Exhibition Outlines

In this exhibition, we will introduce the many art works with birds, not only domestic but also foreign, as their motif, among the works from the 19th century to the present within our museum's collection.

From ancient times, people have regarded birds with admire, some with feathers like beautiful jewels, and others with their vigor images flying freely in the sky, and derived auspicious meanings from these birds, depicting them or creating their forms to be used as ornaments. The crane, which is a symbol of longevity, always appears in auspicious events. The peacock, which is a sacred and noble bird, has been depicted as a main subject of kachoga (paintings of flowers and birds), which is a tradition that has been passed down to the modern era. The chicken, which has been closely related to human life as a domestic fowl, has been expressed in peaceable pictures such as the rooster on a kanko (Chinese remonstrance drum) based on ancient Chinese legends, and also sketched by artists who actually raised and observed chickens to create vibrant and lively art works. We hope our visitors will enjoy the various expressions of these birds, along with familiar small birds and waterfowls, parakeets which are a foreign species, and the ptarmigan which is presently an endangered species.

Welcome to the paradise of birds residing in the world of art.