Seikadō Bunko Art Museum
History
The core collection of the museum was created by Yanosuke Iwasaki (1851–1908), the second president of Mitsubishi in its earliest form. "Seikado" was the studio-name of this corporate leader.
In the 1890s, Yanosuke began collecting artworks and manuscripts. The process of collecting was continued by his son, Koyata Iwasaki (1879–1945), Mitsubishi's fourth president.
In 1940, Koyata established The Seikado Foundation and opened the Seikado Bunko Library which was composed of books from his personal collection (80,000 Japanese volumes and 120,000 Chinese volumes.
In 1992, in commemoration of hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Seikado collection, this museum galleries were opened to the public.
Collection
The Seikado Bunko Museum houses 200,000 classic books and 6,500 East Asian cultural artifacts. As of September 2023, the Japanese government has designated 7 of these items as National Treasures and 84 as Important Cultural Properties. The museum's collection occupies an important place among private collections in Japan. The museum has four small galleries and only a few thematic exhibitions per year. As a result, only a small portion of the collection is on display at any one time.
See also
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts: others)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts: swords)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings: Japanese books)
Notes
- ^ Auzias, Dominique et al. (2009). Japon 2009, p. 186, p. 186, at Google Books; Seikadō Bunko, General information Archived 2011-10-04 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2011-07-24
- ^ 静嘉堂文庫美術館が丸の内に移転・開館。130年の時を超え、都心の新たなアートスポットに (in Japanese). Bijutsu Techō. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Seikadō Bunko, About the museum Archived 2011-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
References
- Auzias, Dominique and Jean-Paul Labourdette. (2009). Japon 2009. Paris: Nouvelles éditions de l'Université. ISBN 9782746923614; OCLC 664490784
- Seikadō Bunko. (1991). Art Treasures of Seikadō. Tokyo: Mitsubishi Corp. OCLC 24960203
External links
- Seikadō Bunko Library and Art Museum website; Japanese website
- Mitsubishi Public Affairs Committee, Seikadō Bunko Library and Art Museum
- Landscapes of the Four Seasons in the Seikado Foundation