Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Lacquerware
Included among the
Japanese National
Treasures and Important
Cultural Properties in
the Honkan Gallery are
maki-e
lacquerware
items dating from the
Heian to Edo periods.
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Asian Arts
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Calligraphy
The Toyokan
(above)
is the place to go for Asian
arts. Exhibits include ancient bronze drums, Korean
metalwork, textiles, Khmer pottery, Hindu statuary,
and cave paintings from the grottoes of Xingling.
The master calligraphy
in the Honkan includes
bokuseki
, calligraphy
executed by Zen priests.
Even if the meanings of
the Chinese characters
elude you, the beauty of
the brushwork won't.
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Horyu-ji Treasures
These invaluable art
works
(above)
, including
a forest of standing
bodhisattvas from the
Horyu-ji Temple, are now
exhibited in the Gallery
of Horyu-ji Treasures.
Museum Guide
The main gate to the
museum complex,
consisting of four major
galleries, lies at the
north end of Ueno Park.
The central gallery, the
Honkan, is straight
ahead, beyond the pond
and fountains. The
Toyokan is on the right,
the Heiseikan to the
left, behind the Honkan.
The Gallery of Horuyu-ji
Treasures lies to the left
of the main gate,
behind the Hyokeikan,
a grand building used
for special exhibits and
educational events.
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Japanese Paintings and Prints
The Honkan features paintings from the classical
Heian to Muromachi periods, as well as fine examples
of mural, screen, and paper door art, and Zen-inspired
ink landscapes
(center)
. The highlight of the Edo era
is the work of its
ukiyo-e
woodblock print artists.
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Textiles
)
Religious
Sculpture
Religious sculptures
(left)
are scattered
throughout the
galleries. Bronze,
gilt, and sandstone
sculptures from
Pakistan are exhibi-
ted in the Toyokan.
The Honkan dis-
plays Buddhist
statues from India
and Japan.
The Toyokan has a
sumptuous collection
of textiles from China,
Korea, Southeast
Asia, India, the Middle
East, and Egypt.
Exquisite Indonesian
brocade work made
from gold thread can
also be seen here.
The Honkan
Gallery houses
Japanese textiles.
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Look out for gold and mother-of-pearl inlay work on cosmetic
boxes and fans among the Honkan's lacquerware collection.
