Exhibition Report: Seikado Bunko Art Museum "Happy Dragon Year! - Enjoying Dragons in Paintings and Crafts -"

[Approx. 4,800 characters, approx. 40 photos]
I visited the Seikado Bunko Art Museum in Marunouchi for the first time to see "Happy Dragon Year! - Enjoying Dragons in Paintings and Crafts -." Here are my thoughts.

To sum it up, it was like going to a shrine for the first visit of the New Year. By seeing many works related to dragons, including the Important Cultural Property Hashimoto Gaho's "Dragon and Tiger Screen", I really felt that this year is the Year of the Dragon. It is the perfect plan for a New Year's outing. I also deepened my knowledge about "dragons", which was educational (I thought it would have been even more helpful if those points were explained inside the venue).

▶︎ Reason for visiting

The reason for my visit was: 1) I had been curious about the Seikado Bunko Art Museum since I heard it opened in Marunouchi, and 2) I was looking for a museum I could visit during the first three days of the New Year (1/2), and the Seikado Bunko Art Museum was open.

▶︎ Access

The Seikado Bunko Art Museum is about a 5-minute walk from Tokyo Station. It is located on the 1st floor of the "Meiji Life Insurance Building" near the Imperial Palace.

The location of the museum is as follows. At first, I went to "MY Gallery" and thought, "Huh? Where is the museum entrance?"

Address: 2-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

▶︎ What is the Seikado Bunko Art Museum?

First of all, I felt a mysterious aura from the name "Seikado Bunko Art Museum." If I hear "Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum" or "Idemitsu Museum of Arts," I can roughly imagine what kind of museum it is. However, my first impression was, "What on earth is the 'Seikado Bunko Art Museum'?"

The Mitsubishi President (Iwasaki family)collected antiques centered on classical books (7 National Treasures, 84 Important Cultural Properties, 200,000 classical books, about 6,500 pieces of Oriental art, etc.) and exhibited them in a library within the Iwasaki residence in Surugadai. Artworks were also displayed in an attached exhibition hall. The exhibition rooms were later moved to Setagaya and then Marunouchi (2022) (→details).

The origin of the name 'Seikado' seems to be a message to the family from Chinese classics saying, '(Iwasaki family) ancestors, please rest in peace.'

The Sumitomo group created the Sen-oku Hakuko Kan Museum. The collection of the Sen-oku Hakuko Kan is centered on ancient Chinese bronzes. On the other hand, the Mitsubishi-affiliated Seikado is centered on classical books, which is interesting as it shows the difference in tastes and personalities. Zaibatsu with extra money tend to collect art, don't they?

▶︎ 'Happy Dragon Year! ~Enjoying Dragons in Painting and Crafts~' Impressions

Although the number of works is not large, totaling about 50, I think it takes an hour to view them.

✔️ About the 'Dragon'

Until I went to this exhibition, I had never thought deeply about the 'dragon.' For me, a dragon was just an 'imaginary creature that is strong, scary, mysterious, and cool.'

Unlike the 'dragon' in the Western world, which symbolizes 'strength, power, and evil,' the 'dragon' in East Asia is featured in numerous works of art as a spiritual beast of good fortune.

The reason 'dragon = evil' in the West is because it stems from Christian thought. Snakes have strong vitality and shed their skin repeatedly. 'Death and rebirth' reminds one of Christ. Since no such existence other than Christ is recognized, it seems that 'snake (dragon) = evil' became the norm (from Yahoo Chiebukuro).

The reason 'dragon = good' in the East is because the 'death and rebirth' of the snake (dragon) continued to be the object of faith as something sacred. As a result of being linked to China's 'Yin-Yang Five Elements theory,' the dragon became the god presiding over the east among the Four Symbols (Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise) and also became one of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac (Dragon, March).

I thought it would have been even better if they had focused on the 'dragon' itself and mentioned it in a 'column' on the panels in the venue. It is fun to have one's perspective broadened through an exhibition like this.

By the way, when I think of the 'Four Symbols,' I think of the anime 'Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi' created by GAINAX (it is still incredibly interesting to watch now).

✔️ Foyer

Seikado had a unique structure. There is a square "foyer" in the center, and galleries 1 through 4 are arranged around it. From here, I will list the works and my impressions for each exhibition room.

The five dragons depicted here (nine if you include the back) all have five claws. This is a pattern that symbolizes the absolute authority of the emperor at the time (described later).

