A renovated and expanded Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, which houses art and artifacts donated by the imperial family, partially reopened on Nov. 3.
“Chinese Lions” (Provided by the Museum of the Imperial Collections)
Masterpieces of Japanese art handed down by the imperial family for generations are to be designated as national treasures for the first time.
They include “Chinese Lions,” which is painted on a folding screen by Kano Eitoku (1543-1590) and regarded as one of his most important works, and “The Mongol Invasion,” a picture scroll dating from the Kamakura Period (1185-1333).
The Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report July 16 to the education minister proposing that four paintings and a work of calligraphy be given the double status of important cultural properties and national treasures.
“Moko Shurai Ekotoba” (picture scrolls on the Mongol invasion) (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency’s Museum of the Imperial Collections)
Thousands of valuable artworks connected to the imperial family that are rarely seen by the public will be leased out to museums for free from April so they can be exhibited across Japan.
The works are from the Museum of the Imperial Collections, located within the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.
The initiative comes as the museum has temporarily closed for refurbishment work until fiscal 2024.
Officials decided to use the renovation period to give people far and wide a chance to see the unique art.