Thematic Exhibition
Life with Urushi: The Beauty of Lacquer Art in Everyday Life
Concurrent Exhibition:The beauty of Blue-and-white Porcelain dishes, Imari
January 20 (Sat.) – February 25 (Sun.) 2024
Open Hours
11:00~18:00* 11:00~19:00 on Fridays
(Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Day Closed
Mondays during the exhibition
(Open on public holidays, closed on the following weekday)

Urushi (lacquer) is a remarkable tree sap discovered by the people of Asia. It has been used at times as a natural adhesive and at others as a coating that adds sheen and luster to surfaces. Various techniques have flourished according to the characteristics and aesthetics of each region, and the diverse works of lacquer art they produced have become deeply rooted in the daily life of people in Asia. This exhibition examines works of lacquer art in the Sumitomo Collection according to the settings in which they have been used. In doing so, it provides an opportunity to reconsider the pleasure of viewing lacquer art and the joy of using it.
Like lacquer art, ceramics also add color to daily life. That is why, concurrently with the exhibition, blue-and-white porcelain dishes from the collection of SEGAWA Takeo that were recently donated to the Museum will be on display for the first time since their donation. The fresh, bold, and impressive designs of porcelain dishes created in the Arita region of Saga Prefecture during the late Edo period will invite you into a sophisticated world of blue and white

Zōhiko (NISHIMURA Hikobei Ⅷ) Banquet utensils with fan designs in maki-e. Taisho period, 20th century
SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM(Kyoto)
Imari Sometsuke (blue and white) Large Dish with Dragon design. Late Edo period, 19th century
SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM TOKYO(SEGAWA Takeo Collection)
Admission Fee
Adults ¥1,000
University/High School Students with ID ¥600
Junior High/Elementary School Students and under : Free
* A group discount applies for a party of 20 or more.
* Free for people with disability ID
Thematic Exhibition

Spotlight on KONOSHIMA Okoku

The Series Folding Screens of the Four Seasons and Okoku’s Impressive Realism
March 16 (Sat.) - May 12 (Sun.) 2024
Open Hours
11:00~18:00* 11:00~19:00 on Fridays
(Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Day Closed
Mondays during the exhibition
(Open on public holidays, closed on the following weekday)

This exhibition displays the entire series Folding Screens of the Four Seasons, which was painted by KONOSHIMA Okoku in 1917 to decorate the main residence of the SUMITOMO family in the Chausuyama area of Tennoji Ward in Osaka. Measuring 180 centimeters in height and featuring varied representations of flowers of each season on a ground of fine gold leaf, the four pairs of massive folding screens drew so much publicity at the time that they even received newspaper coverage during their production.
In the 1910s and ’20s, Okoku attempted to create a feel like that of oil paintings by using paint with a unique sense of color, thickly building up pigment, and leaving three-dimensional brushstrokes. This led to him being nicknamed a painter of the “finesse” school, “the Matsumura Goshun of the early twentieth century,” and ”the last artist of the Shijo school.” However, the true value of his art extends far beyond this and can be found in his transference of timeless modernity and realistic human emotions to classical motifs. The flowers, birds, and animals in his paintings are brought to life by his brushstrokes, becoming bright and animated. His animals in particular sometimes show an expressiveness that leaves a deep impression on viewers. This exhibition shines a spotlight on the quality of Okoku’s lifelike representations by also presenting bird-and-flower paintings by leading artists of the Maruyama Shijo school of painting founded in late-eighteenth-century Kyoto.

KONOSHIMA Okoku Willow and Cherry blossoms. Taisho period, dated 1917.
SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM TOKYO
KONO Bairei Vegetables and Fruits. Meiji period,ca.1887
SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM TOKYO
Admission Fee
Adults ¥1,000
University/High School Students with ID ¥600
Junior High/Elementary School Students and under : Free
* A group discount applies for a party of 20 or more.
* Free for people with disability ID
Thematic Exhibition

Lyrical and Narrative Paintings

The Elegant World of Yamato-e (tentative title)
June 1 (Sat.) - July 21 (Sun.) 2024
Open Hours
11:00~18:00* 11:00~19:00 on Fridays
(Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Day Closed
Mondays during the exhibition
(Open on public holidays, closed on the following weekday)