✔️Gallery 1

The main part of the art collection preserved by Seikado is about 6,500 ancient books. Among them, the exhibition of "Shuowen Jiezi" (Important Cultural Property!), which is a kanji dictionary from the 12th century, was interesting.

I have seen an "inro" in videos of Mito Komon. However, this was my first time seeing the real thing. It looks like an AirPods case.

An "inro" is a tool for carrying essential medicine while hanging it from the waist. It seems it moved away from its original purpose and became a fashionable accessory worn at the waist, becoming a necessity for men (from Art Exhibition Navi). I wonder if it's like a carabiner or a wallet chain today. I thought it was a good for showing off one's status, like Mito Komon.

✔️Gallery 2

✔️Gallery 3

The work that left the biggest impression on me among the exhibits was Hashimoto Gaho's 'Dragon and Tiger Folding Screen' (Important Cultural Property). Rather than a painting hung on a wall, it was painted on a three-dimensional folding screen, which gave it a sense of dynamism. I had recently seen Hashimoto Gaho's work at the Mizuno Museum of Art (Nagano Prefecture), so I was glad to see it at Seikado as well.

I was curious that the caption specifically used parentheses to express it as 'five-clawed dragon'. When I looked it up, I found that a 'five-clawed dragon' is a very authoritative dragon.

In China's Yuan Dynasty, a 'five-clawed, two-horned' dragon was considered the true dragon, and the 'five-clawed, two-horned' dragon became a pattern reserved exclusively for the Emperor. Since then, it was forbidden for anyone other than the Emperor in China to use a five-clawed dragon. Furthermore, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the number of claws came to signify the status of the owner, and the number of claws from three to five was clearly distinguished by rank (source).

Also, the numbers 5 and 9 appear frequently in captions and the like. In China, 5 is the number that signifies 'wood' in the Five Elements theory. Since 'wood' is considered flexible and full of vitality, 5 is said to signify success and longevity. Since 9 can also be written as 'nine = long-lasting', it is said to be auspicious, signifying longevity just like 5.

I thought that when the culture behind the paintings is mentioned in the exhibition like this, the satisfaction of the visitors increases even more.

✔️Gallery 4

Only Gallery 4 was off-limits for photography. Because it contains the National Treasure 'Yohen Tenmoku', is it to prevent any accidental damage when taking pictures with a camera? The real thing was sparkling and beautiful. It's hard to imagine drinking matcha from this, though 😅

There are three existing 'Yohen Tenmoku' bowls in Japan, including the one at Seikado, at Daitoku-ji Ryoko-in (Kyoto) and Fujita Art Museum (Osaka), and all are designated as National Treasures. It is said that the Seikado 'Yohen Tenmoku' was purchased by the Iwasaki family in 1934 and was actually used only once.

✔️Regarding photography

Photography using cameras was prohibited. However, it was possible with a mobile phone (excluding Gallery 4). I see this kind of regulation from time to time. I asked the attendant the reason for it.

❶ To prevent commercial use by taking photos with high-resolution images, and ❷ to
prevent collisions with other visitors when taking photos from a distance from the subject.

That was what they said. Since the attendant answered immediately, I thought that in addition to there being an official FAQ, it might be something visitors ask about often. In fact, because the exhibition room was small, I could understand what the attendant was saying.

I always take photos with a single-lens reflex camera and rarely use my smartphone. Since you can take photos quickly with a mobile phone, it's a good option if you aren't particular about image quality. Incidentally, the "David Hockney Exhibition" also only allowed photography with mobile phones. I should have asked the attendant for the reason back then, too.

✔️ Others

The exhibition was crowded. I think this is because January 2nd was the first day of the exhibition, and there were few museums open during the first three days of the New Year. I was a bit surprised that so many people came to the museum (myself included) early in the New Year. Because of this, there were times when lines formed to see the display cases, making it difficult to view them.

The attendant was very kind. In addition to their gentle way of speaking, they lent us a pencil, an exhibition list, and a clipboard for the child to doodle on.

It was easy to see because there was little reflection on the glass in the exhibition room. The museum was clean, and the quality of the exhibits was good. In addition, I thought that having photo spots would increase visitor satisfaction.

▶︎ Summary

How was it? Through the exhibition, it was an exhibition like a New Year's visit to a shrine where I could deeply feel, "Ah, it's the Year of the Dragon this year. It was good to see so many auspicious things." Also, by researching dragons, I was able to learn about their background, which was great. I thought it would be helpful if there were explanations on panels in the venue to further satisfy intellectual curiosity.

▶︎ Today's Museum Meal