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Special Exhibition Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Founding the Nezu Museum
The Kōrin, Ōkyo, and Kiitsu Trio
Masterpieces of Screen Painting - Saturday, April 12 – Sunday, May 11, 2025
| Closed | April 14, 21, and May 7 |
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| Hours | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.（last entry: 4:30 p.m.） 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. May 5-11 （last entry: 6:30 p.m.） |
| General admission (On-line timed-entry tickets) | Adult 1500 yen, Student 1200 yen |
| Gallery | 1/2 |
The Nezu Museum Collection includes a hundred National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties in total, of which only three are Japanese early modern paintings. Ogata Kōrin's Irises screens are a National Treasure. Maruyama Ōkyo's Wisteria and Suzuki Kiitsu's Mountain Streams in Summer and Autumn screens are Important Cultural Properties. While few in number, together these pairs of six-panel folding screens on gold-foiled paper literally shed their radiance over the entire collection.
While these folding screens were created at different times and places, they share stylistic connections. Both Kōrin and Ōkyo depicted botanical subjects on an entirely gold ground, with no background. Kiitsu's work resembles Kōrin's in its placement of motifs, while Ōkyo's influence on Kiitsu can be seen in his realistic depictions.
This exhibition consists of three sections focused on those three folding screens. Visitors will enjoy an assemblage of works that highlight those folding screens’ true value and further elevate their appeal.
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Irises
By Ogata Kōrin - Pair of six-panel screens; ink and color on gold-foiled paper
- Japan Edo period, 18th century
Nezu Museum - Clusters of irises are rendered in only azurite blue and malachite green of various intensities, against the gold ground. The contrasting composition of the left and right screens, with their carefully planned balance, and the rhythmical arrangement of the irises are striking. This work exemplifies the contribution of Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716) to the history of Japanese painting.
- Japanese Football under Cherry Blossoms
- Pair of six-panel screens; ink and color on gold-foiled paper
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Japan Edo period, 17th century
Nezu Museum - The cherry tree trunks and human figures in right-hand screen generate a dynamic feel, in remarkable contrast to the composition of the left-hand screen, with its bold design, the picture plane defined by the diagonal line of the fence and the curved waterline, and then the people gathered at the bottom. The happy-go-lucky depiction of the elegant human figures indicates this work was created in Tawaraya Sōtatsu’s studio.
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Wisteria
By Maruyama Ōkyo - Pair of six-panel screens; ink and color on gold-foiled paper
- Japan Edo period, dated 1776 Nezu Museum
- The trunks and branches, rendered using the tsuketate technique, seem rather rough at first glance, yet the shades of ink create a three-dimensional effect. The layering of white, blue, and purple pigments in the flower clusters is almost reminiscent of Western Impressionist painting. Here we see the true nature of the “realistic painting” that Maruyama Ōkyo (1733-95) created, a quality very different from the merely real.
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Flowers
By Yamaguchi Soken - Four sliding panels; ink and color on paper
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Japan Edo period, dated 1810
Nezu Museum - This work now consists of four sliding door panels with the flowers of spring to fall painted on them. The artist, Yamaguchi Soken (1759-1818), was Maruyama Ōkyo’s finest student. In his use of rich colors we can see his approach of working to depict his subjects in detail.
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Mountain Streams in Summer and Autumn
By Suzuki Kiitsu - Pair of six-panel screens; ink and color on gold-foiled paper
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Japan Edo period, 19th century
Nezu Museum - Streams are flowing through a cypress grove. The right-hand screen presents a summer scene, with lilies blooming; in the left-hand screen, it is autumn: the leaves on the cherry trees have turned red. The viscous depiction of the streams, the simplified bamboo glass, contrasting with the detailed rendering of the lilies and cherry leaves, the moss multiplying on the rocks and tree trunks: these screens are rich in eccentric renderings. They are a masterpiece by Suzuki Kiitsu (1796-1858).
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Eagle and Hawk
By Soga Sōan - Two-panel screen; ink on paper
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Japan Edo period, 17th–18th centuries
Nezu Museum - The eagle and hawk are quite eye-catching, with the effective use of lively modulations in ink-wash painting and the dramatic style. Little is known about the artist, Soga Sōan, but his name suggests he was a member of the Soga school, which originated in the Momoyama period (1568-1603) and whose forte was depicting hawks.