Stories retold and read since ancient times have always been deeply tied to paintings. One such example is picture scrolls. Japanese waka poems were also elevated as an artform through mutual inspiration from and of paintings, with the 31-character worlds of the poems pictorialized and new poems composed with exposure to paintings as an impetus. One characteristic of narrative and lyrical paintings is their detailed depictions and elegant colors, which carry on the style of the yamato-e paintings that skilled painters serving the imperial court, shrines, and temples pursued according to the aesthetics of the elite. In early modern times, narrative and lyrical paintings spread to wider segments of the population, resulting in the emergence of folding screens and picture scrolls with free and abundant individuality. This exhibition introduces early modern narrative and lyrical paintings through selections from the Sumitomo Collection in the museum’s possession.

The Tale of Taketori (part). Edo period, 17th century
SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM (KYOTO)
Attributed to Tosa Nagaharu The Tale of Zegaibo (part). Nanbokucho period, 14th century.
SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM (KYOTO)
Admission Fee
Adults ¥1,000
University/High School Students with ID ¥600
Junior High/Elementary School Students and under : Free
* A group discount applies for a party of 20 or more.
* Free for people with disability ID
Special Exhibition
SHOWA MODERN, the Brilliance of Mosaics

An Introdaction to ITAYA Umeki

August 31 (Sat.) - September 29 (Sun.) 2024
Open Hours
11:00~18:00* 11:00~19:00 on Fridays
(Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Day Closed
Mondays during the exhibition
(Open on public holidays, closed on the following weekday)

Are you familiar with ITAYA Umeki (1907-1963), an artist who captivated people with his modern mosaic works during the twentieth century? Mosaics are images and designs created by combining fragments such as pottery shards. This artform spread from the West to Japan with the Art Nouveau movement toward the end of the nineteenth century.
Umeki was fascinated by stained glass and began to release mosaics after becoming captivated by the beauty of smashed shards from the pottery of his father Hazan (1872-1963), a master of modern ceramics. Umeki’s most outstanding work was a massive mosaic mural in the first-floor entrance hall of the former Nihon Gekijo Theater. The magnificent mural featuring the colors of pottery fragments must surely have astonished people at the time. As a mosaic artist, Umeki presented mosaic plaques and other works at public exhibitions such as the annual art exhibition sponsored by the Imperial Fine Arts Academy.
This exhibition offers glimpses of Umeki’s personality through his exotic mosaic plaques as well as his gorgeous ornamental boxes, pendant heads, and other lovely decorative objects.

ITAYA Umeki Flower. Showa period, 20th century.
Private collection
ITAYA Umeki Pendants. Showa period, 20th century.
Private collection
Admission Fee
Adults ¥1,200
University/High School Students with ID ¥800
Junior High/Elementary School Students and under : Free
* A group discount applies for a party of 20 or more.
* Free for people with disability ID
Special Exhibition

The OTAKE Impact

Japanese-Style Anarchism of the Three OTAKE Brothers
—Etsudo, Chikuha, and Kokkan
October 19 (Sat.) - December 15 (Sun.) 2024
Open Hours
11:00~18:00* 11:00~19:00 on Fridays
(Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Day Closed
Mondays during the exhibition
(Open on public holidays, closed on the following weekday)

There were once three artist brothers who met with dazzling success at government-sponsored exhibitions and painting societies.The three OTAKE brothers, Etsudo (1868-1931), Chikuha (1878-1936), and Kokkan (1880-1945), were born in Niigata Prefecture. They achieved success at various exhibitions in the early twentieth century, starting with the annual art exhibition sponsored by the Ministry of Education, and left their marks on the history of early modern Japanese-style painting as true “darlings of the exhibitions.” However, their occasional attempts at radical and even experimental works, as well as their wildly unconventional lifestyles, drew both praise and criticism, and they have previously been left out of discussions of art history.
This is the first-ever exhibition in Tokyo to shine a spotlight on the previously overlooked OTAKE brothers. It presents their personalities and art through many newly introduced works including key works and never-before-published documents. It also reveals their interactions with the fifteenth head of the SUMITOMO family, SUMITOMO Kichizaemon Tomoito (nicknamed “Shunsui”), with whom they forged ties of friendship. Furthermore, in bringing together works by these brothers who thrived within the exhibition system, it showcases the rich evolution of Japanese-style painting and the culmination of exhibition art.

