Special Exhibition

The Standard of Beauty —Creation by Yanagi's Aesthetic Eyes

January 10th (Mon) -March 20th (Sun), 2022

The collection of the Museum by Soetsu Yanagi bears a universal beauty regardless of different ages, various production places and uses. Yanagi called its beauty ‘non-dual beauty’ or ‘absolute beauty without ugliness.’, and proposed its value as ‘the standard of the beauty.’ In this exhibition, various figures of this ‘standard of beauty’ are on display. These works could be called creation by Yanagi’s aesthetic eyes, similar to ido tea bowls which were originally produced as common bowls and treasured by Japanese tea masters in the early period.

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From the exhibition

Ise Sankei 【Pilgrimage to Ise Grand Shrine】Mandalas (The Inner). detail. Muromachi to Momoyama period, 16th century. Odawara Art Foundation collection.
Votive mask dedicated to shrine. Muromachi period, 15th century. h.27.3cm.
Tea bowl entitled ‘Yamabushi’. Joseon period, 16th century. d.16.1cm.
Red-colored clay jar. the second half of Yayoi period, 2nd to 3re century. d.39.5cm.
Flag of a shogunate with family crest design, tie-dyed in madder color. detail. Momoyama period, 16th century.
Ritual sake bottle with oak leaves motif in lacquer painting. Muromachi period, 16th century. h.30.0cm.
Slipware square dish. England, the second half of 18th century to the first half of 19th century. w.46.3cm.
Guardian lion. The Second Sho dynasty, 17th to 18th century.
Kagura mask, Uzume. Muromachi to Edo period. h.18.2cm. private collection.