintings, and produced a large number of copies. This practice was valued to help improve brush techniques, but could descend into slavish imitation. Osanobu, fortunately, was talented enough to avoid this. The signature reads 'Gyokusen Osanobu jūgo-sai sha' ('Painted by Gyokusen Osanobu at age 15') and the seals read 'Osanobu bo' ('Copied by Osanobu') and 'Gyokusen'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) William Anderson Collection Height: 430.000 mm Length: 16079.000 mm Kanō Seisen'in Osanobu, copy after the handscroll Landscapes of the Four Seasons by Sesshū http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps340676_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1810 British Museum: Asia JA JP 940 (1881.12-10.01226) Japan Edo period, AD 1781-1820 Yang Guifei (Japanese: Yōkihi) was the consort of Emperor Xuanzong (685-792) of the Chinese Tang dynasty. Xuanzong had the poet Li Bo compose for him poems likening her beauty to the peony, the most regal of flowers. As a symbol of a classical Chinese beauty, she became a popular theme in paintings and prints. Here she steps dramatically onto a table, seeming to challenge the viewer. The florid impression of the scene is further enhanced by the table decorated with a design of dragons and waves, her sumptuous robes, the tiled floor and the aronia (kaidō) tree behind. Yang Guifei was often painted together with peonies, and here the flanking scrolls feature large red, pink, and yellow flowers, with insects hovering around them. Little of the work is left unpainted, and the blossoms are set against a brilliant blue background, matching that of the central scroll. Yoshinobu (died 1820) was the head of the Saruya-machi branch of the Kanō school, which supplied the shogunate and the feudal lords with works of art. Indeed, the mountings of the paintings are woven with the triple hollyhock (mitsu-aoi) crest of the ruling Tokugawa family. The signature on the central scroll reads 'Hakugetsusai Yoshinobu sei' and the seals read 'Tōrin-(?)-' and 'Kanō Yoshinobu'. The signature on the right scroll reads 'Tōrin Yoshinobu hitsu' ('From the brush of Tōrin Yoshinobu') and on the left reads 'Tōrin Fujiwara Yoshinobu hitsu'. The seals read 'Ka-shi no in' ('Seal of the Ka[nō] family'). I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) William Anderson Collection Height: 1014.000 mm (each) Width: 4351.000 mm (each) Kanō Tōrin Yoshinobu, Yang Guifei and Peonies, a triptych of hanging scroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338370_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1781-1820 British Museum: Asia JA JP 788-90 (1881.12-10.01361, 01364-5) Japan Late Edo period, AD 1802-16 These paintings come from an album labelled simply 'Sansui gajō' ('Landscape paintings'). However, their pictorial references seem too precise for them to be simply 'landscapes'; they are, rather, 'pictures of famous places' (meisho-e), a tradition in Japanese art dating back to the Heian period (AD 794-1185). Shown here is Mt. Yoshino (near Nara) in springtime, covered in blossoming cherry. Kanō Isen'in Naganobu (1775-1828) was the seventh generation head of the Kobikichō branch of the Kanō school in Edo (modern Tokyo). He was an artist of considerable talent, and was official painter to the shōgun. For this work he employed mild, graceful brushwork and colouring, drawing on an older style of Yamato-e. The secret of his success was said to have been that he combined the qualities of gakuga (learned artistic ability), highly prized by the Kanō school, with shinga (instinctive artistic ability), which was customarily regarded as less important. Each leaf of the album bears the signature 'Isen Hōen hitsu' ('Painted by Isen of hōgen rank') and a seal 'Naganobu'. Naganobu was awarded the title hōgen ('Eye of the Law') in 1802 and further elevated to hōin ('Seal of the Law') in 1816. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Bequeathed by Oscar C. Raphael Height: 200.000 mm Width: 300.000 mm Kanō Isen'in Naganobu, Twelve Famous Places in Japan, an album of 12 paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339575_m.jpg Japan Late Edo period, AD 1802-16 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD180 (1945.11-1.055.1) Japan Edo period, AD 1770-86 The painting is done entirely in tones of black ink, the forms enlivened by the glowing gold-leaf background. In the bottom-left corner a stylized foaming torrent cascades down, and above is the faint hint of clouds amid the gold. Yūtei (1721-86) was an important fourth generation member of the Tsuruzawa school, the most innovative lineage of painters in the academic Kanō style in Kyoto in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He is best known today as the teacher of Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95), whose followers formed the most significant new school of painting in Kyoto in the later Edo period (late eighteenth and nineteenth century). The brushwork is similar to that of the Edo Kanō school from which the Tsuruzawa derived, but there is a noticeable loosening in several areas, which may suggest the influence of the increasingly successful ōkyo. The broad, vertical strokes of the tree trunk here, for instance, call to mind the famous hanging scroll by ōkyo of 1765, Pine Tree in the Snow (Tokyo National Museum). The teacher seems to be following the pupil. The signature reads 'Hōgen Yūtei hitsu' (From the brush of Yūtei of hōgen rank). This was the highest rank that Yūtei attained, suggesting the screen dates from late in his career. The seals read ‘Shōshidō' and 'Morinao'. Height: 1640.000 mm Width: 1768.000 mm Height: 1640.000 mm Width: 1768.000 mm Ishida Yūtei, Deer and Japanese Cypress, a 2-fold screen painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps333955_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1770-86 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD1143 (1998,1216.01) Japan Edo period, 18th century AD Lao Zi (Japanese: Rōshi) was one of the greatest philosophers of ancient China, and appeared frequently in Chinese and Japanese paintings. This is the most popular depiction: Lao Zi is seated on the blue ox that will carry him through the official border, out of the country and into Central Asia so that he can spread his philosophical teachings. Strange descriptions abounded regarding Lao Zi's physical appearance: he was supposed to have emerged from his mother's side after eighty-one years in the womb, already an old man with white hair (hence his name, literally 'aged child'). He was also said to have extraordinarily large ears. Both these characteristics can be seen here. Igarashi Shummei (1700-1781) was from Echigo province (modern Niigata prefecture) on Japan's north coast, but moved first to Edo (modern Tokyo) where he trained as a painter under Kanō Ryōshin (1704-85). He also studied Tosa school works and the styles of Chinese ink painting of the Song dynasty (960-1278). For most of his career, however, he was active in Kyoto, where he studied Confucianism with Yamazaki Ansai (1618-82). This work features bold, sharp brushwork on the figure of Lao Zi, with softer ink washes for the body of the ox, as well as a delicate use of colour on the robes and harnesses. The signature reads 'Hōgen Go Shummei' ('Go Shummei of hōgen rank'). The seals read 'Echi(?)' and 'Shummei'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 438.000 mm Width: 335.000 mm Igarashi Shummei, Lao Zi, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338583_m.jpg Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 718 (1913.5-1.0129) Japan Edo period, 17th-18th century AD This hexagonal wooden box was made to contain a game involving the matching of painted shells, (kai-awase). It is decorated with paintings on paper showing scenes from the early eleventh-century novel Genji monogatari ('The Tale of Genji'). The box itself dates from the seventeenth or eighteenth century, and indicates how the medieval tale remained popular, especially with painters of the Tosa school. Tosa painters continued the tradition of Yamato-e ('Japanese pictures'), as opposed to styles influenced by China. They worked chiefly for the Imperial Painting Office (Edokoro). One feature of this school was the use of decorative clouds, often painted in gold, which divide up different scenes of a story, or lead the eye on from one incident to the next. Here the gold clouds are further embellished with embossed patterns (mori-age). In one of the paintings on the box Prince Genji is shown bottom left in a red kimono watching a group of five court women. More scenes from Genji monogatari were painted on the shells themselves. The game consisted of matching up separated pairs of clam-shells painted with related scenes. The pairing symbolized faithfulness in marriage, and a shell-game set often formed part of a bride's trousseau. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) L. Smith and V. Harris, Japanese decorative arts from (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) Gift of G. Fenwick Owen Height: 35.600 cm Shell game box decorated with scenes from Genji monogatari ('The Tale of Genji') http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps114777_m.jpg Japan Edo period, 17th-18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1933.12-11.1 Japan Edo period, AD 1802-6 Quails (Japanese: uzura) as a painting subject were a speciality of the Tosa school, and many such examples by Tosa artists survive. The subject derived originally from Chinese painting of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), but here the artist has attempted to impart a freshness to the painting by placing stalks of wheat in the background (in place of the usual millet) and by giving one of the birds white plumage. The Tosa school had long been associated with the imperial court, and its paintings employed delicate brushwork and colouring, compared to the much bolder and dazzling works of the Kanō school, which supplied works to the military rulers. An interesting feature of the present work is the two shades, light and dark, of rokushō (verdigris) used to model the bamboo leaves in the foreground and the wheat stalks behind. Mitsusada (1738-1806) was a dedicated practitioner of the Tosa traditions, and managed to effect a temporary Tosa revival. The signature reads 'Edokoro-azukari jūyon'-i [no] jō Tosa-no-kami Fujiwara Mitsusada' ('Lord of Tosa Fujiwara Mitsusada, Head of the Painting Bureau, Upper Fourth Rank). It is known that he achieved this rank in 1802, so the work can be dated between then and his death only four years later. The seal beneath reads 'Mitsusada no in' ('Seal of Mitsusada'). I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 970.000 mm Width: 344.000 mm Tosa Mitsusada, Quails and Wheat, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338578_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1802-6 British Museum: Asia JA JP 264 (1913.5-1.070) Japan Edo period, AD 1681-96 Saigyō (1118-90) was a monk of the Buddhist Shingon sect during the Heian period (794-1185). He was famous for his asceticism and his love of beauty, and he journeyed around Japan, composing poetry inspired by what he saw and felt in the course of these long travels. Episodes from his lfe were a popular subject for handscrolls and other painted formats from the thirteenth century onwards. The text and poem inscribed on the present work are from the collection of his verses, Sankashū ('Mountain Hermitage Anthology'). The painting below illustrates the text quite faithfully: on an autumn night, Saigyō has stopped outside a gate to listen to the sound of a koto (lateral harp) being played inside the house. The presence of the beautiful lady playing the harp is suggested by the end of the instrument that is visible, and the brocade curtains that surround her. Above the scene hovers the full autumn moon. The sensitively rendered, expressive face is typical of Tosa painting at its most accomplished. Mitsunari (1646-1710) was the son-in-law of Mitsuoki (1617-91), the artist who revived the family's fortunes in the early Edo period. The signature reads ‘Tosa shō-rokui [no] ge, Sa-Konoe Shōkan, Fuijiwara Mitsunari' ('Imperial Guard of the Left, Tosa Fujiwara Mitsunari, Lower Sixth Rank'). The seal reads 'Mitsunari no in' ('Seal of Mitsunari'). Mitsunari held the lower sixth court rank between 1681 and 1696. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Asia JA JP 113 (1881.12-10.0204) Height: 961.000 mm Width: 391.000 mm Tosa Mitsunari, Monk Saigyō, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338577_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1681-96 British Museum: Room 69a Japan, AD 1560s This is a panoramic autumn scene in the mountains, with the leaves of the maple tree turning colour. Two horses are swimming in the river at the bottom of the composition, three more are galloping into view at the top, and in the centre, on a flat promontory in the water, a sixth is being ridden bareback and rears up, as three men try to pacify it. The basic forms are done in ink, with delicate use of light colours on the rocks, horses, and figures. A mist of gold dust floats over the scene, but this is not meant to provide the usual spatial abstraction. In her detailed study of the work, Kawamoto Keiko has argued that, though the screen features an attempt to train horses, this is just one part of a general scene of nature, representing a turning-point between landscape paintings and genre works. Mitsumochi (1496- about 1559) attempted to unite Chinese and Japanese painting techniques and re-established the fortunes of the Tosa school. The naturalistic techniques visible here and the expressive quality of his works were new to native Yamato-e painting. This rare work is invaluable in allowing us to see how a Tosa artist incorporated the realistic spirit of Chinese painting. The inscription reads 'Gyōbu Daisuke Mitsumochi hisseki / Shōkan Mitsuoki kore [o] shō[su]' ('From the brush of Gyōbu Daisuke Mitsumochi, verified by the shōkan Mitsuoki'). It is clear from this that Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-91) was asked to verify the screen's authenticity, which he duly did. His seal reads 'Mitsuoki no in' ('Seal of Mitsuoki'). It appears this two-fold screen was originally two fusuma (sliding doors) - perhaps part of a larger set. Kawamoto Keiko, 'Tosa Mitsumochi no "Bokuba zu" ni tsuite', Kokka-1, 1244 (1999), pp. 5-18 Gift of Godfrey Gompertz Height: 1515.000 mm Weight: 1678.000 mm Tosa Mitsumochi, Horse-breaking, a 2-fold screen painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338198_m.jpg Japan, AD 1560s British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD919 (1989.12-21.01) Japan Edo period, late 17th century AD The five handscrolls of this set alternate the text of the tenth-century classic, Ise monogatari ('Tales of Ise'), with richly detailed illustrations in the e-maki ('picture handscroll') tradition. The Tales relate the amorous adventures of a young courtier, traditionally identified as the ninth-century poet Ariwara no Narihira. The scene shown here is from chapter 9, 'Azuma-kudari: Utsu-no-yama' ('Journey to the East: Mt. Utsu'). The travellers reach Mt. Utsu in Suruga Province, following a dark path overgrown with ivy and maple trees. They meet a monk who turns out to be an acquaintance, so Narihira writes a letter to be delivered to his wife back in the capital of Kyoto. In the original story this scene takes place in mid-summer, but here the artist emphasizes the loneliness of the travellers by placing them in a bleak winter landscape of snow and leafless trees. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Gift of G.B. Dodwell Height: 322.000 mm (each approx.) Length: 14900.000 mm (scroll one) Length: 14900.000 mm (scroll one) Length: 14900.000 mm (scroll one) Length: 14900.000 mm (scroll one) Length: 14900.000 mm (scroll one) Tosa school, Ise monogatari ('Tales of Ise'), a set of 5 handscroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203110_m.jpg Japan Edo period, late 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD5-9 (1920.5-14.16 (1-5)) Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD This pair of screens is painted with motifs of the four seasons. On one screen spring is represented by cherry blossoms, and summer with various appropriate flowers. On the other are red maple leaves of autumn and finally bamboos weighed down with the snows of winter. However, the composition differs from a traditional 'flower and bird' painting, since the design is unified across both screens by the foreground of decorative bamboo and brushwood fences, suggesting the landscape setting of a village. The paintings contain a number of symbolic elements. Spring and summer are marked by the sun, the ancient symbol of the male Yang (yō) seen here through branches of pine, another male symbol. The crescent moon of autumn and winter represents the female principle of Yin (in) and appears here with the feminine maple. Both sun and moon were also representative of Buddhist and Shintō deities and these screens, like others of their kind may have had some importance in Esoteric Buddhist purification ceremonies at a temple. This painting is probably by an independent machi-eshi (town painter) working broadly within the Yamato-e tradition, who used elements from both the Tosa and Kanō schools. The fences are covered in gold and silver leaf over built-up moriage (gesso). Small pieces of gold foil and gold-dust have been dusted over the surfaces of sun and moon, while further down the composition the artist uses a combination of pieces of gold leaf and some larger sheets. Gesso covered with white has also been used for the snow and white flowers but this has lost much of its brilliance. