Soul and Beauty of JapanMasterpieces from the Tokyo National MuseumThe Great Collections29 August " 26 October 2003
Press conference: 28 August 2003, 11 a.m.
For the first time, the Tokyo National Museum is opening its doors in close collaboration with a foreign museum. On show is an outstanding selection of classical Japanese art the likes of which has never been seen in this scope outside Japan.
Showing an outstanding selection of 117 important works of art from the Tokyo National Museum collection, the exhibition "Soul and Beauty of Japan" will open on 28 August 2003 in the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The exhibits include several national treasures and numerous important cultural properties of Japan. A collection of such high quality has not hitherto been on display in Germany of the post-war period, also for Europe as a whole, this exhibition represents a rare opportunity to become acquainted with Japanese art through its masterpieces. There are certainly exhibits that are familiar to the European eye such as Japanese swords, kimonos and ceramics on display, but the focus of this exhibition is not to rediscover well-known objects, but to introduce the classical art of Japan. The represented period extends from the medieval to the early modern period, from the second half of the Muromachi period (fifteenth century) to the early Edo period (early eighteenth century). The leading desire is to break through a cliched understanding of Japanese art and culture, indeed, to create a new image of Japan.
At the beginning of the exhibition, the visitor is greeted by the seated figure of the first sh_gun of Japan, the founder of Minamoto rule: Minamoto no Yoritomo. This figure from the thirteenth/fourteenth century is the oldest object in the exhibition and symbolises the beginning of the golden medieval age of Japan. The Muromachi period, which followed the rule of the Minamoto sh_guns, achieved a level of cultural individuality which allows us to look in this period for the genesis of Japanese aesthetics. The prototypical architecture of shoin, which is the leading theme of the first exhibition area, is representative of the Muromachi period and much treasured by the ruling elite as their space of cultural engagement. It reflects the cultural arena of knights and sh_guns. Here the best objects from the collections of the medieval rulers are on display. They include Chinese as well as national treasures of Japanese Zen painting, such as the hanging scrolls "Autumn and Winter" by Sessh_, and objects from the early tea ceremony, which provided the focus of the shoin interior.
Ky_to culture was generally known as the culture of the traditional aristocracy: poetry and calligraphy were strongly represented. Throughout the centuries, Ky_to was the cradle of numerous new streams in art and culture. In this area the exhibition is showing several outstanding examples of calligraphy, including those of the Zen monk Ikky_. While the writings of the aristocratic poets dwell in a romantically playful mood, the select lacquer writing cabinets with maki-e decoration in gold reflect the sumptuous yet refined elegance of the medieval golden age in Japan.
A further area consists of selected exhibits from the traditional N_h theatre, with distinguished masks and robes that made Japanese N_h theatre world famous. N_h as we know it today appeared in the Muromachi period (1336-1573) but its roots reach deep into ancient Japanese tradition. The fusion of various dance forms, religious and secular, was fused and finally formed by Z_ami Motokiyo (c. 1363 to 1443) as N_h. The aesthetics of y_gen, the appreciation of enigmatic and mysterious beauty that developed in the Muromachi period, go hand in hand with the spirit of Noh.
At the beginning of the Momoyama period, longer phases of warring and unrest with the fall of Muromachi government triggered a battle for dominance in Japan, which not only questioned many traditional social conventions, but also encouraged new developments of social standards. In contrast to the shoin tea ceremony of the Muromachi period, the new Wabi tea ceremony of the Momoyama period, which achieved maturity in the generation of the Master Sen-no-Riky_, turned its back on Chinese art. The Japanese fondness for untouched natural forms had already existed previously; it is deeply anchored in the Japanese cultural identity founded in Shint_. These aesthetics can be instantaneously experienced in abstract ceramics such as the Iga vase with handles or the "Bridge Princess" tea bowl.
The term "Samurai" is familiar in Europe and is understood as representing the ideal Japanese warrior. However, the bushi, the medieval Japanese knight, actually comes closer to this image than the "Samurai", the "servant" of the early modern period. The rise of these knights started with the decline of imperial power at the end of the twelfth century. In this exhibition the bushi are represented by their main features, the Japanese armour and the sword. The Japanese sword is unique in the world in that the blade itself is considered as a work of art and living soul. The swords on display include blades such as the "Han'nya Nagamitsu", which, as a national treasure, is only rarely seen outside Japan. In contrast, large screens such as the national treasure "Cypress Tree" represent the iconography of power in the halls of the rulers. The women of the bushi class much preferred designs giving a very modern impression and adorned with specific poetic, chivalrous and lucky motifs. The ladies' kimonos as well as gentlemen's kimonos on show in this exhibition, are also of such modern and refreshingly abstract design that they seem contemporary. This modern nature of Japanese aesthetics runs like a thread through all the objects on show and speaks to the visitor of the timeless beauty of Japan.
The school of the Rinpa artists concludes the exhibition on a outstandingly timeless note, although it by no means detracts from the preceding classical period. This "Renaissance" of Japanese classicism is given renewed life by artists who in each generation work independently in the spirit of this school. The beginnings of the Rinpa school lie in the seventeenth century and were brought to highest perfection in the early eighteenth century by its most famous representatives Ogata K_rin (1658-1716) and Ogata Kenzan (1663-1743). Outstanding works of both artists, such as the very well-known screen "Wind and Thunder God" by Ogata K_rin, can be viewed.
The exhibits on show in this exhibition reflect the thought and life of medieval Japan. On one hand, it can be understood as a cultural message, but of course the single objects can also be enjoyed as individual works of art. The high quality of the material as well as the technical skills involved leave no doubt that this art exudes a gracefulness and originality whose meaning may not be immediately comprehensible but the aesthetics of which are directly communicated.
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