OTAKE Etsudo Confrontation between Fishermen and Wood Cutters from a Chinese Poem. Taisho period, dated 1916.
Private collection
OTAKE Chikuha Mynas. Meiji period, dated 1911.
Private collection
Admission Fee
Adults ¥1,200
University/High School Students with ID ¥800
Junior High/Elementary School Students and under : Free
* A group discount applies for a party of 20 or more.
* Free for people with disability ID

Directions

  • Open Hours
    11:00~18:00 *11:00-19:00 on Fridays
    (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
  • Admission Fee
    Adults ¥1,000 (¥1,200)
    University/High School Students with ID ¥600 (¥800)
    Junior High/Elementary School Students and under : Free
    (admission for special exhibitions)
    * A group discount applies for a party of 20 or more.
    * Free for people with disability ID
  • Day Closed
    Mondays during the exhibition
    (Open on public holidays, closed on the following weekday)

Access

N05
3minutes walk from “Roppongi-itchome Station” (Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line.)
H05
10minutes walk from “Kamiyacho Station”〔Exit 4b〕(Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.)

Address


1-5-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 106-0032
+81-50-5541-8600(Hello Dial)
Email: t-info@sen-oku.or.jp

Parking


The museum has no parking lot.

About the museum

SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM and SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM TOKYO are art museums focusing on the collection of the Sumitomo family.
The Sumitomo Collection contains works in a broad range of fields, including ancient Chinese bronzes; Chinese and Japanese paintings and calligraphy; Western paintings; modern ceramics; tea ceremony utensils; stationeries for Chinese literati; and Noh masks and costumes.
Located in Kyoto and Tokyo, the two museums hold exhibitions taking advantage of the characteristics of their respective locations.

Most of the items in the Sumitomo Collection were acquired by the fifteenth head of the Sumitomo family, SUMITOMO Kichizaemon Tomoito (pseudonym: Shunsui), during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Shunsui laid the foundation for the modern Sumitomo Group by expanding the family business from copper mine operation into various fields and promoting modernization. Meanwhile, he also showed a high degree of interest in art and culture. He left a significant mark on cultural social enterprises, including the donation of construction and book purchasing costs for a library in Osaka Prefecture in 1900.
At the same time, he was fond of the tea ceremony, as well as classical Japanese performing arts such as Noh, and decorated the alcoves of his residence with Japanese paintings of the four seasons. Motivated by admiration for the Chinese literati, he enjoyed Chinese-style sencha tea ceremonies and seal engraving in his study, surrounded by the stationeries that he collected. He was also an active supporter of Japanese Western-style painters in his day and built a Western-style villa on the scenic Suma coast, where he enjoyed a Westernized lifestyle that was progressive for its time. With his wide-ranging interest in culture, Shunsui collected fine artworks from all different eras and parts of the world.

At the center of the Sumitomo Collection are Chinese bronze vessels highly prized both in Japan and abroad. The Sen-Oku Hakukokan Museum was established in 1960 with the donation of more than 500 Chinese bronze vessels and mirrors by the Sumitomo family. Rather than stashing his collection away, Shunsui shared it widely through various means such as exhibitions, increasing public recognition of Chinese bronzes. He also made significant contributions to the research field through the publication of splendid catalogs.
The attitude and ideals of Shunsui’s social contributions through culture have been handed down to posterity and form the basis of the museum’s current operations.

The collection has been further enhanced through the addition of works by masters of late Ming and early Qing Chinese painting, such as Bada Shanren and Shitao, as well as the great modern Japanese Western-style painter KISHIDA Ryusei, acquired by Shunsui’s eldest son Kan’ichi, along with works by leading twentieth-century Western painters such as Picasso and Renoir, as well as Japanese painters from the same period, collected by the sixteenth head of the Sumitomo family, Tomonari.