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Height: 1473.000 mm (each) Width: 3010.000 mm (each) Height: 1473.000 mm (each) Width: 3010.000 mm (each) The four seasons with the sun and moon, a pair of 6-fold screen paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202915_m.jpg Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD381-2 (1965.10-12.01-02) Japan Early Edo period, late 17th - early 18th century AD 'The Tale of Genji' is the famous early eleventh-century novel by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu, relating the life and loves of the fictive Prince Genji and the court circles around him. Various schools produced Genji-e (‘Genji pictures'), each applying its own techniques and styles. This example illustrates one scene from each of the novel's fifty-four chapters (twenty-seven on each scroll), but contains no text. The scene illustrated is taken from chapter 17, 'E-awase', and shows a painting competition held before the young emperor. Two princesses have been presented at court and each one, with her family's help, is trying to win the emperor's favour by presenting him with splendid paintings. At the final competition depicted here, Genji secures the victory of his ward Akikonomu by including his own exquisite paintings from his period of exile. In the customary convention of Genji-e, the rooms are viewed as if with roofs removed, and we see the emperor and the former empress Fujitsubō each seated on a low dais. Three ladies from each team sit before them in their colourful, multi-layered kimono, and at the edges of the room stand two folding screens. The colouring and detail of the scene, as well as the sprinkling of gold dust around it, help evoke the cultivated atmosphere associated with the imperial court of the Heian period (784-1185). The signature on each scroll reads 'Kanō Ryūsetsu hitsu' ('From the brush of Kanō Ryūsetsu'). The seals on each read 'Kanō Ryūsetsu' and 'Hidenobu no in' ('Seal of Hidenobu'). Ryūsetsu (1646-1712) was a leading painter of the Tsukiji Odawara branch of the Kanō school, who served as a painter in attendance (goyō-eshi) to the shogunate after 1669. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Gift of Mrs James Martin White Height: 373.000 mm (both scrolls) Length: 23194.000 mm (first scroll) Length: 23194.000 mm (first scroll) Kanō Ryūsetsu Hidenobu, Genji monogatari ('The Tale of Genji');, a pair of handscroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203109_m.jpg Japan Early Edo period, late 17th - early 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD306-7 (1949.10-8.014.1-2) From Japan Late Heian period, 12th century AD Early Japanese mirrors used a number of designs based on Chinese originals. However, from the Nara period (AD 710-94), Japanese mirror-makers began to substitute native Japanese motifs: for example, plants of good omen such as cherry, blossom and pine replaced auspicious Chinese flowers, and we find cranes instead of phoenixes. Cranes mate for life, so they are often used as emblems of marital fidelity. They also appear at New Year to signify long life. Here the cranes fly together in perfect symmetry, while the pine boughs, also symbols of New Year, are scattered more informally across the design. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1927.10-14.2 Diameter: 11.100 cm Bronze mirror decorated with pines and cranes http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204113a_m.jpg From Japan Late Heian period, 12th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Heian period, mid-12th century AD This handscroll records in opulent gold calligraphy the text of the Hannya haramitta shingyō, the 'Heart Sutra' (Sanskrit: Prajnaparamitahrdayasutra), and two other sūtras. The Heart Sutra propounds the doctrine that wisdom resides in emptiness. The outside of the cover bears the abbreviated title, Hannya shingyō, supported by scrolling flowers in gold. The inside cover illustration (slightly damaged), in gold lines with gold and silver washes, depicts the Buddha Amida (Amitabha) in the jewelled palace of his Western Paradise, attended by bodhisattvas and monks. Some of these dance and make music beside a lake. A couple in aristocratic dress kneel praying on an island. The iconography closely follows woodblock-printed Chinese versions of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). The scroll comes from a set of the entire Buddhist canon of scriptures (issai-kyō), probably numbering more than 5,000 scrolls, originally dedicated by Fujiwara no Hidehira (died 1187) to Chūson-ji Temple at Hirazumi in Mutsu Province (present-day Iwate Prefecture). Chūson-ji was founded in 1105 by Hidehira's grandfather Fujiwara no Kiyohira (1056-1128), a powerful military overlord of northern Japan, and the temple was lavishly patronized by three generations of the Northern Fujiwara warriors until their destruction by the Minamoto in the late twelfth century. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) Brooke Sewell Fund Height: 258.000 mm Width: 2613.000 mm Heart Sutra of the Chūson-ji Temple, a handscroll painting on indigo-dyed paper http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps274966_m.jpg Japan Heian period, mid-12th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD388 (1966.12-12.01) From Japan Heian period, 11th century AD Kichijōten is one of the female deities derived from Laksmi, the wife of Vishnu, worshipped as the goddess of fortune in the Hindu pantheon. She is associated with harvest, fertility and fortune. In Japan she is often shown as a wife or sister of Bishamonten (guardian of the North direction), and is one of the seven Lucky Gods especially associated with New Year. She is usually shown as a tall and graceful woman, as here, dressed in the robes of a lady of the Chinese Tang dynasty (618-906). The features also show similarities to sculptures of the Tang dynasty. Kichijoten makes the gesture of segan'in, signifying the granting of desires, with one hand, while in the other she holds the hōjū, 'the Treasure Gem', representing overcoming calamities and the prize of Buddhist wisdom. The statue is carved from a single block of wood in ichiboku zukuri style, and any original pigment has completely vanished. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) Asia JA 1965.4-15.1 Height: 111.000 cm Wooden figure of Kichijōten http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps154512_m.jpg From Japan Heian period, 11th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Heian period, 12th century AD Fudō (Sanskrit: Acala, or Candamaharosana) is one of the Myō-ō (Vidyarajas), 'Kings of Light', personified spells and protectors of the esoteric Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. He is a constant enemy of illusion, pointing the way to enlightenment beyond the illusion of life and death. His name, Fudō, means 'Unmoving' and refers to the unchanging reality beneath his fierce exterior. Fudō's attributes are the sword and the rope. With the sword he cuts through the evils of the world of illusion to show the reality beneath. Fudō is considered to be the patron of swordsmen. The sword in this statue is of particular interest, being in the shape of the sankosho or three-pronged vajra (thunderbolt), a Buddhist ceremonial instrument symbolizing the Buddha, the Lotus, and the kongotai or ultimate reality. With his rope Fudō ties the enemies of enlightenment. He is sometimes shown as the leader of the five 'Kings of Light', or with his attendants Kongara Dōji and Shitaka Dōji. Early statues show Fudō with two staring eyes and a pair of fearful fangs, as here. The piece is carved in ichiboku zukuri style (sculpted from a single block of wood), the arms made separately. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) Asia JA 1961.2-20.1 Height: 88.900 cm Wooden figure of Fudō Myō-ō http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204096_m.jpg From Japan Heian period, 12th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Edo period, Kambun era (AD 1661-73) This screen depicts several crucial episodes in the war that was fought between the Minamoto (or Genji) clan and the Taira (or Heike) clan in the late twelfth century. To the right a land-battle rages, while to the left there is a sea-battle. The crests of bamboo grass on the shields in the far right panel indicate the Minamoto clan. The first and second panels from the right show the Battle of Ichinotani. In the middle, where boats are pulled up to the shore, is the Battle of Yashima, which took place in spring of the year 1185. The final defeat of the Taira came one month later, at the Battle of Dannoura, shown on the final two panels. There is a great sense of energy and violence in the exaggerated thrust of weapons, the gushing blood (fourth panel), and the warrior Benkei shown carrying seven types of weapon on his back (top left of third panel). In the early Edo period (seventeenth century) there was a very popular form of jōruri (ballad drama) called Kimpira, which featured violently energetic puppet performances. This painting to some extent resembles the illustrations in the books which accompanied this drama, and the painting's bombastic style would have been appreciated by a similar audience. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Gift of Arthur Morrison Height: 1234.000 mm Width: 3670.000 mm A Battle between the Minamoto and Taira Clans, a 6-fold screen painting on paper http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps237684_m.jpg Japan Edo period, Kambun era (AD 1661-73) British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD49 (1927.10-13.09) Japan Edo period, early 17th century AD This dramatic scene is taken from Heike monogatari ('Tale of the Heike'), by far the most important of the gunki-mono ('war tales') that were composed during the military regimes of the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1333-1568) periods. It dealt with the brief period of rule by the Taira clan, and their war against the Minamoto clan, in which they were utterly defeated - events of the second half of the twelfth century. Book 5, Kanjin-chō ('The Subscription List'), tells of the devout monk Mongaku who vowed to restore Jingōji temple, and travelled around collecting subscriptions to this end. When refused entrance to the palace of the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1053-1129), he burst in and disrupted the musical entertainment taking place. The present scroll depicts Lieutenant Sukeyuki of the palace guards, who has challenged the intruder, being thrown to the floor, his hat knocked from his head. Mongaku wields in his left hand the scroll requesting contributions, and in his right a dagger. In the story, he was eventually overcome and jailed for his offence. The painting conveys the drama of the scene most effectively, and each figure reacts with energy and movement. Matabei (1578-1650) specialized in historic scenes and illustrations of classical tales, and his studio produced many such pictures. The painting has no signature. The seals read 'Dō' and 'Shōi (Katsumochi)'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Bequeathed by Arthur Morrison Height: 359.000 mm Width: 578.000 mm Iwasa Matabei, Monk Mongaku, from Heike Monogatari ('Tale of the Heike') http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338587_m.jpg Japan Edo period, early 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD194 (1946.2-9.032) Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD Saigyō was the name by which Satō Norikiyo (1118-90) was known after he renounced his life as a courtier, left his wife and daughter, and joined the Buddhist priesthood. Saigyō monogatari emaki, a mixture of factual biography and fictional elaboration, tells his story. The original text is thought to have been contributed to by several authors over a period of time: the earliest illustrated version dates from the middle to end of the thirteenth century. This scroll includes sections of the tale and suitable illustrations to accompany it. Saigyō wandered through the provinces of Japan, visiting pilgrimage centres and beauty spots, and composing verses of poetry wherever he went. Here he can be seen in the centre on his first journey after joining the priesthood, with a bag on his back and hat in hand. He is travelling through the hills of Yoshino, near Nara, famed for their beautiful cherry blossom. He has crossed the river to the right, and is progressing towards the pagoda seen in the distance. This painting appears to be an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century copy of the earliest extant version of the 'Illustrated Life of Saigyō', (Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya and Manno Art Museum, Osaka), which is now incomplete, and thus provides valuable information as to the content of the missing sections. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) William Anderson Collection Height: 323.000 mm Length: 15636.000 mm Saigyō monogatari emaki ('Illustrated Life of Monk Saigyō'), a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps340041_m.jpg Japan Edo period, 18th-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 28 (1881.12-10.0267) Japan Early Edo period, mid-late 17th century AD According to legend, in the second lunar month of AD 903 the exiled scholar and courtier Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) met with a violent death. There followed a series of disasters in the capital Kyoto. This screen depicts the vengeful Michizane returning as the Thunder God, Raijin, and striking the Seiryōden hall of the Imperial Palace with lightning. To the far right a willow tree bends under the force of the wind, and the demon-like Raijin descends in a swirling black cloud. In each hand he holds a drumstick, but his customary ring of drums (with which he produces thunder) is reduced to two abstracted circles. In contrast to Raijin and the ink washes of the cloud are the resolute figure of Fujiwara no Tokihira and the sharp, precise lines of the architecture. Tokihira had been falsely accused of stirring up the rumours that led to Michizane's exile, and while his two companions flee or cling to the building in terror, he stands defiant. The painting captures a moment of action, as he draws his sword from its scabbard and stares resolutely up at the god. This kind of close-up composition of a mythic or historical scene, often derived from a section of a medieval handscroll, was popular in early modern times among several schools of painting. Two slips of paper attached to the back of this screen attribute it to Tawaraya Sōtatsu (flourished 1600-40). However, on stylistic grounds this seems unlikely, and an attribution to an artist working in the Yamato-e tradition is suggested instead. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 1323.000 mm Width: 3452.000 mm Kitano tenjin engi ('Origins of the Kitano Tenjin shrine'), a 6-fold screen painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps200450_m.jpg Japan Early Edo period, mid-late 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 1256 (1913.5-1.0275) Japan Muromachi / Momoyama period, AD 1560-70 Although some of the sections are missing, this long Japanese handscroll is the only known text of this tale. It belongs to a group of works called irui-mono, stories acted out by animals such as rats, foxes and cranes. This tale tells of the entertainment of Yoshinari Yasaburo of Mount Hiei by his prospective father-in-law, Prince Shizubane of the Hie shrine. The characters all appear as monkeys, with the illustrations acting as a detailed and witty satire on the manners of the time. Among the surviving sections there are vivid scenes of feasting and of a Tea Ceremony. There is also the earliest known illustration of a renga poetry meeting, where poets, often amateurs, took it in turn to compose a short poem linked to the one before, finally making one long poem. The writer of the text devotes eighty or so lines to the founding of the Hie shrine, and seems to have intended the work as a serious history as well as a satire. Much of the satire is aimed at a group of temples centred around Enryaku-ji on Mt Hiei, which overlooks Kyoto. Over several centuries, the monks of Mt Hiei had grown in power and luxury, and to protect their property they even kept armies of soldier-monks who often created riots in the streets of Kyoto. In 1571 the Hie shrine, which had strong connections with Enryaku-ji, was destroyed and most of the inmates massacred by the warlord Oda Nobunaga, who saw the monks as rivals in power. This scroll was probably painted shortly before that event. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Bequeathed by Sir A.W. Franks Height: 310.000 mm Length: 13294.000 mm Saru no sōshi ('Illustrated Tale of Monkeys'), a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339279_m.jpg Japan Muromachi / Momoyama period, AD 1560-70 British Museum: Asia JA JP 59 (1902.6-6.01) Japan Kamakura-Muromachi period, 14th century AD The Kasuga shrine was established in AD 709 adjacent to Kōfuku-ji Temple in Nara, as the ancestral shrine of the powerful Fujiwara clan. The linking of shrines and temples was a common occurrence after the introduction of Buddhism in the sixth century and was part of the process of reconciliation between Buddhism and the native Japanese religion, Shintō. During the Heian period (794-1185), in order to lessen tensions between the two religions, the doctrine of honji suijaku ('manifestation from the original state') was developed. This presented the Shintō gods, kami, as incarnations of Buddhist deities who were seen as their benevolent guardians. Mandala were created as visual reinforcements of this doctrine. Along the top are five Buddhist deities, the honji ('original state') of the five Shintō kami of the Kasuga and Wakamiya shrines that are their suijaku ('manifestation'). The moon symbolizes the chief Kasuga deity. The Buddhist deities are (from right to left): the bodhisattva Monju (Sanskrit: Manjushri) the Buddhas Shaka (Shakyamuni) and Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru) and the bodhisattvas Jizō (Ksitigarbha) and eleven-headed Kannon (Avalokiteshvara). Below these are the Shintō deities with lesser deities issuing from the temple, represented by the five-storey pagoda. The Kasuga shrine buildings are prominent in the upper part of the painting, with the main red-painted gateway or torii and two pagodas, and another torii and pilgrim paths towards Mount Kasuga and Mount Mikasa. The scene is depicted from a very high viewpoint in the style of a Yamato-e landscape and the rich coloration is given added lustre by the gold applied to the back of the loosely woven silk ground. