Exhibition Outlines

Painting albums are a style of paintings where several paintings by one or various painters are mounted on sheets forming an accordion book. In ancient times, paintings imported from China, due to influence of the Ming Dynasty, or paintings depicting The Tale of Genji, were collected and mounted in beautifully bound albums, not only for appreciation, but also to act as furnishings. Furthermore, in the latter half of the Edo period, along with relationships between painters and people of culture, the contents of painting albums widened and became quite popular.

Since the Meiji Period, painting albums were popular as gifts because they enabled a collection of various paintings in convenient size, and therefore, many were created to celebrate various auspicious events and festivals. However, during the Taisho to Showa periods, these painting albums gradually ceased to be created. Nevertheless, many albums were presented as gifts to the Imperial Court on auspicious occasions, from various art groups and local governments. Therefore, our museum collection contains many painting albums of the modern era, and this is one of the features of our modern Nihonga (Japanese Paintings) collection. Through these albums, not only can the viewer enjoy the luxurious co-starring works of the major painters representing the era, but they can also appreciate the stylish sense of these paintings due to their small size. Furthermore, the elaborate decorative metal fittings and beautiful cloth bindings are also noteworthy.

In this exhibition, we will introduce the charm of these painting albums, which please the viewers' eyes with their various pictures, while possessing elegance as furnishings. We hope it will be an opportunity to see the forms of painting albums that were created as gifts to the Imperial Court, since the modern era.