Exhibition Outlines

This is the fifth exhibit in the “Reappraisal of Meiji Art” series, which has been systematically introducing Meiji era art at the Sannomaru Shozokan.

This exhibit shines its light primarily on the dawn of Japanese painting from the end of the Edo Shogunate through the 20s of the Meiji era (1867-1897) and introduces the activities of members of the traditional conservative schools, such as Bunkyo Nomura, Gyokuden Murase, Katei Taki, Yukoku Noguchi, and Kanpo Araki, centering on works that we have not had the chance to explore yet in this series. This exhibit can be considered a continuation of the second exhibit.

However whereas the second exhibit emphasized the historical role of the Japan Council of the Arts, this exhibit focuses on the works of artists from Kyoto centering on the Shijo and Maruyama schools and from Tokyo centering on the Minami and Nanbokugou schools. This exhibit of 24 hanging scrolls and one painting by 15 artists illuminates the differences and common points between the works by Kyoto artists and those by Tokyo artists.

We are hoping that this exhibit will give us all an even deeper appreciation for the appeal of Japanese painting from the early Meiji era.