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) W. Zwalf (ed.), Buddhism: art and faith (London, The British Museum Press, 1985) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 998.000 mm Length: 350.000 mm Height: 998.000 mm Length: 350.000 mm Mandala of the Kasuga shrine, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps157845_m.jpg Japan Kamakura-Muromachi period, 14th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD371 (1961.4-8.02) Japan Edo period, AD 1795-1801 Mori Sosen (?1747-1821) is most famous for his paintings of monkeys. In about 1808, at the age of sixty-one, he even changed the first character of his name to one meaning 'monkey'. He also founded a school of animal painting with his brother Shūhō, in Osaka, which parallelled the Maruyama school in Kyoto. Shūhō's son, Tetsuzan went to Kyoto and studied under Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95), and there was considerable interchange between the two schools. A mother monkey and her baby sit together on a rock beside a blueberry bush. The mother is examining a single fruit that she has just picked, while the young one looks on. The painting shows clearly Sosen's mastery of the depiction of animals. His technical skill is evident: he suggests the soft texture of the animals' coats by meticulously brushing in each individual hair over a background wash. He has also captured the animals' characteristic attitudes and movements with great subtlety and skill. The signature reads 'Sosen' and the seals read 'Mori Shushō, and 'Sosen'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) , Hakubutsukan shozÅ Nihon-Ch (Tokyo National Museum, 1987) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 1055.000 mm Width: 385.000 mm Mori Sosen, Monkeys, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps181089_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1795-1801 British Museum: Asia JA JP 2500 (1913.5-1.0531) From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD This purse-shaped inrō has three compartments and a subtle design of boats on a river with chrysanthemums. The technique for the relief work is a variant of takamakie. It is said that this inrō once belonged to the Regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536/7-98), one of the military leaders who brought about the unification of Japan in the late sixteenth century. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Bequeathed by Oscar Raphael Length: 9.000 cm Lacquer inrō http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204123b_m.jpg From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1945.10-17.403 Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD Bodhidharma (died around AD 532), known as Daruma in Japanese, was the Indian founder of Zen Buddhism which he brought to China. He is said to have spent nine years seated in meditation in a cave, losing the use of his arms and legs. Zen became influential in Japan in the thirteenth century. From this period onward Japanese Zen monks began painting portraits of Daruma in brush and ink as an aid to reaching enlightenment (satori). Portraits of Daruma traditionally emphasized his 'Indian' appearance with bushy beard and eyebrows, compelling eyes, large nose and long ears (a symbol of Buddhist sanctity). He wears a large earring. The painting is powerfully executed in a variety of fine lines for the face, hair and beard and dashing black brushstrokes for the robes. This follows Chinese traditions of calligraphy (the art of writing with a brush). The painting is unsigned and a former attribution was to Sōami (around 1455-1525), ink painter and curator of art collections of the Ashikaga Shogunate (1338-1573). More recent scholarship suggests a date of the later sixteenth century. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Asia JP 362 (1913.5-1.0101) Height: 765.000 mm Width: 390.000 mm Bodhidharma (Daruma), a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203559_m.jpg Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD The jimbaori was originally simply a serviceable surcoat to be worn over armour as extra protection from the weather. However, as armour became more and more ornate to reveal the status and personal tastes of the wearer, the coats themselves became increasingly ostentatious. The main design on this example takes the form of an archery target. This coat is made from the feathers of two species of Japanese pheasant and an unidentified drake of the genus Anas glued on to hemp. The collar is made of Chinese silk twill stiffened with paper. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1897.3-18.6 Length: 72.000 cm Jimbaori (armour surcoat) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps190920_m.jpg From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th or early 17th century AD Daimyō, provincial governors, and other high-ranking samurai carried swords mounted either as katana or tachi types. However, they were not able to wear these long swords when travelling in a palanquin (covered litter), when their swords accompanied them in cases carried by attendants. This sword case is made of lacquered wood with gold makie and shell inlay with an all-over design of a grapevine. The outer leather case has the mon (family crest) of the owner in gold leaf. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) , Hakubutsukan shozÅ Nihon-Ch (Tokyo National Museum, 1987) L. Smith and V. Harris, Japanese decorative arts from (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) Asia JA 1902.193 Length: 112.500 cm Sword travelling-case with grapevine design http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps180999_m.jpg From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th or early 17th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century (cuirass and sleeves; Edo period, 17th century (helmet), 18th-19th century (remainder) This composite suit of Japanese armour brings together items from different periods. The helmet, though made in the seventeenth century, is in the tradition of earlier pieces which were often given a hideous face-mask with bristling whiskers to strike terror into the enemy. With the arrival of firearms in the sixteenth century new bullet-proof cuirasses were developed in Japan, copied from European models. The example here is signed by Unkai Mitsunao. This and the silk sleeves covered with chain-mail and iron plates were made in the late sixteenth century. The neck-piece, shoulder flaps, divided skirt and leg pieces are made of lacquered iron platelets held together with cords and colourful silk braids. They were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. In the Edo period (1600-1868) armour was generally more ceremonial, and made of lighter metals. However, some provincial lords, especially the Date clan of Sendai, kept up the appearance of being always prepared for battle, possibly in memory of their ancestors' defeat by the Tokugawa clan under Ieyasu in the decisive battle of Seki ga Hara (AD 1600). L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) L. Smith and V. Harris, Japanese decorative arts from (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) Asia JA OA+13545 Height: 1.250 m (as mounted) Set of armour http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204595_m.jpg From Japan Momoyama period, late 16th century (cuirass and sleeves; Edo period, 17th century (helmet), 18th-19th century (remainder) British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Edo period, Kan'ei era (AD 1624-44) According to a Chinese legend, when the emperor Gyo heard about the virtues of a simple hermit, named Xu You (Japanese: Kyoyū), he decided to abdicate the throne and offer it to him. Xu You was appalled to be offered such a position, and went to wash his ears free of this insult in the Ying River. Another hermit, Qao Fu (Sō Ho), had intended to water his ox in the same river, but turned away from the contaminated waters. This is the scene depicted here. The story was popular among Japanese warriors, illustrating the irony that those who scorn power are those most suited to rule. Although the theme was usually rendered in the conventional monochrome format of Chinese paintings, here we see it in the polychrome and gold-leaf style of the Kanō school. A pair of ink paintings of the same subject exists by Kanō Eitoku (1543-90), one of the most famous Kanō painters, but he is also thought to have done a gold and polychrome version for Oda Nabunaga's Azuchi Castle near Lake Biwa. The castle and all its contents were destroyed in 1582. There are some stylistic similarities in the screen here with the work of Kanō Takanobu (1571-1618), but it more probably dates from some time after his death, that is, in the Kan'ei era (1624-44). I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Gift of Yamanaka & Co. Height: 1565.000 mm Width: 1751.000 mm Xu You and Qao Fu, a 2-fold screen painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338197_m.jpg Japan Edo period, Kan'ei era (AD 1624-44) British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD11 (1920.10-20.02) From Mino Province, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD This tsuba is made of shakudō with gold and silver inlay on an nanako ground. It has a lively design of seasonal flowers and grasses and deer. It was possibly made by a member of the Gotō family who developed the use of shakudō and were the official metalworkers working for the Ashikaga (1338-1573) and later the Tokugawa shoguns (1600-1868). L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) L. Smith and V. Harris, Japanese decorative arts from (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) Bequeathed by Sir A.W. Franks Length: 7.100 cm Tsuba (sword guard) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202059b_m.jpg From Mino Province, Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA TS244 From Japan Kofun period, 6th century AD This gilt bronze pommel was made for a straight single-edged iron sword, and is an example of the annular, or ring-shaped type. They often contained designs originating in China or Korea, particularly pairs of phoenixes or dragons. Chinese and early Japanese pieces like this were cast in one piece, but later Japanese examples were also cut from plate. The hole in the base received a pin fixing the pommel to the end of the hilt. Asia JA 1936.11-18.136 Gilt bronze sword pommel http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339290_m.jpg From Japan Kofun period, 6th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD There were two ways of carrying Japanese swords: tachi-type swords were worn suspended by cords with armour and uchigatana-type swords were worn thrust through the belt. They both had scabbards of lacquered magnolia wood. Hilts were covered with the hardened skin of the rayfish and bound, usually with silk braid, to give a good grip. Itomaki means 'bound with cords'. This is an elaborate tachi-style sword-mounting from the Edo period (1600-1868). At this time the country was at peace, but daimyō and other high-ranking samurai would have required such ornate pieces for wear when travelling in procession to and from the capital Edo (modern Tokyo). The mounting is decorated with a motif known as the triple paving-stone or triple chequer, the mon or family crest of the Tsuchiya family. The blade is signed by Sukesada, a sixteenth-century swordsmith from Bizen Province. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) , Hakubutsukan shozÅ Nihon-Ch (Tokyo National Museum, 1987) Bequeathed by R. W. Lloyd Length: 97.200 cm Sword mounting in itamaki tachi style http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps322061_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1958.7-30.149.a-d From Japan Muromachi period, 15th-16th century AD This tsuba (sword guard) has a sombre appearance compared to many, though the plain iron disc is decorated, with circular bands of evenly spaced inlaid sentoku (brass) dots around a central ring. Tsuba like this were are thought to have been fisrt made in the ōnin era (1457-69) when a civil war ravaged Kyoto, but no signed pieces survive, so we know nothing of the makers. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of Henry Bergen Diameter: 8.600 cm Iron tsuba (sword guard) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202060a_m.jpg From Japan Muromachi period, 15th-16th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1948.11-27.1 Japan Edo period, around AD 1716-36 This painting's fine detail, strong colours and generous use of cut gold-leaf suggests that it was an order from a rich patron. The artist is not known, but the painting style suggests a machi-eshi ('town painter') who may have been trained in the Sumiyoshi school. The two paintings are set in spring and summer. There was probably another pair of scrolls showing autumn and winter scenes, which may well have been signed by the artist. They are now unfortunately lost. The scroll set in spring shows cherry-blossom time in the hilly Ueno district around Kan'eiji Temple. Worshippers of all classes - samurai with their two swords, merchants, artists, women and children - are strolling, or sitting eating and drinking, listening to music or enjoying other entertainments. A peep-show can be seen, an amusement introduced from Western Europe. Both koto (lateral harp) and shamisen performances are in progress. The scroll set in summer shows Asakusa Temple near Azuma Bridge over the Sumida River with fleets of pleasure boats. The scrolls are known to have been were exhibited in the 1890s at the James Bowes' Japanese Museum, Liverpool, one of the first public galleries of Japanese art in the United Kingdom. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) Gift of the Trustees of James Martin White Height: 295.000 mm ((each)) Length: 10665.000 mm (Ueno) Length: 10665.000 mm (Ueno) Views of Ueno and Asakusa, a pair of handscroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204117_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1716-36 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD341-2 (1950.11-11.021.01-02) From Japan Edo period, 17th century AD This dish was commissioned by the United Dutch East India Company and bears their V.O.C. mark (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie). From the end of the sixteenth century the Dutch East India Company developed a vast network of trading posts through South-east Asia. They monopolized European trade with Japan from about 1641, when, for political reasons, the Tokugawa Shogunate restricted foreign contacts by law. The Dutch 'factory' was on the tiny island of Deshima in Nagasaki Bay. The Chinese were the only other foreigners allowed to trade with Japan, but even their activities were restricted by political upheaval at home with the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644. The Dutch brought in mainly raw silk and sugar and took out gold, silver and copper. However as time went on demand also grew for Japanese porcelain. This dish was for the use of the Company's officers in Japan. The commissioners also specified the Chinese-style design of auspicious peaches and the 'Buddha's fingers' plant. Judging from the great depth of the transparent glaze and the five spur marks on the base the dish was made between 1690 and 1700 at a time of great technological advance in porcelain manufacture. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1961.12-12.5 Diameter: 34.290 cm Arita ware porcelain dish http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203974b_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Edo period, 19th century AD Netsuke subjects are often taken from the natural world. This piece was carved by Hōjitsu (died 1872), a vassal of the Tokugawa shogunate who also enjoyed the patronage of the daimyō of Tsugaru. Hōjitsu was a very skilled artist in ivory and boxwood and was recognized as the best carver in Tokyo (Edo) in his day. He is best-known for his graceful and elegant figures influenced by the artist Hanabusa Itchō (1652-1724). Bequeathed by Miss Helen Epstein Length: 5.000 cm Wooden netsuke by Hōjitsu http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339169_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1953.12-17.11 Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th century AD 'The Treasury of the Forty-seven Loyal Retainers' is the fictionalized version of an actual historical event that took place during the Genroku era (1688-1704). In 1701, the lord of Akō (in western Japan), was provoked by the arrogant treatment he had received at the shogunal court into attacking the chief of protocol Kira Yoshinaka. For this crime his domain was confiscated and he was ordered to commit suicide. For nearly two years, forty-seven of his retainers bided their time, plotting revenge. Finally they stormed Kira's mansion and killed him. Although they were regarded as heroes by many for their unswerving loyalty, the authorities ordered them all to commit suicide. The story became an extremely popular theme for plays and paintings. This scroll is painted with the best-known scene from each of the eleven acts of the play, in Jichōsai's typically light, humorous style. The action is represented symbolically: for example a lone figure with sword in hand stands for a more detailed narrative description. The viewer is left to fill in the details from their own knowledge of the tale. Jichōsai was the art-name of Matsuya Heizaburō (worked about 1781-88), a sake brewer and curio dealer of Osaka who was also a comic writer and producer of kyōga - light-hearted, comic pictures. