Gotoh Museum

Gotoh Museum
Gotoh Museum from the garden side
Gotoh Museum is located in Japan
Gotoh Museum
Location within Japan
Established1960
Location3-9-25 Kaminoge, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8510, Japan
Coordinates35°36′44″N 139°38′07″E / 35.612195°N 139.635294°E / 35.612195; 139.635294
TypeArt museum
Public transit access
Kami-noge Station
Websitegotoh-museum.or.jp

The Gotoh Museum (五島美術館, Gotō Bijutsukan) is a private museum in the Kaminoge district of Setagaya on the southwest periphery of Tokyo, Japan. It was opened in 1960, displaying the private collection of Keita Gotō, chairman of the Tokyu Group. Today's collection is centered on the original selection of classical Japanese and Chinese art, such as paintings, writings, crafts, and archaeological objects, completed by a small selection of Korean art. It features several objects designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. The exhibition changes several times each year with special openings in spring and fall.

The museum also comprises a garden with a tea house, ponds, and Buddhist statues.[citation needed]

Highlights of the collection

Genji Monogatari Emaki

Scene from The Tale of Genji, in the collection of the Gotoh Museum

Some of the most important items housed in the museum are sections of the oldest extant illustrated handscroll of The Tale of Genji dating to the 12th century. This Genji Monogatari Emaki used to be the property of the Hachisuka family. The fragments cover chapters 38 (The Bell Cricket (鈴虫, suzumushi)), 39 (Evening Mist (夕霧, yūgiri)) and 40 (Rites (御法, minori)) of the novel.[citation needed]

  • The Bell Cricket 1: one illustration (third princess with maid and hem of Genji's robe), two pages of text
  • The Bell Cricket 2: one illustration (conversation between Reizei and Genji at an informal concert), two pages of text
  • Evening Mist: one illustration (jealous Kumoi no kari is trying to snatch away a letter from her husband Yūgiri, who is Genji's son), two pages of text
  • Rites: one illustration (exchange of poems between Genji, the dying Murasaki, and Empress Akashi, her adopted daughter), three pages of text

The fragments are very fragile and are listed as National Treasure. They are displayed in the Gotoh Museum every year for about a week in April/May around the Golden Week holidays.[citation needed] More scrolls are housed in the Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya.

Murasaki Shikibu Diary Emaki

Another important item and National Treasure of the museum collection is a set of 13th-century fragments from a handscroll of the Murasaki Shikibu Diary with illustrations.[citation needed] Three illustrations and three pages of text are housed in the museum. The items are displayed in the Gotoh Museum every year for about a week in autumn. More fragments are housed in the Fujita Art Museum in Osaka.

Publications

The museum has published a number of books about its collection and special exhibitions, including the following:

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Gotoh Museum Guide (leaflet) (in Japanese and English). The Gotoh Museum. May 2007.

Bibliography