Eisei Bunko Museum holds a collection of more than a hundred Chinese ceramic works from the Han to the Qing dynasties, through which we can trace the two-thousand-year history of Chinese ceramics. The collection can be divided into two groups: ceramics collected by Hosokawa Moritatsu (1883-1970), the founder of Eisei Bunko Museum, and those which had been handed down through the generations of the Hosokawa lord family. Recognizing the growing popularity of Chinese ceramics, Moritatsu started to collect ceramic works from the perspective of art appreciation and is regarded as a pioneer of collecting decorative ceramics. Not only collectors but artists of his generation showed much interest in Chinese ceramics and they adopted the Chinese ceramic motifs in their works.

This exhibition features the fine Chinese ceramic works mainly from Moritatsu’s collection including three Important Cultural Properties. We classified the exhibits by color such as white porcelain, celadon porcelain, underglaze blue, and overglaze enamels aiming to provide the visitors with an overview of the history of Chinese ceramics. Paintings by Umehara Ryuzaburo (1888-1986), an artist of Western-style paintings, and ceramics by Kawai Kanjiro (1890-1966) and Uno Soyo (1888-1973), which were inspired by Chinese works are also on display. We hope the visitors enjoy the various colors of Chinese ceramics ranging from ancient days through modern times.

　

Natural history studies in Japan developed under the influence of Chinese natural history and herbalism known as “honzo-gaku.” During the 18th century, natural history became increasingly popular among lords, and Hosokawa Shigekata (1720-1785), the 6th head of the Kumamoto clan, is said to have been the pioneer of such movement. Shigekata was an excellent governor, who was called the “Phoenix of Higo” with respect and was highly praised for his accomplishments in administrative reform and industrial development of the domain and establishment of the domain school called Jishūkan. He also enjoyed studying natural history and left behind many sketches of animals, insects, and flowers. Shigekata’s intricately detailed sketches show his extraordinary curiosity and interest in recording the appearance of natural creatures at a time when there was no photography. In this exhibition, titled “Lord Hosokawa’s Sketchbook”, we introduce various works that indicate what seemed ‘real’ to Lord Hosokawa.

　

Kuyo-mon, the family crest of the Hosokawa family, is considered to represent nine stars, which are the seven luminaries (the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) and Rahu and Ketu (planets that are associated with eclipses and comets). Since the people believed in astrology, nine-planets were frequently used in the designs for vehicles and clothes to bring blessings and they became widely used as family crests. The nine-planet crest of the Hosokawa family is said to have been bestowed on Hosokawa Tadaoki, the second head, by Oda Nobunaga. Among various types of nine-planet crests, the crest called “Hosokawa kuyo” with circles arranged apart from each other was most commonly used by the family and was applied on items such as arms, furniture, textiles, and hanging scroll mountings.

　

We have adopted the kuyo-mon as the theme of our exhibition for the first time and seek to show the relationship between the Hosokawa family and kuyo-mon by displaying items with the crest that had been handed down through generations in the family. Come on to the Eisei Bunko Museum in the summer 2024 to find kuyo-mon crests hidden in the exhibits!

　

Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) was a warlord, who lived through a turbulent era in Japanese history. Eisei Bunko Museum stores 60 letters sent from Nobunaga, and remarkably, such a large number of letters have been handed down through generations in one place. Nobunaga Monjo is unparalleled both in quality and quantity in that it contains a letter in Nobunaga’s own handwriting and that we can trace the tumultuous decade from the confrontation between Nobunaga and Ashikaga Yoshiaki to the Honnoji Incident just through these documents.

　

This exhibition displays the whole archive to explore the eventful life of Oda Nobunaga, who powerfully extended his conquest over the country but died without accomplishing his ambition. Through Nobunaga’s letters, we carefully traced the historical events related to Nobunaga such as his entering Kyoto and the fall of the Ashikaga Shogunate, the fierce struggle against Ikko ikki (the uprising of Ikko sect followers), the Battle of Nagashino, Araki Murashige’s rebellion, and the Honnoji Incident caused by Akechi Mitsuhide together with the movements of Hosokawa Fujitaka (1534-1610) and other lords that served Nobunaga. Is the image of Nobunaga held by many people today as innovative, bizarre, cruel, and superhuman true? The real personality of Nobunaga will be revealed through the historical materials of Eisei Bunko Museum.

　

Eisei Bunko Museum houses a wide range of Japanese ceramics in its collection. Yatsushiro ware, (also known as Koda ware or Hirayama ware) was first produced in Koda, Yatsushiro City in Kumamoto Prefecture by a pottery called Sonkai (Agano Kizo), who was invited by Hosokawa Tadaoki, the 2nd head of the Hosokawa family. Yatsushiro ware is known for its decorative technique in which a design is inlaid with clay on the ceramic body, and it was a popular gift for the shogun’s envoys as the product of the official kiln patronized by the Kumamoto clan.

　

Kawai Kanjiro (1890-1966) was a potter who was active from the Taisho to Showa periods. His early works following the style of ancient Chinese ceramics attracted attention, and he learned much from the Chinese ceramic collection of Hosokawa Moritatsu (1883-1970), the founder of the Eisei Bunko Museum. Kanjiro later became a member of the ‘Mingei movement’, which led to a significant change in his style.

　

We present Yatsushiro ware and the works by Kawai Kanjiro for the first time in about 20 years in this exhibition. Please take the opportunity to visit our museum and discover their charms.