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Gift of Dr and Mrs Michael Harari Height: 281.000 mm Length: 7816.000 mm Jichōsai, Chūshingura ('Treasury of the Forty-seven Loyal Retainers'), a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps249002_m.jpg Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD692 (1982.7-1.07) Japan Late Edo period, mid-19th century AD Ukita Ikkei (1795-1859) was a leading member of a group of artists working at the end of the Edo period, who sought to revive the ancient painting styles of Yamato-e from the Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) periods. This style, called 'Yamato-e Revival' (Fukko Yamato-e), had strong connections with the imperial court in Kyoto, where Ikkei was employed as an artist, and this album presents scenes of life at the emperor's court in ancient times, and of the annual observances made throughout the year. The page illustrated here is the fourth month, when the emperor inspected the horses of the imperial stables in the Komahiki ('colt-leading') ceremony. An official wearing formal dress of the Heian period is seated on a horse, being led by a groom. The scene has been sketched quickly and lightly, with soft, pale colouring. As the shogunal regime began to lose its grip on power in the mid-nineteenth century, those calling for the 'restoration' of the emperor grew in number. Ikkei participated in the political activities of the time, and was imprisoned. He died shortly after release. The subject and style of the album thus reflect both the aspirations of the imperial faction at the time as well as Ikkei's own personal allegiances. The seals together read 'Yoshitame' (one of Ikkei's art-names). Other pages in the album are also signed 'Ikkei'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Height: 260.000 mm Width: 340.000 mm Height: 260.000 mm Width: 340.000 mm Ukita Ikkei, Annual Events at the Imperial Court, an album of paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339574_m.jpg Japan Late Edo period, mid-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD684 (1982.6-28.01) Japan Edo period, mid-19th century AD The viewing of cherry blossom in the spring, and the moon in autumn were traditionally two of the most important annual events of the Imperial court in Kyoto. These annual events were known as the Nenjū Gyōji. In the spring scroll an ornate pleasure-boat with a dragon prow and an elaborate awning carries a group of court women beneath the cherry trees. Two maid-servants are punting, while behind them sit two women in elaborate court dress. One costume is decorated with cherry flowers. As they admire the blossoms, one woman uses her fan, while another shields her eyes with her hand. In the background a willow tree is just coming into leaf, and yellow flowers, possibly Japanese yamabuki (kerria), bloom on the river bank. In the moon-viewing scene courtiers perform music for their lord in a space marked off by colourful awnings. They play a biwa (lute), koto (Japanese harp), flute and sho (a type of mouth organ). Food is placed on a lacquer stand. The partially clouded moon shines gently down on the reddening maple leaves, pampas grass, bush clover and bellflowers. Hirosada looks back to an earlier age with nostalgia. His pride in his position as a Yamato-e painter is shown by the vermilion red seals, reading 'yamato-e' impressed on each scroll. He is following in the footsteps of the founder of the Sumiyoshi school, Jokei (1599-1670), who had made a copy of the ancient Nenjū Gyōji paintings. From the later seventeenth century onwards, the Sumiyoshi artists worked for the shoguns in Edo while the Tosa school treated traditional themes for the Imperial court in Kyoto. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) William Anderson Collection Height: 974.000 mm Width: 362.000 mm Sumiyoshi Hirosada, Court amusements in spring and autumn, a pair of hanging scroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203560_m.jpg Japan Edo period, mid-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 270 (1881.12-10.216);Asia JA JP 271 (1881.12-10.217) Japan Edo period, probably AD 1777-81 This pair of hanging scrolls features the common theme of kachōga (bird-and-flower painting). In the right-hand scroll a willow tree with swallows in its branches indicates spring. Two birds of paradise perch lower down. At the base of the tree are peonies and green grass to suggest summer. A kingfisher is perched on a rock by the fast-flowing mountain stream, and sparrows fly above. In the left-hand scroll, the maple tree stands for autumn. A horned owl sits on the tree-trunk, surrounded by small birds which seem to be teasing it: a compositional element seen in earlier kachōga. The pink blossoms beneath are cotton flowers. In the distance can be seen the snow-covered mountains and pine-trees of winter. The original name of Sumiyoshi Keishū (1729-97) was Itaya Hiromasa, and he was a pupil of Sumiyoshi Hiromori (1705-77), a painter to the shōgun. When Hiromori became old and frail, he arranged to pass his duties on to his trusted pupil Hiromasa, and agreed to adopt the latter's son Hiroyuki and make him his heir. As the son was still young, however, Hiromasa for a time became head of the Sumiyoshi school, and used the signature seen here, ‘Sumiyoshi Keishū ga'. The seal reads ‘Yamato-e ichiryū' ('Prime lineage of native painting'). I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) William Anderson Collection Height: 930.000 mm Width: 350.000 mm Sumiyoshi Keishū, Birds and Flowers in Four Seasons, a pair of hanging scroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338412_m.jpg Japan Edo period, probably AD 1777-81 British Museum: Asia JA JP 159-160 (1881.12-10.0223-4) Japan Edo period, AD 1789 Falconry in medieval Japan, as in many countries, was a popular sport among those of wealth, rank, and power. Cranes were the favoured quarry. When caught, any meat was specially prepared and reserved for the feudal lord. The sport is thought to have been introduced from China, and the forms of the perch and the jess (the silk cord) can be seen in Chinese paintings of the twelfth century. Many Japanese artists painted falcons, and such works would have constituted a kind of status symbol. This pair of scrolls displays the fine plumage of the birds, front and back, and the inscriptions written in courtly calligraphy above describe the colours and patterning of the plumage. The signatures to the inscriptions, just above the level of the perch, record the rank (kohō) of the man who wrote them, followed by his kaō (personal handwritten seal), not yet identified. The artist's original name was Itaya Hiromasa (1729-97). He took over the duties of goyō eshi (official painter to the shogun) from his teacher, Sumiyoshi Hiromori (1705-77), also assuming the Sumiyoshi name, from 1773 until 1781, when he passed on the post to his son, Hiroyuki (1755-1811). The signature on each scroll reads 'Sumiyoshi Keishū Fujiwara [no] Hiromasa gyōnen rokujū-issai hitsu' ('From the brush of Sumiyoshi Keishū, Fujiwara no Hiromasa, aged 61'). The seal reads 'Hiromasa no in' ('Seal of Hiromasa'). William Anderson Collection Height: 1200.000 mm (each) Width: 439.000 mm (each) Sumiyoshi Keishū, Falcons on Perches, a pair of hanging scroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338591_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1789 British Museum: Asia JA JP 164-5 (1881.12-10.0228-9) Japan Late Edo period, mid-19th century AD The concept of the thirty-six great poets originated with the selection made by Fujiwara no Kintō for the Imperial anthology Kokin wakashū ('Japanese Poems From Ancient and Modern Times') of AD 905. Artists of the Rimpa school in Kyoto and, later, Edo (modern Tokyo) frequently grouped the poets of different time periods together in one composition, often on a two-fold screen. Here, however, all thirty-six are gathered together in a single hanging scroll. The poses of the figures largely copy earlier examples, as does the curtain at the top and the diagonally placed edging of a tatami mat. The decorative quality of the work is heightened in several ways: the gold ground composed of scattered gold-leaf; the puddled-ink effect on the robes of eleven male poets achieved by the distinctively Rimpa technique of tarashi-komi, where gold paint has been dripped onto the still-wet black ink; and the striking chequered pattern on the robes of two men. All the male poets wear eboshi - the headgear of courtiers of the Heian period (794-1185). Four of these also have oikake, fan-shaped attachments made of horsehair (part of the court hunting costume), and three have arrows strapped to their backs. The signature reads 'Seisei Kiitsu' and the seal reads 'Shukurinsai'. The form of the signature suggests a date late in Kiitsu's life (1796-1858), about 1850. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Height: 1580.000 mm Width: 812.000 mm Height: 1580.000 mm Width: 812.000 mm Suzuki Kiitsu, The Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps127695_m.jpg Japan Late Edo period, mid-19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD622 (1980.7-28.01) Japan Edo period, AD 1817 This painting is from an album of 48 works by 48 painters and calligraphers active in Edo (modern Tokyo) in the early nineteenth century. There are 24 paintings and 24 sheets of calligraphy, and the dates, where given, are all from the autumn of 1817. The name of the person who assembled the album is not recorded. In the second half of the Edo period, especially during the Bunka era (1804-18) and the Bunsei era (1818-30), there was a fashion for emulating the sophisticated tastes of the bunjin (literati). Wealthy admirers would ask well-known artists and calligraphers for examples of their work, which they collected in albums or mounted on folding screens for contemplation at their leisure. Calligraphy and painting parties (shogakai) became increasingly popular, where a paying audience could watch artists work, and request pieces for a fee. This album contains only works in the literati style, which dominated the shogakai. The influence of Tani Bunchō (1763-1840) is strong, with many works by his pupils and followers. Other major artists and calligraphers represented include Bunchō's teacher, Watanabe Gentai (1749-1822), Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828), Kita Busei (1776-1856), Ichikawa Kansai (1749-1820), and Kameda Bōsai (1752-1826). There are also a number of otherwise unknown names, apparently amateurs who took the opportunity to show off their talents. The painting illustrated here is of a jovial sage pointing at the moon. The artist is Katagiri Ranseki (1764-1824), who had studied under Gentai. Both the signature and the seal read 'Tōin'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Brooke Sewell Fund Height: 286.000 mm Width: 328.000 mm Katagiri Ranseki, A sage pointing at the moon, a painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339576_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1817 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD518 (1973.2-26.0106.1) Japan Edo period, around AD 1810 Kawamura Bumpō (1779-1821) studied under Gan Ku (1747-1838), but he appears also to have been influenced by the softer style of the Maruyama-Shijō school of artists of his native Kyoto. The small number of known paintings by Bumpō suggest that he had wide interests and a versatile talent. These are shown in the variety of subject matter within this pair of scrolls. The first scroll begins with figures resembling Chinese immortals in a setting of giant magic fungi. This leads on to scenes of calligraphy and drinking - one figure idly using a back-scratcher. Then a minor procession with a rider and cart ends up in a calligraphy, painting and poetry party (shogakai) with tea, wine and tobacco pipes. The figures are drawn in the wriggling line style reminiscent of Gan Ku, but the humorously drawn faces and the powerful feeling of enjoyment are unique to Bumpō himself. At the end of the scroll, Bumpō unexpectedly switches to an elegant, sketch-like style to depict autumn flowers and grasses such as arrowroot, morning glory, thoroughwort, bush clover, pinks, and valerian with three dragonflies in flight. This section is strongly Maruyama-Shijō in style. The first scroll finishes with the figure of Daikoku, the god of wealth, with his sack and a bale of rice. The second scroll depicts Japanese-style figures at the Ox Festival at Uzumasa in Kyoto and scenes of daily life in city and countryside These include sumō wrestlers, a monkey-trainer, tea-whisk sellers, and farmers and fishermen at work. Again, the subject matter then changes to the natural word, with fruits on a branch, a pair of rabbits, a moonlit landscape, a snow scene, and finally the god Ebisu with fishing rod and a sea bream under his arm. The signature on the first scroll reads 'Bumpō' and on the second scroll 'Bumpō Basei sha', and the seals on both scrolls read 'Bumpō', 'Basei' and Nanzanju'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Height: 298.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Length: 10485.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Height: 298.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Length: 10485.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Height: 298.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Length: 10485.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Height: 298.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Length: 10485.000 mm (Chinese subjects) Kawamura Bumpō, Chinese Scholars and Japanese Festival Scenes, a pair of handscroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps203107_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1810 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD639 (1981.4-8.01);Asia JA JP ADD640 (1981.4-8.02) Japan Edo period, AD 1802 'One Hundred Old Men' is a standard theme taken from the Chinese painting tradition. In a landscape of mountains, trees, and a lake, elderly gentlemen engage in scholarly pursuits - on the right screen some are gathered round a scroll to appreciate the calligraphy being executed. On the left screen a group is seated at a table to enjoy wine and tea, and others in a large group are conducting a Daoist ceremony outside the grotto of an ascetic. This was the intellectual ideal adopted from China during the Edo period (1600-1868) - a scholarly idyll far away from everyday life. Gan Ku's skill is demonstrated in the varied and expressive brushwork, which would have been readily appreciated by scholarly patrons. The deer on the left screen, the two cranes on top of a tree in the right screen, and the pine trees throughout the composition are all auspicious symbols of longevity. This theme of celebrating advanced age suggests that these sumptuous screens with high-quality gold leaf may have been produced for Taikin Kō, the man mentioned in the inscription, perhaps on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday (seen in Japan as a particularly significant milestone in life). The signature on the right screen reads 'Kotōkan Gan Ku'. The inscription on the left screen reads 'Kyōwa mizunoe inu haru / tame [.....] sha / Gan Ku' ('Painted for [.....] in the spring of 1802 by Gan Ku'). The seals on both screens read 'Kakan' and 'Gan Ku'. The name of the patron, inscribed on the left screen, has not yet been deciphered. Height: 1500.000 mm (each approx.) Width: 3550.000 mm (each approx.) Height: 1500.000 mm (each approx.) Width: 3550.000 mm (each approx.) Gan Ku, One Hundred Old Men, a pair of 6-fold screen paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338195_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1802 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD1043 (1994.4-11.01) Japan Edo period, AD 1783 The small size and format of this screen suggest it was used as an accessory in the preparation of steeped tea (sencha), a custom imported from China which became popular in Japan during the eighteenth century. It shows a group of nine men engaging in elegant pursuits such as calligraphy, conversation and music, while seated in a garden among eccentrically shaped rocks. The scene is the retreat on Mt. Xiang of the well-known Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty, Bo Juyi (772-846). According to legend, in the third month of 845 Bo Juyi was joined by six companions, and again in the summer by two more. In this seclusion of the retreat, to the east of Longmen on the outskirts of the capital Loyang, these educated men could relax and leave behind their worldly concerns. They were all quite elderly (as is evident from their grey hair and beards), and pictures of this theme became associated with celebrating advanced age. The work may well have been commissioned from the illustrious Kyoto artist ōkyo (1733-95) on the occasion of someone's 60th or 70th birthday. ōkyo was renowned for his realistic style and refined techniques. One of his important ambitions was to master the full range of human 'types'; the nine old men in this work are varied in their poses and expressions. The signature reads 'Temmei mizunotō chūka sha ōkyo' ('Painted by ōkyo, midsummer [4th month] 1783'). The seals read 'ōkyo' and 'Chūsen'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Height: 238.000 mm Width: 1447.000 mm Height: 238.000 mm Width: 1447.000 mm Maruyama ōkyo, Nine Old Men of Mt. Xiang, a 2-fold screen painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338383_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1783 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD892 (1989.4-24.01) Japan Edo period, mid-17th century AD This forceful calligraphic writing of a Zen maxim is by the monk Mokuan Shōtō (Chinese: Muan Xingtao) (1611-84). It serves as a focus to meditation on its many layers of meaning. The five-character inscription on the left - 'Flowers open and heaven reveals its essence' - amplifies the meaning of the single large character 'sei' ('essence') on the right. Mokuan was second abbot of the Zen temple Mampuku-ji at Uji near Kyoto, founded by monks of the Chinese ōbaku (Chinese: Huangbo) sect fleeing the persecution of conquering Ching armies. They introduced to Japan the forceful, elegant calligraphic styles of late Ming literati, such as the scholar-painter Dong Qichang (1555-1636). The signature reads 'ōbaku Mokuan sho' ('Written by Mokuan of the ōbaku sect') and the seals read ‘Hōgai gakushi' ('Scholar-Gentleman Retired from the World'), 'Shakkai Tō in' and 'Mokuan shi'. Height: 278.000 mm Width: 523.000 mm Height: 278.000 mm Width: 523.000 mm Mokuan Shōtō, Sei ('Essence'), a calligraphic hanging scroll http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps340675_m.jpg Japan Edo period, mid-17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD1110 From Japan Edo period, mid-late 17th century AD The versatile artist Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558-1637) inspired the revival of the courtly art traditions of the Heian period (794-1185). This style was later named 'Rimpa'. Kōetsu himself is famous for his calligraphy and designs for pottery, metal and lacquerware. This writing box is a fine example of slightly later lacquerware still in the Kōetsu style. As with many of the works of the Kōetsu School, the design is inspired by a classical poem, in this case no. 283 from the anthology Kokin wakashū (AD 905). 