May 14, 2014
Reunion spanning oceans – Japanese art at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Katsura Washizu, Kyushu National Museum
Suppose you decide to open a new museum. You need to start your collection and decide what you want to show. What would you choose to display?
The Cleveland Museum of Art, which opened in 1913 to introduce Americans to a variety of forms of art, decided to actively collect Japanese art in addition to art from around the world. It has been 100 years since its opening, and the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art has grown to include Buddhist art from the Heian and Kamakura periods, India ink paintings from the middle ages, and various paintings from the Edo period. This collection spanning 1000 years of history has been referred to as a “Textbook for Japanese Art.” This summer, a selection from this collection from the Cleveland Museum of Art will be on display in Kyushu. Look forward to the return of artwork such as Sesson's “Dragon and Tiger,” which to this day still retains its otherworldly and dynamic expression.
In concert with the return of the “Dragon and Tiger,” several other pieces of art will also return home to the Kyushu National Museum. Artworks that once existed together as a set will once again be reunited at the Kyushu National Museum, after being apart in Cleveland and Japan. It will be a special reunion of art that spans the oceans. I am managing this reunion and making sure that I can deliver the best possible experience through this artwork.
Dragon and Tiger, by Sesson Shukei (Cleveland Museum of Art)
Cleveland Museum of Art Exhibition
July 8, 2014 to August 31, 2014
Kyushu National Museum, Special Exhibition Room
Special Exhibition, Reunion Spanning Oceans – Pieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art
July 15, 2014 to August 24, 2014
Kyushu National Museum, Cultural Exchange Exhibition Room, Room 11
Face-to-Face with Fascination
Midsummer's Themed Exhibition “Exhibition of Archaeological Masterpieces in High Schools of Japan”
Rui Ichimoto, Principal Investigator at Kyushu National Museum
How does everyone learn about past events? At school, we learn through history classes, or listen to stories from our grandparents, and even do some research on our own. Such events of the distant past are actually buried right beneath our feet. Archaeology is the study of how we excavate such information.
Many people believe that archaeology is only for university researchers. However, there are many high school teachers and students on the path of archaeology, and they make vital contributions to archaeological research in Japan.
This exhibition showcases archaeological materials donated to high schools, or gathered by teachers and students through research. It is also the first project of its kind for the National Museum. Perhaps it will allow others to understand some of the devotion that these teachers and students feel towards archaeology.
I believe that being fascinated with one thing is a noble and magnificent quality. I hope to reflect on this fascination through this exhibition with as many people as possible.
A “haniwa” excavated by high school students in 1948
(Important Cultural Property, male haniwa sitting cross-legged; Sixth century Tumulus period; Iwaki High School, Fukushima)
Exhibition of Archaeological Masterpieces in High Schools of Japan
July 15, 2014 to September 23, 2014
Kyushu National Museum, Cultural Exchange Exhibition Room, Room 3
Kyushu National Museum
4-7-2 Ishizaka, Dazaifu City, Fukuoka 818-0118
- Telephone
- 050-5542-8600 (8:00 to 22:00, open all year round)
- Access
-
- By train:
- Nishitetsu Train: From Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station, take the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta line, (13 min. by limited express or 17 min. by express), change trains to Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line at Futsukaichi Station then get off at Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station (5 min.) and walk (approx. 10 min.)
* No extra charge for both limited express and express
JR: From JR Hakata Station, take the JR Kagoshima Main Line to Futsukaichi Station (15 min.) then walk (12 min.) or take the bus (5 min.) to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station, take the Dazaifu Line from Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station - By car:
- [By Kyushu Expressway] Get off at the Dazaifu Interchange or Chikushino Interchange, head toward Dazaifu Tenmangu via Takao intersection (approx. 20 min.)
[By Fukuoka Urban Expressway] Get off at the Mizuki exit, head toward Dazaifu Tenmangu via Takao intersection (approx. 20 min.) - By taxi:
- From JR Futsukaichi Station (approx. 15 min.) or from Fukuoka Airport (approx. 30 min.)
- By bus:
- Get on a Nishitetsu bus bound for Daizaifu Station at the Hakata Bus Terminal, get off at Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station bus stop (approx. 40 min.), and walk (approx. 10 min.)
- Museum Hours
- 9:30-17:00 (last admission: 16:30)
- Holidays
- Mondays (if a Monday is a national holiday, the museum opens that Monday and closes on the following Tuesday), year-end period
- Admission (Cultural Exchange Exhibit)
General admission: 430 yen (220 yen)
University students: 130 yen (70 yen)
*Fees in parentheses indicate group rates (for groups larger than 20)
*Extra admission fee for special exhibits
*Admission is free for those with a handicapped person’s passbook and their caregiver
*Admission to the Cultural Exchange Exhibit (regular exhibit) is free for seniors over 70 and high school students under 18
*Admission to the Cultural Exchange Exhibit (regular exhibit) is free on International Museum Day (May 18; however, if the museum is closed, free admission occurs on the following day or on Old Person’s Day).- Website
- http://www.kyuhaku.com/
