Press Release 2018/03/20

The Power of Ink - Kano School Partition Paintings[Part I] March 10 (Saturday) – April 25 (Wednesday), 2018
[Part II] April 27 (Friday) – June 24 (Sunday), 2018
Kankai Pavilion (Traditional East Asian Art)
The Kano was the largest school of painting in Japanese history. It
dominated Japanese painting for 400 years, from the Muromachi
era to the Edo era. In the Hara Rokuro Collection is a series ofhanging scroll paintings by Kano school artists collectively referredto as Paintings used for wallpaper and fusuma (Japanese slidingdoor) at Nikko-in Mi’idera Temple. These works were originallypartition paintings (shohekiga) that decorated the Nikko-in guest
hall at Mi'idera (Onjoji) Temple in Shiga prefecture, the site of theMii no Bansho (evening bell at Mi'idera Temple), one of the famed
Eight Views of Omi (Omi Hakkei).
We hope you will enjoy Landscape with horses by Eitoku Kano
and other selected partition paintings by the Kano school in which
the beauty and expressive power of ink are on full display.
[1] Tiger in a bamboo grove, Kano Eitoku, hanging scroll
Momoyama period (Part II)■ Hara Rokuro and Mi'idera Temple
Hara Rokuro acquired the Nikko-in guest hall and moved it to his estate in Gotenyama (present-day Kitashinagawa inShinagawa ward, Tokyo) in 1892. The partition paintings in the guest hall were converted to hanging scrolls and folding screensat that time. Early in the Showa era this building was donated and relocated to Gokokuji temple (in Bunkyo ward, Tokyo) where
its name was changed to Gekko-den. This building has now been designated an Important Cultural Property.
■ Tiger
The tiger was often depicted in Japanese art as an
auspicious symbol for wealth, status and fecundity.
Representations of tigers were placed at entrances toimpress visitors. Eitoku Kano (1543-90), believed tobe the painter of this image, established the gorgeous,monumental style of Momoyama-period painting.
Few of his paintings have survived the flames of war,making this one all the more precious.
■ Dragon among clouds
The dragon, one of the Eight Legions (guardians of
the Buddhist teachings), was thought to have the[3] Wild horses and horsemen, Kano school,[2] Dragon among clouds, Kano school,
four hanging scrolls Momoyama-Edo period
pair of hanging scroll, Momoyama-Edo
power to make clouds appear and rain to fall. For(Part II)
period (Part I)
this reason, many paintings were made featuring thedragon-among-clouds motif. The portrayal of the landscape is noted for its conspicuous use of empty space and painterly
touches. With respect to its unique brushwork and composition, one can see many characteristics that are shared with Landscapewith horses.

■ Landscape with horses
This is one of two masterpieces in the Hara Rokuro Collection that takes as their subject wild horses running through a field(each consisting of four scrolls). Here, the forms are captured using delicate lines and light sumi ink gradations. Though the ink islight in tone, the horses, each with a different coat of fur, are depicted with a sense of great dynamism.
Featured Works[Part I & II] Traditional Art: Landscape of Yodo River, Maruyama Okyo, Edo period / Tier of boxes decorated with design ofsquirrels in vine scrolls, Edo - Meiji period
Contemporary Art: David Smith, Tri-Construction, 1941 and others[Part I] Landscape based on an old Chinese anecdote "Assembly at the Orchid Pavilion", Kano school, Momoyama-Edo period/ Tiger in a bamboo grove, Kano Eitoku, Momoyama period / Dragon among clouds, Kano school, Momoyama-Edo period[Part II] Wild horses and horsemen, Kano school, Momoyama-Edo period / Landscape based on an old Chinese anecdote"Assembly at the Orchid Pavilion", Kano school, Momoyama-Edo period / Tiger in a bamboo grove, Kano Eitoku, Momoyama
period■ Hara Rokuro and the Kankai Pavilion
The Kankai Pavilion was built in 2008 as part of an expansion of Hara
Museum's annex, Hara Museum ARC, that took place to mark the 20thanniversary of its founding in 1988. Its purpose is to provide ashowcase for the Hara Rokuro Collection of traditional East Asian art.
At present, about 120 works comprise the collection, including a
number of works designated National Treasure or Important CulturalProperty.
Rokuro Hara (1842-1933) was a prominent Meiji industrialist and thegreat-grandfather of the present Hara Museum director Toshio Hara. He[4] Installation view of Kankai Pavilion
acquired a great number of artworks that now comprise the Hara
Rokuro Collection. The Kankai Pavilion has made possible the regular display of the collection, making Hara Museum ARC aunique institution that functions both as a museum of contemporary art and a venue for the display of traditional Japanese art
with from a unique point of view.
The design of the Kankai Pavilion (by Arata Isozaki who also designed Hara Museum ARC) incorporates features of theJapanese shoin (drawing room). It thus offers the viewer a new spatial experience that lies at the intersection between thetraditional and the modern.
This year is the 30th anniversary of Hara Museum ARC and the 10th anniversary of the Kankai Pavilion. To mark these two
milestones, My Favorites: Toshio Hara Selects from the Hara Museum Collection, an exhibition currently on at the Hara
Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, and Art on the Road: Three Traveling Exhibitions from the Hara Museum, a concurrentexhibition in Hara Museum ARC's contemporary art galleries, are being presented to offer visitors a rare chance to look backover the past activities of both venues and their respective trajectories.
Hara Museum ARC
Address: 2855-1 Kanai, Shibukawa-shi, Gunma 377-0027
Tel 0279-24-6585 Fax 0279-24-0449 E-mail arc@haramuseum.or.jp
http://www.haramuseum.or.jp (official website) http://mobile.haramuseum.or.jp (mobile site)
http://www.art-it.asia/u/HaraMuseum (blog) http://twitter.com/HaraMuseumARC (Twitter)
Hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm (last entry at 4:00 pm)
Closed: Thursdays (except March 29 and May 3) *Subject to temporary closure in the event of severe weather.
Admission: General 1,100 yen, Students 700 yen (high school and university) or 500 yen (elementary and junior high), Free forHara Museum members, 10% discount for a group of 20 or more, Combination ticket for Hara Museum ARC and Ikaho GreenBokujo (except during Golden Week): General 1,800 yen; Students 1,500 yen (high school and university) or 1,400 yen (juniorhigh), 800 yen (elementary), half price for those over 70, discount for groups of 20 or more
*Visitors to the Kankai Pavilion can view the on-going exhibition in the contemporary art galleries as well.
*Children must be accompanied by an adult.
*For residents of Gunma Prefecture: Free admission for elementary and junior high school children every Saturday during theschool term/200-yen-discount on admission for up to five persons upon presentation of the Guchoki Passport.
Directions: By train: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki, change to the Joestu Line, and disembark at Shibukawa. FromShibukawa, ARC is 10 minutes away by taxi or 15 minutes by bus (take the Ikaho Onsen bus to ″Green Bokujo Mae″). By car: 8kilometers (about 15 minutes) from the Kan-etsu Expressway Shibukawa Ikaho Interchange (in the direction of Ikaho Onsen).
Press Enquiries
T. ;81.279.24.6585
E. press@haramuseum.or.jp