'Were one to cross it, the brocade might break in two, coloured autumn leaves, floating in random pattern, on the Tatsuta River.' (Translation: Helen Craig McCullough) The design shows a bridge scattered with maple leaves stretching across the waves of the River Tatsuta. The bridge supports are of mother-of-pearl inlay, and the surface of the waves is further varied by swirls of lead inlay. The inside is decorated with deer in makie and shell inlay. The box once contained an inkstone and brushes. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Bequeathed by Oscar Raphael Width: 20.500 cm Length: 23.000 cm Height: 4.500 cm Lacquer writing-box http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204854_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, mid-late 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1945.10-17.392.a Japan Edo period, around AD 1850 The artist Tsubaki Chinzan (1801-54) was a pupil of the bunjin master Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841). Following his teacher, Chinzan painted portraits, flowering plants and flower-and-bird pictures. While his paintings have a realism based on sketches from life, he also aimed to capture the poetic spirit of the subject. According to an inscription written by Chinzan himself at the end of the scroll, his painting is based on a work by the Chinese artist Chen Shun (1484-1544). Chen Shun, in his turn, was a forebear in the literati tradition of the painter Yun Shoupong (1633-99), whom Kazan and Chinzan both considered to be the absolute master of flower painting. The eight flowers depicted here are peony, orchid, hollyhock, jasmine, lotus, day lily, chrysanthemum and camellia. Chen Shun copied a poem by the Chinese poet Chen Chao beside every flower, and Chinzan has attempted to convey the spirit of these poems, too, in his painting. Chinzan uses a 'boneless' (Chinese: mogu) style of painting of light ink and pale colour washes to produce an unpretentious, poetic effect. The signature reads 'Chinzan Tsubaki Hitsu', and the seals read 'Hitsu in' and Chinzan'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Brooke Sewell Fund Height: 346.000 mm Length: 4335.000 mm Tsubaki Chinzan, Flowers and Plants in the Style of Chen Shun, a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps072104_m.jpg Japan Edo period, around AD 1850 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD576 (1978.5-22.01) From Japan Edo period, late 19th century AD The rakan (Sanskrit: arhats, 'enlightened beings'), were the original disciples of the historical Buddha and possessors of supernatural power and the wisdom of Buddha. They are traditionally represented in groups of sixteen, and sometimes five hundred. They were popular in China in the Song and Yuan dynasties, and Japanese depictions of them are often in the Chinese style. This rather humorous sculpture is of a rakan accompanied by a dragon and holding a small Buddhist shrine or reliquary. It is typical of the naturalism of the style of the period and was almost certainly made for export to the West. Both elephant ivory and ivory from marine mammals were much sought after by the Japanese at the time for manufacture of such figures and small netsuke. Height: 19.000 cm Height: 19.000 cm Ivory figure of a rakan http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps340121_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, late 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1979.7-2.4 Unknown ca. 1620 W.339-1916 Given by the Misses Alexander Height 9 cm Length 59.7 cm Width 35 cm Writing table http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AT1123.jpg Japan Wood, covered with gold and silver takamaki-e and nashiji lacquer, with gold and silver details; silvered metal fittings 1780-1800 This kimono has been decorated using ink, embroidery and a stencil-dyeing technique called kata kanoko. Nature provides the main source for the motifs used in Japanese art and bamboo, which features here, is an especially popular subject. Across the shoulders of the kimono are various characters taken from the 'Poems of Congratulation' in the 10th-century Kokinshu anthology. Incorporating the written word into the design of the kimono would have demonstrated the literary discernment of the wearer. FE.106-1982 Length 180 cm Width 130 cm Kimono http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN1531.jpg Japan Monochrome figured satin silk (rinzu), with embroidery, brushed black ink and stencilling (kata kanoko) Unknown late 19th century This jacket would have been worn by a fireman. It is made from several layers of thick cotton quilted together using a technqiue known as ‘sashiko’. Before tackling a blaze a fireman would be drenched in water to protect him from the flames, the quilting of the jacket allowing for maximum absorption. Wearing this heavy garment the fireman would attack the blaze, using a long pole to pull down buildings to prevent the fire from spreading. The design of the jacket provided more than just physical protection. The motif of a dragon, a magical beast who brought storms when it descended from the heavens, served to wrap the fireman in divine protection. The jacket is reversible, and during a fire the plain side would be revealed. When the fire had been defeated - and on festival days - the dynamic image would be revealed. FE.107-1982 Length 95 cm Width 122 cm Jacket http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AV7168.jpg Japan Cotton, with freehand paste-resist decoration (tsutsugaki), and quilted in cotton stitches (sashiko) Unknown late 19th century This coat, with its tapered sleeves to allow for active movement, would probably have been worn by a farmer. It is made from two layers of indigo-dyed cotton which have been stitched together using a quilting technique known as ‘sashiko’. Three different stitching patterns have been used. Clothes with sashiko stitching are found in many parts of Japan, but are particularly prevalent in the cold climate of northern Honshû, the main island. Garments stitched in this way are strong and warm, and extremely suitable for working apparel. FE.30-1982 Length 124.5 cm Width 122.0 cm Coat http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN1517.jpg Japan Indo-dyed cotton, quilted in lighter blue cotton thread (sashiko) Kyukoku ca. 1800-1850 The inro is a tiered container that was traditionally worn by men only. The traditional Japanese garment, the kimono, had no pockets, so men first used the inro to carry daily necessities. From the late 1500s onwards, men wore it suspended from their sashes by a silk cord and netsuke (toggle). However, it rapidly became a costly fashion accessory of little or no practical use. Inro subjects often reflect a particular festival or time of year. This one probably refers to Tanabata (Weaver's Festival), which was celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month. The festival celebrates the annual meeting of the Weaver Princess Star and the Herdboy Star. According to legend, the princess and the herdboy fell in love and were allowed to marry. However, they soon began to neglect their duties and were separated to opposite sides of the Milky Way. They were allowed to meet only once a year at Tanabata. This inro is decorated with a silk-winder, which represents the Weaver Princess Star. The milky-white ground represents the Milky Way. W.361-1922 Pfungst Gift Height 9.8 cm Width 6.9 cm Depth 2.0 cm Inro http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AU2719.jpg Japan Mother-of-pearl, incised with gold, on a lacquered ground Unknown ca. 1400-1450 This jar was made at Shigaraki, a well-known Japanese pottery centre that produced large unglazed storage vessels and other utilitarian ceramics from the 12th century onwards. Its rugged contours are due to the potter having built up the shape in several stages, while the streak of pale green glaze is the outcome of flying ash settling and melting during firing, and the orange hue is the result of oxidation of the iron content of the clay body. From the end of the 15th century Shigaraki wares began to attract the attention of devotees of the tea ceremony, who discerned in them a rustic beauty very different from the elegance of the imported Chinese ceramics favoured as tea utensils up until that time. FE.20-1984 Height 49.5 cm Jar http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN4391.jpg Japan Stoneware with natural ash glaze Unknown late 16th century 176-1877 Height 19.4 cm Vase http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN7104-1.jpg Japan Stoneware with a yellow glaze Unknown 1700-1725 This large dish showing a woman and her two attendants is a fine example of the type of porcelain made in early 18th-century Japan for export to Europe. On its base there appears a Dresden inventory mark, indicating that the piece came from the collection of the Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, ‘Augustus the Strong’, who died in 1733. The areas of dark blue were achieved by painting with cobalt oxide under a clear glaze and firing to a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere - one in which the kiln is starved of oxygen so that the burning fuel draws chemically bonded oxygen from the reactive parts of the ceramic material, leaving them in a reduced state and changing their colour. The gold, red and other enamel colours were applied and fused on in subsequent, low-temperature firings. The distinctive so-called Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. The term Imari comes from the name of the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Chinese and Dutch merchants, the Dutch being the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan at this time. C.1513-1910 Salting Bequest Diameter 46.7 cm Dish http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006BF0199.jpg Japan Porcelain with decoration in underglaze blue, overglaze enamels and gilt Unknown 1700-1725 This large covered jar is a splendid example of the type of porcelain made in early 18th-century Japan for export to Europe. Wares of this shape and size would not have been marketed in Japan. The areas of dark blue were achieved by painting with cobalt oxide under a clear glaze and firing to a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere - one in which the kiln is starved of oxygen so that the burning fuel draws chemically bonded oxygen from the reactive parts of the ceramic material, leaving them in a reduced state and changing their colour. The gold, red and other enamel colours were applied and fused on in subsequent, low-temperature firings. The distinctive so-called Imari-style colour scheme was much copied by 18th-century European manufacturers. The term Imari comes from the name of the port in western Japan through which this and other products of the nearby Arita kilns were shipped. Porcelains for export were sent to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Chinese and Dutch merchants, the Dutch being the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan at this time. C.1523-1910 Salting Bequest Height 76.2 cm Vase and cover http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2007BM7309.jpg Japan Porcelain with decoration in underglaze blue, overglaze enamels and gilt 1800-1830 The padded hem on this kimono indicates that it is an outer kimono, or uchikake, designed for winter wear. Uchikake were worn without an obi, the sash that secures the garment, so no part of the design would have been obscured. The shibori, or tie-dyeing, technique has been used to create a pattern of paper gift ornaments in the shape of butterflies. This has been combined with embroidered plum blossoms. This auspicious motif was a popular one in winter, for it suggested that the arrival of spring was not too far away. FE.28-1984 Length 179 cm Width 124 cm Kimono http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AR9278.jpg Japan Monochrome patterned satin silk, with tie-dyed (kanoko shibori) and embroidered decoration 1820-1860 The long 'swinging sleeves' (furisode) of this kimono indicate that it would have been worn by a young unmarried woman. The family crest, mon, across the shoulders suggest that she was probably a woman of the samurai class, the military aristocracy of Japan in the Edo period (1615-1868). The garment has a large padded hem and was designed as an outer kimono for winter wear. It would have been worn without an obi, the sash that secures the garment, so no part of the beautifully embroidered design would have been obscured. The pattern of floral roundels was a favourite among women of the samurai class. FE.11-1983 Length 189 cm Width 124 cm Kimono http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN1368.jpg Japan Satin silk, embroidered in silk and metallic thread Unknown 18th century The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hard-wearing. Above all, they had to have the means for attaching a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a grazing horse. The most widely used materials for making netsuke were traditionally ivory or wood. Throughout the Edo Period (1615-1868), ivory from the Indian elephant was imported by Chinese and Dutch traders. Owing to the cost of the material, a small piece of ivory would be used to maximum effect. The subjects of netsuke were often originally suggested by the shape of a particular material, as with this grazing horse. In time, however, this particular subject became a standard one used by numerous carvers over a long period of time. The great popularity of the horse as a netsuke subject is also connected to its being one of the 12 animals of the East Asian zodiac, which derives from Chinese cosmology. In a recurring cycle, each animal is assigned to a year in a specific order. The traditional order is: rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and boar. A netsuke portraying any of these animals was particularly associated with the New Year festivities of the appropriate year, but could also be used at any time during that particular year, and again 12 years later in accordance with the cycle. 418-1904 Dresden Bequest Height 5.6 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0454.jpg Japan Carved ivory, with staining Unknown ca. 1775-1850 The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Although netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving). This is a three-dimensional carving, such as this one of beanpods. This type of netsuke, which have no surface texture, are deceptively simple. The maker had to have great carving skills to make them appear realistic. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching the cord. Most netsuke had a pair of cord holes (himotoshi). Alternatively the netsuke were fitted with a natural opening through which the cord could be attached. Here the maker has used the stalk of one of the beanpods. A.46-1920 Clarke-Thornhill Gift Length 4.6 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0418.jpg Japan Carved ivory Unknown late 19th century The design on this bedding (futon) cover has been created using a technique called tsutsugaki, or ‘tube drawing’. In this method woven fabric is stretched on a frame of bamboo and a design drawn on the cloth with paste squeezed from a tube (tsutsu). The tube is made from paper treated with persimmon juice to make it water resistant; it has a nozzle of bamboo or metal through which the paste is extruded. The paste, made of rice flour, lime and water, forms a protective coating that prevents the colour penetrating when the cloth is dyed. Before the dye is applied, the surface of the fabric is brushed with soya bean liquid to seal the paste and help fix the dye. Once the dyed cloth is dry the rice paste is washed off. The process is repeated to obtain the various shades of blue. T.331-1960 Length 160.0 cm Width 124.0 cm Quilt cover http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AT2475.jpg Fukuoka (prefecture), Japan Cotton, resist-dyed and painted 1890-1930 This kimono was made and worn by a woman living in Tsugaru, a penisula in the very north of Honshû, the main island of Japan. It is woven with fine indigo-dyed ramie. The decorative panel on the upper part has been stitched in white with a diamond pattern, a technique known as kogin. If she was to make a good marriage it was essential that a Tsugaru woman master the skills of kogin, and training began at an early age. By her wedding day the bride was expected to have woven and embroidered a number of fine garments for herself and her future husband. These would be worn on special occasions. FE.141-1983 Length 129.0 cm Width 100.0 cm Kimono http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN4734.jpg Aomori (prefecture), Japan Indigo-dyed ramie, with white cotton stitching (kogin) Unknown 1890-1912 This length of silk fabric would have originally been part of a kimono. The design of flowers against bamboo fences was created using a technique called yuzen. This involves drawing the pattern on the cloth with rice paste extruded through the metal tip of a cloth bag. The paste forms a protective coat that prevents the colour penetrating when the dyes are applied. T.429-1912 Strange Gift Length 86 cm Width 41 cm Textile http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN1223.jpg Japan Resist dyed ('Yuzen' technique) silk crepe Unknown 18th century The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hard-wearing. Above all, they had to have the means for attaching a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a figure in European dress. In 1543 the Portuguese arrived in Japan, followed by the Spaniards, Dutch and English. This resulted in an enormous interest in people with different physical characteristics, clothing, customs and accoutrements. By 1641, however, all Europeans had been expelled from Japan. The only exception was the Dutch, who were allowed to trade from the island of Dejima. The fascination with Europeans nevertheless continued, manifesting itself in the carving of figural netsuke with Western features during the late 17th and 18th centuries. These often presented a fusion of the many outside influences in Japan from the 16th century onwards, resulting in rather inaccurate depictions of foreigners. This particular netsuke of a Chinese or Japanese figure in contemporary European dress is a typical example. A.862-1910 Salting Bequest Height 8.9 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0444.jpg Japan Carved ivory, with staining and inlay Unknown ca. 1700-ca. 1750 The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching the cord. Although netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving). This is a three-dimensional carving, such as this one. This netsuke of a woman and a child is influenced by the Christian image of the Madonna and Child. Around 1580, a thriving ivory carving industry developed in China, centred on Zhangzhou, Fujian province. It produced many religious images for the Portuguese and Spanish on the Asian mainland. The image of the Madonna and Child was widely used in China. It was similar to the Chinese songzi (child-giving) Guanyin (bodhisattva embodying compassion). Many of these Chinese carvings reached Japan. This most unusual netsuke possibly reflects how the religious image became a general image of a mother and child. A.875-1910 Salting Bequest Height 7.0 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0443.jpg Japan Carved ivory Unknown 19th century This large jar was produced at one of a number of kilns founded in Japan in the early 1800s, at the beginning of a country-wide boom in ceramic production. It embodies the qualities of beauty extolled by proponents of the Mingei, or Japanese Folk Craft movement. These qualities are seen to derive from an object having being made by craftsmen working close to nature with traditional styles and simple techniques, and living within a small and harmonious community without concern for capitalistic gain and the assertion of individuality. FE.15-1985 Height 61.8 cm Diameter 53.0 cm (maximum) Jar http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AF4260.jpg Japan Stoneware with bluish-white and olive-brown glazes Unknown 1400-1550 The first mirrors to be used in Japan were imported from Korea and China and it was not until the 4th century AD that the Japanese began to make their own, cast from bronze. The mirror faces were polished and, from the 11th century, made more reflective by applying a thin layer of tin. They were lifted and held by a cord that passed through a hole in the raised boss – which often took the form of a tortoise – on the centre back. At first, Japanese mirrors were close copies of Chinese and Korean originals, but by the 11th century mirrors with distinctively Japanese designs were being made. This mirror is decorated with a scene of cranes, pines and bamboo by the seashore, a conventional assemblage of symbols for longevity. 