Exhibition Outlines

Tigers and lions have been familiar motifs within Japanese art from ancient times, although, the animals were imaginary and unfamiliar to the people because they did not actually inhabit Japan. However, because of their valiant and ferocious image depicted within paintings, etc., from the Asian continent, they became popular motifs among the samurai class to indicate the character of the ruler. They were depicted as motifs in screen paintings and sliding door paintings to decorate the interiors of feudal lord castles, and also as designs on craft pieces such as arms.

Gradually, from the late Edo to Meiji era, the real tigers and lions were able to be seen in shows and at the zoo, and began to be depicted realistically based on the ecology of the real beasts. These were quite different compared to the imaginary tigers and lions depicted before the modern period, attempting to objectively grasp the wild beauty of the real animals by depicting their accurate form. On the other hand, the unique image of the shishi (Chinese lion) that was created in eastern Asia, was depicted with mighty expression, adding originality to the traditional form since before the modern era.

In this exhibition, we have gathered Japanese art works depicting tigers, shishi and lions, attempting to trace the transition of these images over time. A half of the Year of the Tiger has past already, but we hope our visitors will be able to cool themselves enjoying the various ferocious beasts, sometimes frightful and sometimes charming, during the height of this summer.