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Colorful Realm of Living Beings
Right:<\/strong> \u201cCockatoos on an Old Pine\u201d<\/strong>
Left: \u201cGolden Pheasants on a Tree in the Snow\u201d<\/strong>
By Ito Jakuchu
Edo period, 18th century<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Two of the 30 scroll paintings — the \u201cCockatoos on an Old Pine\u201d and the \u201cGolden Pheasants on a Tree in the Snow\u201d — are currently on display in the exhibition. The former depicts a pair of snow-white cockatoos and a parakeet in vivid color. The latter, on the other hand, strikes the viewer with its amoeba-like depiction of the snow. Jakuchu applied white pigment not only from the front but also from the back of the silk base to complexify the snowscape, and thereby creating a fantastical landscape with an inexorable sense of depth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Emperor Meiji’s belonging
made of gold from Sado Island<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The three masterpiece craftworks of the Meiji era were produced under orders from Emperor Meiji (reign: 1867-1912) in the late 19th-early 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of them is the “Sword Mountings in Short Sword Type with Flower and Arabesque Design and Crystal,” which was made as an Imperial belonging consulting swords from among the Shoso-in Treasures and other old sword fittings. The floral arabesque openwork is made of pure gold from the gold mines of Sado Island (Niigata Pref.) — which were included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2024 — and the center of the flowers of crystal from the Koshu region (Yamanashi Pref.). Metal carver Kagawa Katsuhiro (1853-1917), who would later be appointed as an Imperial Household artist, took the lead from the planning phase to its completion, which spanned about a decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The project not only brought together the best artistic techniques of the time to produce the craftwork, but also served to support artists and pass on the applied techniques to the next generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25c7\u3000\u3000\u3000\u3000\u3000\u25c7\u3000\u3000\u3000\u3000\u3000\u25c7<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within the walls of the Imperial Palace, the Seiden (main hall) with crestings of a pair of auspicious birds on the roof where the important ceremonies are held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/15ec3b38785f33bdbe26f10de81fd47a.jpg\")
By Kagawa Katsuhiro and others
Meiji era, 1904<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPrototype of auspicious birds
on roof of Imperial Palace Seiden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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