722-1901 Diameter 11.3 cm Mirror http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AR9751.jpg Japan Cast bronze Ogawa Haritsu, born 1663 - died 1747 1700-1800 W.56-1922 Tomkinson Memorial Fund Height 5.1 cm Width 18.5 cm Depth 24.1 cm Writing box http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AF3442.jpg Japan Wood, covered in woven bamboo and decorated in lacquer, enamelled pottery and horn Ikeda Taishin, born 1825 - died 1903 ca. 1860 FE.6-1984 Height 14.6 cm Length 43.7 cm Width 32.5 cm Paper box http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AF3439.jpg Japan Grained wood, with gold, silver and coloured lacquer, pewter and shell Namie Tomiharu ca. 1850-1910 The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching the cord. Although netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving). This is a three-dimensional carving, such as this one. This example is signed 'carved by Namie Tomiharu of Iwami province'. Craftsmen in Iwami province produced some of the most distinctive netsuke outside the main urban centres. The region was poor and isolated. These factors influenced both the materials and the subject-matter of the netsuke. Makers often used designs of humble animals, such as a frog. Namie Tomiharu was the leading figure of the five main netsukeshi (netsuke masters) who worked in Iwami. He excelled in netsuke made of boar's tusk. This example is of ebony and shows one of his favourite subjects - the tree-frog on a branch or leaf. A.982-1910 Salting Bequest Length 6.5 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0423.jpg Japan Carved ebony Tomin late 18th century-early 19th century The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching to a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a tiger. From the 18th century onwards, netsuke were increasingly signed by the craftsman. This example is signed ‘Tomin’. Tomin (late 18th to early 19th centuries) was a follower of Tanaka Minko (1735-1816), the founder of a small group of netsuke carvers in Tsu, Ise province. They both worked in similar styles, producing distinctive tiger netsuke. These are invariably portrayed with the head turned back to the left, the mouth open and with comparatively large paws, while the long tail is curled round the body, as in this example. A.939-1910 Salting Bequest Height 3.5 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0431.jpg Japan Carved and stained wood Utagawa Toyokuni (I), born 1769 - died 1825 1800 (printing) E.994-1914 Height 37.2 cm Width 24.6 cm Woodblock print http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006BG4146.jpg Japan Colour print from woodblocks Hiroshige, Utagawa, born 1797 - died 1858 (artist) early 1830s (printing) E.2382-1912 Height 37.8 cm Width 17.0 cm White heron landing behind irises (Print) http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AG2272.jpg Japan Colour print from woodblocks Utagawa Kuniyoshi, born 1797 - died 1861 1843-1844 (printing) E.2265-1909 Height 23.4 cm Width 34.9 cm Mount Fuji at dusk from the Sumida embankment Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji from Edo (Woodblock print) http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AW0556.jpg Japan Colour print from woodblocks Miyagawa Kôzan workshop (possibly) 1870s 308-1879 Height 58.4 cm Jar http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AR9284.jpg Japan Stoneware, with crackled cream glaze, overglaze enamel and gilt decoration and high relief modelling Unknown 1878-1888 In the Meiji period (1868-1912), elaborate velvet pictures such as this were produced in Japan for both the export and domestic markets. They were produced by first painting an image on to woven but uncut velvet. Some areas were then cut, producing tufted pile, but most areas were left as horizontal ridges. 1712-1888 Length 195 cm Width 74 cm Scroll http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN1550.jpg Japan Painted, ribbed and cut velvet Okatori ca. 1775-1825 The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all, they had to have the means for attaching a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of quails on millet. From the 18th century onwards, netsuke were increasingly signed with the carver’s name. This example is signed ‘Okatori’, a carver who was active in Kyoto during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Okatori was the younger brother of Okatomo, a pupil of Izumiya Tomotada, one of the three great netsuke carvers active during the late 18th century who established Kyoto as one of the main centres of netsuke production. Okatomo is widely associated with netsuke of bird subjects, especially quail and millet. It is not surprising that his younger brother produced this carving of a similar subject. A.975-1910 Salting Bequest Height 2.9 cm Netsuke http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AL0430.jpg Japan Carved and stained ivory Kasson (designers) Suzuki, Chokichi, born 1848 - died 1919 1883 This superbly executed bronze vase is the product of many traditions of Japanese art, not only of metalworking. The decorative inlay techniques derive from those employed by the makers of sword fittings, the naturalistic depiction of nature from the Shijo school of painting (which developed in the later 18th century) and the overall composition from the Rimpa school founded in the early 17th century. The skills required to decorate metal objects of this type became available as a result of the downfall of the ruling military government of Japan in 1868, and the eventual banning in 1876 of the wearing of swords in public. The traditional market for decorative metalwork on weapons and armour effectively disappeared and craftsmen had to quickly find new outlets for their talents. The advent of the great world expositions in the late 17th century (in which the Japanese government was actively involved) gave Japanese craftsmen an opportunity to excel in the production of sumptuous decorative objects, such as this vase. This particular example was bought directly from the Universal Exhibition at Amsterdam in 1883 from the Kiritsu Kosho Kaisha of Japan, a company set up to promote traditional Japanese craft industries. The vase was produced by the notable bronze-caster Suzuki Chokichi (1848-1919). 30-1886 Height 27.2 cm Diameter 29.5 cm Vase http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AV3850.jpg Japan Cast and patinated bronze, with gold, shakudo, shibuichi and copper decoration From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD Like the Tea Ceremony and flower arrangement, the enjoyment of incense had developed into a complex pastime in Japan by the Edo period. The various games included guessing a fragrance from as many as 2000 varieties, as well as matching fragrances and blending incenses to suggest certain moods. This set includes tools for cutting and arranging the incense, a set of playing-pieces with board, score-boards, and books of guessing slips which have paintings of scenes from Genji monogatari ('The Tale of Genji') on the covers. The group of small containers and the box into which everything was packed away are richly decorated with 'The Three Friends of Winter' (pine, plum and bamboo) and the triple hollyhock leaf mon (crest) of the Tokugawa family in gold makie with nashiji and gold foil. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of Mrs H. Seymour Trower Height: 20.200 cm (box) Width: 26.700 cm (box) Depth: 18.400 cm (box) Box with equipment for an incense game http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204844_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1912.10-12.21 Nonomura, Ninsei, born active 1645 - 1675 mid 17th century 260:1 to 3-1877 Height 11.5 cm Width 27.6 cm Depth 15.7 cm (Incense burner) Width 18.1 cm (Incense burner) Depth 13.8 cm Incense burner http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006BJ1657.jpg Kyoto (city), Japan Stoneware, with clear glaze and stippled iron decoration Unknown 1636-1639 Object Type Although Japanese export lacquerware was usually shaped to meet western tastes, this piece takes the form of a Japanese document box with a tray. It belongs to a small group of extremely high quality export lacquerwork produced between about 1630 and 1640. As in the case of this box, these were typically decorated using expensive and elaborate lacquer techniques with scenes from Japanese classical literature. Places High quality export lacquerware was made to special order in Kyoto, Japan's former imperial capital. It was then transported to Deshima, a small island in Nagasaki harbour, for shipment abroad by Dutch merchants. During the late 17th century merchants of the Dutch East India Company were the only Europeans permitted to conduct trade in Japan. People The inside of the lid of this box is inscribed with the name of Maria van Diemen, wife of Anton van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1636 to 1645. The famous author, designer and collector William Beckford (1760-1844) also owned a very similar box known as the Buys box. Beckford's box was inscribed with the name of Pieternellae Buys, married to Philips Lucasz in 1634. Lucasz served as second-in-command to Anton van Diemen in Batavia from 1635 to 1639. This combination of biographical details allows the two boxes to be dated to between 1636 and 1639. These are among the very few export lacquer objects known to have any direct connection with women. W.49:1 to 3-1916 Given by the children of Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bt Height 16 cm (closed) Width 48.3 cm Depth 36.7 cm The Van Diemen Box (Document box) http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AM8627.jpg Japan Wood, covered in black lacquer, with gold, silver and red hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer and gold and silver foil Unknown ca. 1640 The Mazarin Chest is one of the finest pieces of Japanese export lacquer to have survived from the 17th century. Japanese export lacquer was first produced in the late sixteenth century and was quite distinct from domestic wares. It was made in a hybrid style that combined Western forms with techniques and decoration derived from both Japanese and foreign traditions, especially those of China and Korea. During the 1630s, a new style of export lacquer evolved. This was characterised by a small group of objects of exceptionally high quality which showed similarities to lacquer for the home market. It is to this group of export lacquer that the Mazarin Chest belongs. It is assumed that, like other examples of export lacquer, it was either shipped directly to Europe or to an official of the Dutch East India Company serving in the Dutch East Indies. Nothing, however, is known of its early history. The earliest information concerning its provenance derives from the coat of arms of the Mazarin-La Meilleraye family on its French steel key, suggesting that it was once in their possession. Although Westerners would have had no knowledge of Japanese literature, the front and sides of the Mazarin Chest are decorated with scenes from the Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) and The Tale of the Soga Brothers (Soga monogatari). The Tale of Genji is the supreme masterpiece of Japanese prose written in the early eleventh century by a court lady, Murasaki Shikibu. This massive work is divided into fifty-four chapters and its action, based around court life, spans almost three-quarters of a century. It follows the life and loves of Prince Genji and, after his death, the novel continues with the story of his son, Yugiri, and Kaoru, who passes as Genji's son. The right-hand side of the Mazarin Chest is decorated with a scene from the Tale of the Soga Brothers, a tale of filial piety and revenge. The boar-hunt depicted on the side of the Mazarin Chest refers to the revenge of the Soga brothers on their father's murderer. The interior and exterior of the lid of the Mazarin Chest are decorated with scenes of palaces, architectural complexes and landscapes. These are framed by distinctive cartouches formed by pairs of confronting phoenixes on the outsider and confronting dragons on the inside. Compared to all other decorative surfaces of the Mazarin Chest, the back is much more sparsely and simply decorated with a tiger among bamboo. This subject is frequently encountered in Japanese painting of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The Mazarin Chest has a companion piece, which is very similar in subject matter and workmanship, but it is somewhat larger in size. It was bought by Sir Trevor Lawrence, a well-known collector of Japanese art. This chest is now referred to as the Lawrence Chest, though its current whereabouts are unknown. There are also two other items of export lacquer that have very close connections with the Mazarin and Lawrence Chests, even though they do not share the same superb techniques of manufacture. One of these was originally another similar chest that was cut up at some later date and partly reworked in the early nineteenth century to form a French Boulle-work cabinet. The 17th century lacquer panels of this bear unmistakable similarities to corresponding parts of the Mazarin and Lawrence Chests, especially in the Genji scenes. The other item is a cabinet from the Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin. The panels of these are also extremely close to the exterior and interior of the lids of the Mazarin and Lawrence Chests. Despite the difference in technical execution, all these items of export lacquer reveal certain striking and distinctive similarities that suggest they were made at roughly the same time in the same, as yet, unidentified workshop . 412:1, 2-1882 (Chest) Height 59 cm (Chest) Length 101.5 cm (Chest) Width 63.9 cm The Mazarin Chest (Chest) http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AF0191.jpg Japan Wood covered in black lacquer with gold and silver hiramakie and takamakie lacquer; inlaid with gold, silver and shibuichi alloy; and mother-of-pearl shell; gilded copper fittings (Key) French steel. 