| Seikado, an institution that was founded in 1892 by
Yanosuke Iwasaki, the second president of Mitsubishi,
consists of the Seikado Bunko Library and the Seikado
Bunko Art Museum, and is charged with the preservation,
research, and display of the classical literature and art in its
collection. Marking the 120th anniversary of the library and
20th anniversary of the museum, this year Seikado will hold a
series of three exhibitions on the theme “Treasures of Oriental
Art and Literature.” Yanosuke Iwasaki retained an admiration
for Far Eastern culture, which had fallen into neglect during the
period of the Westernization of Japan during the Meiji period
(1868–1912), and wished to preserve such cultural materials and
prevent them from becoming scattered and lost. The collection
was enlarged and strengthened by the founder’s son Koyata
Iwasaki, Mitsubishi’s fourth president. The library and museum
today respectively house some 200,000 volumes of Japanese
and Chinese classical literature and 6,500 works of art. The
collections include seven works designated as National Treasures
and 83 works designated as Important Cultural Properties.
|
|
 |
| |
|
From Part II: Tigers (left screen), from Dragons and
Tigers folding screens by Gaho Hashimoto (Important
Cultural Properties) |
|
From Part III: Yohen Tenmoku tea
bowl (National Treasure) |
|
| |
The series of special exhibitions:
| Part I: |
Tracing the Path of Beauty through Masterpieces of Japanese and Chinese Paintings.
April 14 – June 24 (completed) |
| Part II: |
Fine Arts and Crafts from Meiji-era and Rare Classic Books from China and Japan.
September 22 – November 25 |
| Part III: |
Masterpiece of the Tea Ceremony: Yohen & Yuteki Tenmoku Tea Bowls.
January 22 – March 24, 2013 |
|
|
|
