The sea and the mountains are distinctive natural elements of the Japanese landscape, surrounded by spirituality and respected since ancient times by the population, who have always been a favorite subject for artists. The exhibition features a wide variety of paintings depicting the mountains and sea of Japan, accompanied by the elegant writings of Shiga Shigesubaru. A tradition that has lasted for centuries and which in recent times has suffered a strong backlash. In fact, during the Meiji Era, with the advance of modernization, the relationship with the natural environment changed profoundly. The modern styles of mountaineering, introduced by the West, have opened up different approaches to scientific research and leisure that were not known before. In 1894, Shiga Shigeaki's bestselling Japanese Landscape Theory did the most to revolutionize Japanese landscape consciousness and the way painters related to the natural landscape.
The exhibition chronicles how Jōdo Shū - the Pure Land School of Buddhism - spread under the patronage of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo Period (1603-1868). An historical journey through precious works of art, including numerous national treasures and important cultural properties.
The Owari Tokugawa family was the most important of the three clans that produced the shoguns of the military dynasty of the same name. For over 250 years, the Owari family ruled using Nagoya Castle as their main base. An exhibition tells its story through treasures now part of the Collections of the Tokugawa Art Museum.
Horror manga artist Junji Ito depicts a beautiful but grotesque world. His work has fascinated readers around the world. at the Setagaya Literary Museum a large exhibition presents his drawings and artistic career to the public.
Keiichi Tanaami is widely recognized internationally as a Japanese pioneer in the ever-expanding context of Pop Art. This exhibition he engages with the theme of “memory,” a keyword which serves to unravel Tanaami's artistic practice spanning over half a century, and attempts to uncover the entirety of his diverse oeuvre.