1790-1830 The long 'swinging sleeves' (furisode) of this kimono indicate that it would have been worn by a young woman. Red was a popular choice for young women’s kimono because the colour symbolised youth and glamour. The dye, known as beni, was produced from safflowers and was very expensive. The whole garment is decorated using a tie-dyeing technique known as shibori, which was also very costly. The woman who wore this kimono must have come from a very wealthy family. The auspicious design of pine, bamboo and plum on the hem and sleeve ends suggests she wore it for a special occasion. The garment has been shortened at the waist, indicating that it was designed, or later adapted, to be an under-kimono. FE.32-1982 Length 132 cm Width 123 cm Kimono http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AV7989.jpg Japan Monochrome figured satin silk (rinzu), with tie-dyeing (kanoko shibori) Leach, Bernard, born 5 January 1887 - died 6 May 1979 ca. 1919 C.742-1921 Given by Lt. Col. Kenneth Dingwall DSO, through The Art Fund Depth 6.80 cm Height 8.60 cm Cup http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN8902.jpg Japan Porcelain, painted in underglaze blue Quick, Kenneth, born 1931 - died 1963 1963 C.81-1981 Depth 18.30 cm Height 18.30 cm Jar http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/db_images/website/medium/2006AN8330.jpg Mashiko, Japan Stoneware, with incised decoration under a green glaze Japan Early Kyōhō era (AD 1716-36) Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, approaches through the sky riding on a cloud. She can be identified by her phoenix hair ornament, by the phoenix design on her robe, and particularly by the branch of peaches she holds in her left hand. Xiwangmu's 'peaches of immortality' were supposed to grow in the gardens of her realm high in the Kunlun Mountains to the west of China. She appears first in writings dating to the Western Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 9). The paintings are done in the academic manner of the Kanō school, most likely to hang in a nobleman or merchant's house. They have a formality and an elegance unusual for Itchō's work, which was generally light-hearted. Itchō (1652-1724) was exiled from 1698 to 1709 to the island of Izu Miyake-jima, possibly for insulting the shōgun's favourite concubine. This set of paintings dates from after his return, when he adopted the name Itchō. The script used in the signature on the Xiwangmu scroll is reisho (ancient square characters), while gyōsho (semi-cursive script) is used on the other two, to show the difference in ranking. The signatures read 'Hanabusa Itchō zu' and 'Hanabusa Itchō sho' ('painted by Hanabusa Itchō'). The seals are ‘Shinkō no in' ('Seal of Shinkō') on the two butterfly scrolls, and a phrase in kanbun (pseudo-Chinese) on the Xiwangmu scroll which translates as, 'There is taste in the spaces between mountains, clouds, springs, and rocks.' I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) William Anderson Collection Height: 1144.000 mm (each) Width: 415.000 mm (each) Hanabusa Itchō, Xiwangmu, Butterflies around Bamboo and Chrysanthemums and Butterfly over Cotton Roses, a triptych of hanging scroll paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338419_m.jpg Japan Early Kyōhō era (AD 1716-36) British Museum: Asia JA JP 673-5 (1881.12-10.01722-4) Japan Edo period, AD 1804 Xiwangmu (Japanese: Seiōbō), the Queen Mother of the West, was a Chinese immortal. She was supposed to live in a paradise within the Kunlun Mountains, in an enchanted palace with beautiful pagodas and a magical garden. Among her plants she cultivated trees which every 3000 years flowered and bore peaches of immortality. She is depicted here holding one of these precious fruit, and wearing a phoenix ornament in her hair. Artists of the Maruyama school often chose Xiwangmu, or other Chinese beauties, for their paintings. In this work by Tetsuzan, she is elegant and attractive, with plump and charming features. Tetsuzan (1775-1841) was the nephew and pupil of Mori Sosen (1747-1821), who had been one of the ten best pupils of Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95). Tetsuzan specialized in bijinga (pictures of beautiful women). He studied the methods of both the Maruyama and Mori schools; this work is an example of the former. The bright colours and soft folds of the robes, as well as Xiwangmu's poise and gentle expression, are characteristic of Tetsuzan's work. The signature reads 'Kinoe ne haru motome ni ōjite sha; Tetsuzan' (Painted by Tetsuzan at special request, spring, 1804), and the seals read 'Shushin no in' ('Seal of Shushin') and 'Shishin'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Gift of James Martin White Height: 1163.000 mm Width: 451.000 mm Mori Tetsuzan, Xiwangmu, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338888_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1804 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD332 (1950.11-11.012) Japan Edo period, about AD 1661-73 A high-ranked courtesan strolls elegantly through the streets spreading her right sleeve in display. Her white short-sleeved kimono has an all-over tie-dyed pattern. It contrasts strongly with the bright blue obi (sash) with its design of interlocking plant tendrils in gold. Her hair is swept up and looped into the impressive hyōgo-mage style. The face is unusually expressive for this genre. Such hanging scroll portraits of beautiful women shown alone against a plain background came to be known as 'Kambun beauties' after the Kambun era (1661-73) in which they became popular. Some have a poem written by the woman herself in elegant calligraphic script in the space at the top. The courtesans depicted were mainly from the Shimabara pleasure quarter of Kyoto before the centre for Ukiyo-e painting shifted to the newly prospering eastern capital of Edo (Tokyo). Nothing is known of this artist, Moritoshi. He may originally have trained in the Kanō school which worked mainly for the military class. Painters of genre subjects left the Kanō school, however, to join the growing group of Ukiyo-e painters working principally for the newly affluent merchant classes. The signature (in gold) reads 'Moritoshi hitsu' ('the brush of Moritoshi'). The seal reads 'Moritoshi'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, Ukiyo-e paintings in the Briti (London, The British Museum Press, 1992) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) Ralph Harari Collection Height: 852.000 mm Width: 312.000 mm Moritoshi, Courtesan in a white kimono, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202926_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1661-73 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD700 (1982.7-1.015) Japan Edo period, about AD 1704-16 In the medieval period in Japan (twelfth-sixteenth centuries AD) Buddhist artists generally used the tall hanging scroll format for the portrayal of deities, patriarchs and Chinese sages. In the Edo period, however, it gradually came to be used for secular figures. During the Kambun era (AD 1661-73) there was a vogue for full-length hanging scroll portraits of courtesans. They were usually placed against a plain background, and have come to be called 'Kambun beauties'. The fashion continued into the eighteenth century. Matsuno Chikanobu (worked in the early eighteenth century) was influenced by the Kaigetsudō school, which specialized in such paintings of beauties. Chikanobu's portraits are immediately recognizable through certain distinctive features, such as the hair pulled straight back from the face, the tiny mouth turned up in a smile giving a sweet expression, and the impression of movement in the lines of the kimono. Here the outer kimono has a design of autumn chrysanthemums, but one sleeve has been thrown off from the shoulder to reveal the contrasting red under-kimono with its snowy winter bamboos. The signature reads 'Hakushōken Matsuno Chikanobu kore [o] zu [su]' ('pictured by Hakushōken Matsuno Chikanobu'). the seal reads 'Sen(?)'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) T. Clark, Ukiyo-e paintings in the Briti (London, The British Museum Press, 1992) M. Narasaki (ed.), HizÅ Ukiyo-e taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1987) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 750.000 mm Width: 300.000 mm Matsuno Chikanobu, Standing courtesan, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202923_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1704-16 British Museum: Asia JA JP 1405 (1913.5-1.0283) Japan Edo period, AD 1826 This painting is copied directly from one by Huizong (Japanese: Kisō, reigned 1101-25), a Chinese emperor of the Song dynasty (960-1279). He was a serious and talented artist, and was known as the 'governor of taste'. He was highly regarded in Japan, and became the model for many high ranking samurai painters. It is likely that Chinzan painted this as an exercise in learning Huizong's style. In it, the hawthorn branch seems to be bending under the weight of the starling alighted on it. The severity and sharpness of the original is faithfully observed. Tsubaki Chinzan (1801-54) was the second son of a samurai, which gave him the chance to acquire many skills, such as swordsmanship, horse-riding, music, as well as painting. He trained under the Edo Nanga painters Tani Bunchō and Watanabe Kazan, but was also attracted by the naturalistic techniques of Chinese literati artists of the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Both Chinzan's son and grandson became kachōga (bird-and-flower painting) artists after him. The signature and inscription translates as 'Chinzan Hei Hitsu; in the kōroku method [using sharp outlines] of Huizong of the Song, 9th month 1826'. The seal beneath it reads 'Hitsu', Chinzan's imina (the formal version of his real name), and that to the left reads 'Moko' ('copying the old'). I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Height: 273.000 mm Width: 194.000 mm Height: 273.000 mm Width: 194.000 mm Tsubaki Chinzan, Bird and Flowers, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338910_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1826 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD606 (1979.10-8.036) From Japan Edo period, 17th century AD This writing-box is in the decorative tradition of Hon'ami Kōetsu of the Rimpa school. It is decorated with black lacquer with gold makie and shell and silver inlay. The inside of the lid is inlaid with copper foil and mother-of-pearl. The huge silver moon, bottom left, has tarnished to a mellow brown which somehow contrasts gently with the pines. The inside of the lid has exquisitely dappled deer crying in autumn. The pine motif is repeated in the brush tray. The box now contains an inkstone and a gilt-copper water-dropper. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of Sir Harry and Lady Garner Length: 23.500 cm Width: 21.000 cm Height: 4.500 cm Black lacquer writing-box http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps114779_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 17th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1974.5-13.8.a, b From Japan Edo period, 19th century AD The interlocking design of black crows and white egrets is very unusual, and has no real precedent in Japanese art. However, it does have something in common with the painting of the Rimpa school, and can be placed in the tradition of depicting flocks of birds on Japanese screens, common from the seventeenth century onwards. The crows' eyes, inlaid with gold lacquer and mother-of pearl, and the conspicuous pinkish bills of the egrets both help us to pick out the birds from the puzzling design. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Gift of Dr Bernhard Landan Length: 30.500 cm Width: 24.300 cm Height: 6.200 cm Lacquer document box http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps201132_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA 1946.10-12.1.a-c From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD Until the end of the Edo period (AD 1868), every literate Japanese had a personal writing-box containing brushes, ink-stone, ink-stick and water-dropper. The quality of the craftsmanship reflected the status of the owner. This piece is decorated in the taste of the daimyō families. The lid has a landscape in the Chinese manner, although the location, as yet unidentified , is probably on the Japanese coast. The high relief is obtained by the takamakie technique, where thin layers of lacquer are built up over primers. The landscape motifs are repeated inside the box and on the brushes and other implements. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1945.10-17.398.a Width: 20.000 cm Length: 21.700 cm Depth: 4.500 cm Writing-box http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps115197_m.jpg From Japan Edo period, 18th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan From Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD The straight bevelled edges and tin rims on the base and rim are common features of the makie wares from the Muromachi period (AD 1333-1568). Poems, or references to poems were also commonly included in the design during this period. Seven characters are scattered across the surface of the lid of this writing-box. Starting bottom right they read: tama, kushi, ge, futa, mino, ni and yuru. These are references to the poem by Onaka Tomi Sukehiro in volume 9 of the anthology Kinyō Waka Shū (AD 1127). The complete poem can be translated: ‘The bejewelled thickets by the sea of Futamigaura bay, the clusters of pines look like makie lacquer'. The shrine at Futamigaura, near Ise, is one of the holiest shrines of the Shintō religion. Its torii gateway overlooks the sea where the famous 'twin rocks' are situated. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Asia JA 1974.5-13.13.a, b Length: 24.500 cm Width: 22.200 cm Depth: 5.000 cm Writing-box (suzuribako) http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps182255_m.jpg From Japan Muromachi period, 16th century AD British Museum: Rooms 92-94: Japan Japan Edo period, Late 18th - early 19th century AD Light washes of ink form the trunk and branches of the plum tree, and the blossoms themselves are done with abbreviated brush strokes. The remaining surface of the screen is filled with the gold-lead ground. Blossoming plum trees are one of the heralds of the arrival of spring. Low screens such as this might have been placed around bedding at night. The painting is designed to fit the shape of the screen, so that it works successfully both when folded at sharp angles and when flat. Azuma Tōyō (1755-1839) was born in Mutsu province, in the far north of Japan, and studied painting in Edo (modern Tokyo) under Kanō Baishō (1729-1808). In Kyoto, under the influence of the great painters Yosa Buson (1716-83), Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95), and Go Shun (1752-1811), Tōyō's style changed, and he developed into a painter of the Maruyama-Shijō school, which practised sketching from life and more naturalistic depiction. The signature reads ‘Tōyō' and the seal also reads 'Tōyō'. Height: 612.000 mm Width: 1700.000 mm Height: 612.000 mm Width: 1700.000 mm Azuma Tōyō, Plum tree, a 4-fold screen painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338382_m.jpg Japan Edo period, Late 18th - early 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD808 (1985.6-10.01) Kyoto, Japan Edo period, 2nd month, AD 1778 Gen Ki (Komai Yukinosuke, 1747-97) was an outstanding pupil of Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95). He was most celebrated for his elegant paintings of human figures, especially beautiful Chinese women. The subject of this scroll, with its grotesque, yet comic monsters and apparitions, is unusual among his works. The scroll is in two sections. The first shows a variety of monsters, many deriving from what was originally a medieval Buddhist genre, Hyakki yagyō-e ('Night Procession of One Hundred Demons'). The setting is the elegant but dilapidated mansion of a court nobleman. It is night and the monsters are amusing themselves with various aristocratic pastimes such as the Tea Ceremony, go (a board-game), poetry and dance. Other sections of the scroll show scenes outside in the garden where other frightening figures such as the mythical water-sprite, the kappa, wander beside a stream. A single pine tree divides this first section and the rest of the scroll. Here the scene and mood changes completely, and ordinary people - cooks, servants and even sword-bearing samurai - are seen at work in the kitchen of a mansion preparing a lavish meal of fish and fowl. They may be preparing a banquet at which ghost stories would have been told. It is possible that the scroll is intended as a humorous and sympathetic comment on the contrast between the failing fortunes of the nobility and the rise of the samurai class. The signature reads 'Gen Ki' and the seals read 'Gen Ki no in' ('seal of Gen Ki') and 'Shion'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) William Anderson Collection Height: 273.000 mm Length: 11357.000 mm Gen Ki, Haunted palace, a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps204967_m.jpg Kyoto, Japan Edo period, 2nd month, AD 1778 British Museum: Asia JA JP 2411 (1881.12-10.02366) Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th - early 19th century AD This scroll contains a series of landscapes, each accompanied by Chinese verses. In the section illustrated two figures approach a group of trees, with a low pavilion beyond; two boats are visible on the waters of a lake beneath the mountains. The landscape is painted in soft washes of black ink and red ochre, giving the scene an air of quiet serenity. Gessen (1741-1809) entered the Buddhist priesthood at the age of ten, and while resident in Kyoto was instructed in painting by both Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95) and Yosa Buson (1716-83), two of the leading painters of the day. He also studied earlier Chinese paintings, and came to specialize in the bunjin (literati) style, which expressed a longing for escape from the mundane, everyday world into an idealised landscape of the mind. A scroll like this would have been kept in a scholarly gentleman's study, and unrolled from time to time for contemplation or intimate display to like-minded friends. Gessen spent most of his time producing large numbers of these scrolls, the proceeds from which he spent on improving his temple, Jakushō-ji at Ise-Yamada, with a library and a road. Each section of the scroll bears a pair of seals reading, variously, 'Jakushō, Gessen', 'Gessen, Genzui', and 'Gessen, Shōzan'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Height: 272.000 mm Length: 6465.000 mm Height: 272.000 mm Length: 6465.000 mm Gessen, Landscapes with Figures, a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339830_m.jpg Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th - early 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD589 (1979.4-9.01) Japan Edo period, AD 1837 The inscription above this landscape is a quote from the Analects of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC). A pupil relates his desire to journey to Wuyu on a spring day with a group of youths and children, to relax, and then to compose verses on the way home. Here a group of cultivated men engage in conversation beneath plum-trees in full bloom, while boy attendants prepare tea for them. Other men are on the river, and more distant figures are fishing from a bridge. Zaichū (1750-1837), like many painters of the period, began by studying Kanō-school techniques, under Ishida Yūtei (1721-86). The school's influence can be seen here in the grassy rock forms. He went on to be instructed by Yūtei's most famous pupil, Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95), whose naturalistic techniques he absorbed and used here for the trees and water. Despite