Imperial treasures associated with Niigata Prefecture to be showcased in Nagaoka

An exhibition featuring the artistic treasures of The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan* (Tokyo) associated with the prefecture of Niigata in the Hokuriku Region of Japan will soon open at The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art in the city of Nagaoka, which is only about an hour and a half away to the north from Tokyo on the Shinkansen.

*Sannomaru Shozokan: In 1989, the first year of the Heisei era, then Emperor (currently, Emperor Emeritus) and his mother Empress Kojun (1903-2000) donated artistic treasures — paintings, calligraphy, craftwork, etc. — that had been passed down in the Imperial Household up until the Showa era (1926–89) to the Japanese government. The Sannomaru Shozokan was opened in November 1993 in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace to store, preserve, research and exhibit these items. The collection grew as other members of the Imperial Household left or donated their precious belongings to the state. The museum was temporarily closed in 2019 for renovations to expand its storage and exhibition space, but has partially opened a newly built facility in November 2024. Renovations are due to be completed in 2026.

Treasures of the Imperial Court and Niigata
Beauty and Craftsmanship of Japanese Art in The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan

Feb 7 (Fri) – Mar 16 (Sun), 2025

The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art
(Nagaoka, Niigata Pref.)

*See outline below for details

“Treasures of the Imperial Court and Niigata — Beauty and Craftsmanship of Japanese Art in The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan,” the exhibition set to open on Feb. 7, 2025, will showcase masterpieces of pre-modern and modern Japanese paintings including those by Edo-period painter Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) and nihonga (Japanese-style painting) artist Shimomura Kanzan (1873-1930) together with works of art produced by artists associated with the prefecture such as Sasaki Shodo (1882-1961), a metal work artist who hailed from Sado Island off the coast of Niigata and was designated by the Japanese government in 1960 as a Living National Treasure (Holder of important intangible cultural property).

Among the 50 or so items to go on display, the “Golden Pheasants on a Tree in the Snow” and “Cockatoos on an Old Pine” from Jakuchu’s scroll painting series “Colorful Realm of Living Beings” (collectively designated as a national treasure of Japan) are absolute must-sees. The 30 scroll paintings of the series were rendered by the master artist to decorate a Shaka (Sakyamuni) triad he painted for Shokoku-ji temple in Kyoto, and later presented to the Imperial Household from the temple in 1889.

Modern and contemporary works to be showcased include Kanzan’s “Empress Komyo” and Shodo’s “Ornament of Auspicious Bird.” The former was rendered by the nihonga painter when he was in his mid-20s, long before he became an Imperial Household Artist. It depicts the consort of Emperor Shomu (Nara period) as a devoted Buddhist putting her hands together to offer flowers. The latter, a bronze figure of an auspicious bird, was made using lost-wax casting, a technique Shodo excelled at.

Panels of photographs taken during Emperor Meiji’s two-month long visit to the Hokuriku Region in 1878 will also be displayed in the exhibition.

The exhibition runs through March 16, 2025.