National Treasure of Japan
The Red and White Plum Blossoms

National Treasure of Japan The Red and White Plum Blossoms images

Overview

MOA Museum of Art presents the three National Treasures from its collection in this periodical exhibition. The Museum’s art collection was developed by the founder Okada Mokichi (1882–1955). It mainly consists of articles of Oriental art from Japan, China and other countries in Asia. The collection holds many outstanding artworks of historical significance as well as of aesthetic excellence, encompassing a wide range of articles from paintings, calligraphic works, and sculptures to works of kōgei and beyond.
The curation includes the Red and White Plum Blossoms by Ogata Kōrin, the Tea-leaf Jar with design of Wisteria by the legendary Kyoto ware potter Nonomura Ninsei, and the Tekagami Kanbokujo, one of Japan’s three best known calligraphic albums, together with a selection of masterpieces of various arts. The plum orchard located adjacent to the museum will also be at its best.

Highlights

View all three National Treasures

In this exhibition, visitors can admire the Red and White Plum Blossoms and other National Treasures from the museum collection, in tandem with the best season for the plum orchard in the adjacent Zuiunkyō.

 

 

The Red and White Plum Blossoms (National Treasure), Ogata Kōrin, 18th century, Edo period

The Red and White Plum Blossoms National Treasure
Ogata Kōrin, Edo period , 18th century
Many believe that Ogata Kōrin took inspiration from the work of Tawaraya Sōtatsu, the creator of the famous Wind God and Thunder God folding screens, as Kōrin developed his original style of painting. Some point at the choice of plum trees and flowing water, and the composition of contrasting motifs over two sets of folding screens, as signs of the influence of Sōtatsu’s originality. The screens are embellished with features attributed to Kōrin’s creativity, from his namesake plum flowers drawn without outlines and the unique layout of buds to the mossy tree trunks rendered using the tarashikomi technique (by smudging wet ink) and the unique pattern of the water current.

 

Tea-leaf Jar with design of Wisteria National Treasure
Nonomura Ninsei, Edo period, 17th century
The overglazed tea leaf jar is one of the most well-known works of Nonomura Ninsei, the original master of Kyoto ware. This masterpiece embodies the refined aesthetic culture of the 18th-century Kyoto. The wisteria flowers are ingeniously distributed over the body. The mesmerizing details of the design, including the flowers that bear tints of red, purple, gold, and silver, strikes a perfect balance with the exquisitely shaped vessel.

 

Tekagami Kanbokujō National Treasure
Nara–Muromachi periods, 8th–15th century
Three hundred and eleven fragments of classical calligraphic works are compiled between the thick covers, ranging from Emperors’ letters to scripts by prominent calligraphers. The period of the creation of these calligraphic works stretches over 700 years. The title on the cover is attributed to the Edo-period calligrapher Karasumaru Mitsuhiro (1579–1638). Records show that the album was held by Kohitsu Ryōchū (1820–1891), who used it as a reference for appraisal of classical calligraphic work. Later, it was acquired by Japanese art collector Masuda Donnou (1847–1938).

 

Chapters

*The curation is subject to change.

Japanese style in calligraphy and makie designs

The Heian period saw the fast development of Japanese aesthetic styles as the aristocratic culture flourished around the Imperial Court. This helped to formulate some archetypes of calligraphic works on decorative paper in the forms of bound books or scrolls. Toward the 10th century, Fujiwara no Yukinari and other calligraphers worked to establish the Japanese calligraphic style, and calligraphy on intricately crafted paper became a key interior decorative item of the Imperial Court. Makie-decorated furniture was an indispensable feature of the Imperial life, and distinct styles also began emerging on the designs. The tradition of the exquisite Imperial designs fed into the development of Japanese aesthetics in later times. During the Kamakura period, for example, new designs took inspiration from local landscapes and Japanese poems.

Pick-ups

Ishiyama gire, attributed to Fujiwara no Sadanobu (compiled in the Kanbokujō)

This fragment was once part of the Iseshū, a collection comprising thirty-six anthologies. This classical work shows dynamic and rhythmical brushwork. The paper bears wave patterns with motifs of butterflies, birds, and plants. The curved seam to the right demonstrates the highest techniques of decorative paper production.

Cosmetic Box with landscape design in maki-e (Important Cultural Property)
Kamakura period, 14th century

This 700-year-old large-size box is decorated using several makie techniques such as nashiji (sprinkled fine gold powder), takamakie (high relief), and togidashi (polishing). The traditional design motifs include trees on mounds and birds, together with famous landscapes, covering every surface. Some designs depict the lives of people, such as fishermen throwing their nets and farmers carrying sacks of rice on the backs of oxen.

Japanese paintings

The Museum Collection holds fine paintings covering the premodern and early-modern periods, the prime example of which being the national treasure Red and White Plum Blossoms. An excellent selection of paintings for the exhibition includes the nise-e, the portraits cherished among the court circles of the Kamakura period, to the genre paintings of the early Edo period, offering a glimpse into the rich history of painting in Japan.

Pick-ups

Portrait of Minamoto no Shigeyuki (Important Cultural Property), fragment of the Illustrated Thirty-six Immortals of Poetry
Kamakura period, 13th century

This is a fragment taken from an illustrated scroll, depicting the thirty-six poets representing the Heian period, together with their famous poems. This version is known as Agedatami, with reference to the tatami mat which symbolized a seat for the nobles. This portrait is believed to be work of skilled nise-e artist of the Kamakura period, one of the oldest extant portraits of this genre.

Bathhouse Girls (Important Cultural Property)
Edo period, 17th century

The six figures represent service personnel of a bathhouse, which came into fashion in Kyoto and Edo during the first half of the 17th century. The painting conjures up the culture surrounding these female workers of the time. Early-modern paintings often depict lives of ordinary people, changing the mainstream compositions from the collective to individual depiction of figures.

Buddhist art

Buddhist art in Japan flourished under the cultural influences of China and Korea, but it also followed its unique path of development. The introduction of Tantric Buddhism, in particular, inspired many paintings and sculptures as a means of doctrinal embodiment in the 9th century. The ornate implements are often seen in the light of plastic arts while various styles developed corresponding to the popular dogmas of different times. For example, the belief in the Latter Day of the Dharma inspired arts in relation to the Pure Land Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism became the source of many artworks when it found the support of samurais, the dominant populace in premodern Japan.

Pick-ups

Early-modern art

Japan underwent a wave of modernization in the early 20th century, which saw a downfall of daimyōs and aristocrats, the major patrons of the Japanese art circles. This period represents a turning point for Japanese art and kōgei craftwork, driving the movement to perpetuate the traditions to next generations. Over the turn of the 19th and the 20th centuries, Japan established the Imperial Household Artists as a form of recognition for outstanding artists and kōgei masters. Hashimoto Gahō and Takeuchi Seihō were selected for the painting sector while Shirayama Shōsai and Hirakushi Denchū were among the appointed crafting experts. These artists and artisans played a pivotal role in ensuring the continuity in the country’s art and kōgei traditions.

Pick-ups

 

 

【Concurrent exhibition】 Bamboo art by Living National Treasure‒Fujinuma Noboru, 80 years old Fri. January 30 to Wed. March 25, 2026