The Idemitsu Museum of Arts houses a collection of exquisite works of art amassed over the lifetime of Sazo Idemitsu (1885-1981), founder of Idemitsu Kosan and the museum itself. This collection is renowned in Japan for both its quality and breadth. This exhibition presents a carefully curated selection of masterpieces from the Idemitsu Museum’s collection.
Featured in this exhibition are two exceptionally rare and important scrolls dating back to the Kamakura period: the *Important Cultural Property, Satake Version of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro* (displayed in the first half of the exhibition period) and the *Important Cultural Property, Satake Version of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Henjō* (displayed in the second half of the exhibition period). These scrolls, originally part of a two-volume set, were separated in the Taisho era and subsequently passed down through generations of prominent businesspeople and tea masters. They will be displayed alongside another *Important Cultural Property* from our collection, the *Satake Version of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets: Minamoto no Shigeyuki* (displayed from September 26th to November 3rd).
As the Satake scrolls were also highly esteemed as hanging scrolls in tea ceremonies, this exhibition further showcases a wide range of masterpieces of tea ceremony utensils from the Idemitsu Collection. These span from Chinese celadon to Raku tea bowls, symbolic of *wabi-cha*, and old Karatsu ware, to works by renowned Kyoto ceramic artists such as Ninsei Nonomura and Kenzan Ogata. In addition, the exhibition features splendid paintings, including masterpieces of the Rinpa school by artists such as Sōtatsu Tawaraya, Hōitsu Sakai, and Kiitsu Suzuki, evoking the poetic spirit of Japan.
We invite you to experience this exceptional opportunity to encounter the essence of Japanese art.
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