Zaichū's advanced age when this work was painted, the brushwork is sure, and the gentle colour tones effectively convey the mood of a peaceful spring day. The signature in the bottom-right corner reads 'Hachijūhachi-ō Hara Zaichū ga hei dai' ('Painted and inscribed by Hara Zaichū, old man of 88' [87 by Western reckoning]) and the seals beside read 'Hara Chien in' and 'Shichō'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 561.000 mm Width: 1032.000 mm Hara Zaichū, Chinese Sages at Wuyu, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338884_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1837 British Museum: Asia JA JP 2551 (1913.5-1.0619) Japan Edo period, AD 1775 A tiger stands tensed on a steeply sloping mountainside. The base of a pine tree juts out from the slope, and its branches protrude back into the picture above the animal's head. The work is probably copied from a Chinese prototype of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), but displays characteristic Japanese dynamism. In the early part of his career Zaichū (1750-1837) was famous for producing works based on Chinese models. Dates in Japan until 1873 ran in a sixty-year repeating cycle, and the date on this work corresponds to either 1775 or 1835, but the form of the signature and, in particular, the seals suggest the earlier date. Zaichū was taught by the famous and highly influential Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95), but he broke away from his teacher's style to found his own school, lying somewhere between the orthodox Kanō, Chinese literati and Maruyama styles. He had a long career and was regarded as a leading artist in the Kyoto world of painting. The painting is inscribed 'Koshō fūsei' ('The tiger roars and the wind blows') and is signed 'Kinoto hitsuji fuyu Hara Chien ga' ('Painting by Hara Chien, winter of 1775'). The seals read 'Hara Chien in' ('Seal of Hara Chien') and 'Shichō'. Chien and Shichō were both art-names of Zaichū. Height: 1170.000 mm Width: 475.000 mm Height: 1170.000 mm Width: 475.000 mm Hara Zaichū, Tiger, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338912_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1775 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD1100 (1997.6-10.01) Japan Edo period, AD 1780s Low two-fold screens (furosaki byōbu) such as this were used in the Tea Ceremony as a backdrop to enhance the precious utensils placed on the tatami mats of the tearoom, and also to shield the hearth from draughts. The painting is a witty example of the incorporation of Western-style 'vanishing point' perspective into Japanese art. As with many Japanese paintings the viewer would be kneeling at the same floor level on which the screen was placed, and the ice would appear to stretch out in front of them. Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95) was starting out on his career at a time when Rangaku ('Dutch Studies') was becoming increasingly influential among certain Japanese scholars and artists. One of his earliest jobs was with the Kyoto toy merchant, Nakajima Kambei, designing prints and paintings for use with nozoki-karakuri, novelty viewing machines. These images featured Western-style perspective systems, typically with architectural lines converging towards a low horizon. ōkyo and his many later followers, such as Mori Ippō, went on to produce many paintings that incorporated this perspective system. Here, in an apparently very simple painting, each line has been carefully arranged and painted to suggest the cracks in a flat surface of ice stretching away from the viewer. The feeling of coolness would have been most welcome in the muggy heat of a small, enclosed tearoom at the height of summer. The signature and the seal both read 'ōkyo' I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) Maekawa Family Collection (box inscription) Height: 605.000 mm Width: 1820.000 mm Maruyama ōkyo, Cracked ice, a 2-fold screen painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps181178_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1780s British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD723 (1982.10-12.01) Japan Edo period, late 18th century AD A young woman is wearing a bright blue kimono with a landscape design around the base, and a sumptuous obi (sash) interwoven with gold thread. Her attendant wears an uwagi (jacket) trimmed at the collar in black, over a blue stencil-patterned gown, with a green striped obi and a reddish-brown apron tied in a bow at the front. She holds a porcelain hi-ire (portable brazier, part of a smoking set) of Mikawachi ware, on which is a design in underglaze blue of the moon over a lake and pavilion, with a poem above. The black pigment visible between the woman's lips suggests she has blackened teeth - indicating her married status. The women's hair is dressed in the Shimada style with tōrōbin (lantern locks). Shurei (1751-90) studied under Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95), and was skilled at depicting human figures. This work demonstrates his precise observation and expressive brushwork. The method used to describe the faces, with soft lines, varying ink tones, and a small button mouth, owes much to ōkyo. The use of the U-shape to describe the hollow between the nose and mouth began with ōkyo, and was subsequently adopted by many Maruyama school artists. The signature reads 'Shurei ga' ('Painted by Shurei') and the seal reads 'Fujiwara Shurei'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Height: 1098.000 mm Width: 472.000 mm Height: 1098.000 mm Width: 472.000 mm Yamamoto Shurei, Beauties, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338780_m.jpg Japan Edo period, late 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD720 (1982.10-4.01) Japan Edo period, about AD 1784-96 Tiger paintings were very popular in Japan, but as the artists would never have seen a real tiger, they must have worked from skins. Gan Ku became famous for his paintings of tigers and has brought this one immediately to life with his strong imagination and skilful brushwork. The fearsome advance of the beast towards the viewer is suggested by the powerfully hunched shoulders, the placing of its feet and the tip of the tail, just visible, which all emphasize the animal's size and strength. Gan Ku has used the careful brushwork of Chinese academic painters to depict the tiger, while the setting of tree, rocks and water is in a much freer, dynamic style typical of his later ink and wash works. In 1784 Gan Ku entered the service of Prince Arisugawa and for this painting he uses the art-name Utanosuke which was given to him by the prince. He seems to have used this name until about 1796. The signature reads 'Utanosuke Gan Ku', and the seals read 'Kakan' and 'Gan Ku'. L. Smith, V. Harris and T. Clark, Japanese art: masterpieces in (London, The British Museum Press, 1990) I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Height: 1690.000 mm Width: 1145.000 mm Height: 1690.000 mm Width: 1145.000 mm Gan Ku, Tiger, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps202934_m.jpg Japan Edo period, about AD 1784-96 British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD79 (1931.4-27.01) Japan Early Meiji era, AD 1870s This informally sketched panorama shows Higashiyama, a scenic area of hills in eastern Kyoto that is steeped in history. The painting dates from the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912), when Japan was adopting Western technology on a large scale, as is demonstrated by the gas-lamps. The rickshaws seen here were also becoming popular around this time. The scroll moves along the Kamo River beneath the range of mountains, showing temples, houses, people crossing the bridges and others laying out strips of cloth to dry. Most of the brushwork is done in black or brown ink, but there are touches of colour on the clothing, and on the banners visible in the distance. Gan Rei (1816-83) was the grandson of Gan Ku (1749-1838), whose rather rough and vigorous style was continued by the artists of the Gan (Kishi) school, which he founded. Gan Rei was taught by his father Gan Tai and brother Gan Kei, and though born in Kyoto, he moved to Tokyo after 1868. The style of this scroll anticipates the work of later Nihonga artists such as Tomita Keisen (1879-1936). The inscription reads 'Oite Kamogawa Higashiyama ichibō Gan Rei' ('Panorama of Higashiyama from the Kamo River, by Gan Rei') and the seals read 'Gan Rei'. Height: 450.000 mm Width: 1778.000 mm Height: 450.000 mm Width: 1778.000 mm Gan Rei, Panorama of Higashiyama, a handscroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps340122_m.jpg Japan Early Meiji era, AD 1870s British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD1054 (1994.8-9.04) Japan Edo period, AD 1838 In this impressive scene, an eagle has just alighted on a rock beneath a pine tree, and is eyeing a monkey hiding in a cleft in the rock below. Both the tree and rock are painted in broad, rough ink strokes, with only a few areas or touches of colour. The bird of prey twists dramatically towards the monkey, its feathers likewise depicted in rough strokes, all adding to the fierceness of the creature. Its size is conveyed both by the sheer size of the painting and by the tremendous contrast with its prey. Gan Tai (1785-1865) was the son and pupil of the famous painter Gan Ku, founder of the Gan (Kishi) school of Kyoto. The father's influence can be seen very clearly here in the bold brushwork. Gan Tai was known for his landscapes, bird-and-flower, and animal paintings. He contributed to the success and prosperity of the Gan school, and received the court title Echizen-no-suke. The inscription and signature translate as 'Painted in the 3rd month, 1838; Echizen-no-suke Gan Tai'. The seals below are 'Dōkōkan' - the studio founded by Gan Ku - and 'Gan Tai'. The seal in the bottom right reads 'Ichinichi fusaku, ichinichi fushoku' ('One day without painting means one day without food'), an admirable motto. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) William Anderson Collection Height: 1701.000 mm Width: 1371.000 mm Gan Tai, Eagle and a Monkey, a hanging scroll http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338413_m.jpg Japan Edo period, AD 1838 British Museum: Asia JA JP 2523 (1881.12-10.02709) Japan Edo period, early 19th century AD Kawamura Bumpō (1779-1821) is known mainly for the colour woodblock-printed books that he designed, containing Chinese themes or charming illustrations of Kyoto life. The main bulk of his work and the source of his reputation, however, is thought to have been paintings. This pair of screens is one of very few large-scale works by the artist so far to have come to light. Bumpō has painted thirty-five fan-shaped papers with a variety of auspicious subjects, such as birds, plants, animals, sages, festival performers, dolls, a dragon, and Mt. Fuji. The papers were pasted in a scattered arrangement onto the large screens, which already had a lightly painted design of foaming waves, making the brightly coloured fans seem to bob about on the water. The fans illustrated show a) the rising sun over Mt. Fuji; b) performers in the Uzumasa Ox Festival; c) a blossoming cherry tree; and d) autumn plants. Bumpō lived and worked in Kyoto, and was taught by Gan Ku (1749-1838), founder of the Gan (Kishi) school. He combined Gan Ku's rough and vigorous style with the delicacy and beauty of works by Maruyama ōkyo (1733-95) and Go Shun (1752-1811). The signature on all the fans reads ‘Bumpō'. The seals on a) and b) read 'Bumpō' and on c) and d) 'Miyabi' ('Elegance', the character is in the shape of the magical fungus beloved of Chinese scholars). Gift of Ellis Tinios in memory of his mother, Fotina Pascal Tinios Height: 1710.000 mm Width: 3770.000 mm Kawamura Bumpō, Scattered Fans over Waves http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps333071_m.jpg Japan Edo period, early 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD 1146n (1999.3-2.01-02) Japan Meiji era, around AD 1890 This pair of screens has a unique and interesting composition. The silhouetted returning geese on the right are contrasted with the crow on the left, the sparrow with the white-eye, and the sun with the crescent moon above the mountain top. Both drooping cherry trees and wild cherry trees are depicted, their blossoms being the defining symbol of spring in Japan. The delicacy and brush quality are like those of the Shijō school, but Chikudō (1826-1897) was a member of the related Gan (Kishi) school, founded by Gan Ku (1756-1838). Both schools employed the tsuketate technique, where the use of a soft, finely tapered wet brush applied directly to the silk support allowed shading and three-dimensionality to be achieved at one and the same time. Kishi Chikudō first studied painting under Kanō Eigaku (1790-1867). Dissatisfied with this, however, he moved to study with Kishi Renzan (1805-59), whom he later succeeded as head of the school. On the far right panel and the two panels of the left screen the signatures read 'Chikudō' and the seals the same. The remaining panel has the inscription 'Chikudō Gan Roku sha' ('Painted by Chikudō Gan Roku'), and the seal, 'Gan Roku azana Shiwa'. 'Roku' was part of the artist's original given name, and 'Shiwa' was his azana (informal name). I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan, vol. 1 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1992) Arthur Morrison Collection Gift of Sir W. Gwynne-Evans, Bt. Height: 1390.000 mm (each) Width: 493.000 mm (each) Kishi Chikudō, Cherry Blossoms on a Spring Evening, a pair of 2-fold screen paintings http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps338373_m.jpg Japan Meiji era, around AD 1890 British Museum: Asia JA JP 2542-3 (1913.5-1.0556-557) Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th century AD A pair of long-tailed birds are perched on the branches of an aronia tree (Malus micromalus) in this typical example of kachōga (bird-and-flower painting). A composition of long-tailed birds (such as birds-of-paradise), aronia, and rocks was common in Chinese painting, but here there are roses instead of rocks. The birds seem to be imaginary rather than any specific species. Ransai (1740-1801) was a painter from Echigo province (modern Niigata Prefecture), who moved to Nagasaki, where he received instruction in the realistic, colourful painting style of Shen Nampin, a professional Chinese artist active in Nagasaki from 1731 to 1733. A work by Nampin on the same subject also survives (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). The sharpness of the colours, the volumetric shading on the petals, and the brushwork of the tree are all characteristic of this style. Ransai lived and worked after 1774 in Osaka, and later in Edo (modern Tokyo). In the past there has been confusion about the identity of the artist of works signed 'Ransai'. However, for several years during the early 1780s, after arriving in nearby Kyoto, the artist Gan Ku (1749-1838) also used the art-name Ransai. He too painted in the Nampin style during this early period of his career, and in fact the inscription on the box of the present work mistakenly attributes the scroll to Gan Ku. The signature reads 'Ransai' and the seals read 'Meikaku', 'Kyūkō' (alternate art names) and 'Ransai'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Brooke Sewell Fund Length: 1316.000 mm Width: 497.000 mm Mori Ransai, Birds and Flowers, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps104605_m.jpg Japan Mid-Edo period, late 18th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP ADD585 (1979.1-29.01) Japan Edo period, early 19th century AD A screen by Kusumi Morikage (about 1620-90, Tokyo National Museum) shows the same subject of an informal family group enjoying the cool evening air. In that work the moon is shown, but here it is only suggested by the couple's upturned faces. In Morikage's screen a child sits on the straw matting with the couple, but Kazan gives us a more intimate glimpse into the world of a husband and wife. As if to emphasize the pleasure of exposing one's skin to the cool air after the stifling heat of the day, the man in Kazan's painting wears only a loincloth (rather than the robe of the older work). Kazan was renowned for his love of sake, and before the couple are placed a celadon porcelain bottle and a cup. Yokoyama Kazan (1784-1837) was a pupil of both Gan Ku (1749-1838, founder of the Gan (Kishi) school) and Go Shun (1752-1811, founder of the Shijō school), and amalgamated the styles of both men in his paintings. However, the techniques and tone of this work lean more towards the Shijō school. The painting has a cool and relaxed atmosphere, and would likely have been hung in a hot room in summer to help evoke such a mood. The signature reads 'Heian Kazan sha' ('Painted by Kazan of Kyoto'), and the seal reads ‘Kazan'. I. Hirayama and T. Kobayashi (eds.), HizÅ Nihon bijutsu taikan-2, vol. 3 (Tokyo, Kodansha, 1993) Height: 875.000 mm Width: 310.000 mm Height: 875.000 mm Width: 310.000 mm Yokoyama Kazan, Enjoying the Evening Cool Beneath Moonflowers, a hanging scroll painting http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps339008_m.jpg Japan Edo period, early 19th century AD British Museum: Asia JA JP 2755 (1881.12-10.02724) Japan Edo period, AD 1826 This is typical of the atmospheric ink paintings of summer scenes that were made popular by Bunchō in the Bunsei era (1818-30).The painting surface is completely filled with mountains rising out of smoke or vapour, a common device in landscapes by Bunchō. The mountain dominates the painting from the rear, leaving an extensive space in the foreground. This foreground is given a sense of depth by the use of ink in a variety of tones for the trees and banks, and by the sharp brushwork for the house and bridge, where a figure crosses. The centre of the painting is filled with naturalistically drawn mist and clouds, which almost obscure the waterfall beyond. Tani Bunchō (1763-1840) was one of the foremost Edo painters of his day, and had great influence over many other artists. He first studied painting with artists of the Kanō and Nanpin schools, but went on to master the various methods of Chinese ink painting throughout its history. He also studied Ukiyo-e (paintings and prints of the 'Floating world') and W