Part 1: Saturday, March 4 － Sunday, April 23

Part 2: Saturday, April 29 － Sunday, June 11

Note: All first floor exhibits on display during Part 1 will be changed for Part 2.

 

     
Nomura Art Museum is elated to have arrived at the 40-year mark since welcoming our first visitors, a milestone we owe to the kind encouragement and support of so many.

The doors of the museum opened in 1983, and thus began a new adventure for all of us! Amidst a whirlwind of trial-and-error and with help and guidance from many people, the museum gradually took shape and our place as a prominent chanoyu (tea ceremony or sadō) museum was established.

The museum collection started with the items gathered by Nomura Tokushichi — commonly known by the sobriquet “Tokuan” — self-made founder of the Nomura financial zaibatsu (family-owned business conglomerate), which included what is today known as Nomura Securities. Generous endowments from benefactors subsequently helped us fill out our collection, but at its heart remain the objects compiled by Tokuan.

Tokuan, although quite occupied managing his business enterprises, also found time to enjoy a number of hobbies. He was especially fond of chanoyu and Noh theater, about which his knowledge and passion grew, to the extent that by his later years they had become more than hobbies, and his life rested atop three pillars: business, chanoyu and Noh. The villa known as Hekiunsō, located immediately to the north of the museum, marks the culmination of Tokuan’s sentiments regarding chanoyu and Noh. Hekiunsō operated numerous chashitsu (chanoyu tearooms) and a Noh stage, where distinguished visitors from Japan and abroad were invited to immerse themselves in the experience of Noh, chanoyu, traditional dance, cuisine and other aspects of Japanese culture.

Chanoyu was the highlight of such Hekiunso gatherings. It was during this time that Takuan actively procured numerous objects of art related to chanoyu, in what might have been an attempt to recreate the chanoyu style favored by Edo-Period daimyō (known as daimyō cha). Such is thought to have been his aim, judging by the number of treasured chanoyu objects that he acquired from centuries-old, former-daimyō estate repositories — such as those of the Maeda clan of Kaga, the Date clan of Sendai and the Matsudaira clan of Izumo — many of which were being opened and the contents auctioned off when Takuan was actively collecting. One feature of the Tokuan collection is that its overall structure is defined by items obtained especially from the above three former daimyō estates. In addition, its particular composition reflects Tokuan’s discerning eye and his personal values as an accomplished practitioner of chanoyu, a sukisha.

Our current exhibition features some of the most notable items from Tokuan’s collection, with the aim of providing visitors a clear view into the chanoyu for which Tokuan strove.

Chanoyu is not a flaunting display of one, particularly outstanding scroll, bowl or other item, but is the hosting of a tea gathering, for which sensitive care has been invested in the creation a harmonic balance among all the items employed, with a strong accent on the season and overall state of nature of the moment. Today’s exhibition, however, has not been designed from the perspective of achieving a balance among our displays, as we often do, but with the specific aim of introducing prized objects from Tokuan’s original collection. As such, the displays do not at all represent arrangements that one would encounter at a tea gathering. Keeping that in mind, we hope you are able to glean a sense of the passion poured by Takuan into his chanoyu-centered art collection.

 

 

Hours: 10:00-16:30 (admission until 16:00)

Closed: Mondays 

Admissions: 800 yen for adults, 300 yen for students, free admission for junior high school students and younger

 

*Please be aware that exhibits may be changed due to unforeseen circumstances.  Thank you for your understanding.

 

 
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