Longevity, Good Fortune in Art Shining at Sannomaru Shozokan; Start Off the New Year with Auspicious Art at Tokyo Museum

By Kenneth Valencich / The Japan News

13:49 JST, January 29, 2025

The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, is now filled with art symbolizing longevity and prosperity to celebrate the new year.

“Inviting Fortune: Auspicious Symbols in Japanese Art” is an exhibition of paintings, decorative art and calligraphy from the 17th through 20th centuries.

Many of the items were presented to emperors or crown princes for special occasions, such as investitures, wedding anniversaries and ascensions to the throne.

At an event held at the museum, Executive Director Hiroyuki Shimatani discussed the blessings represented by the various motifs.

He said, “In Japan it is said that the crane represents 1,000 years and the turtle represents 10,000 years, with the crane and turtle both being symbolic of longevity.”

Turtles and cranes are abundant in the exhibition, appearing in paintings, ceramics, metalwork and more. The mythological silver minogame turtles, with fur-like coatings of seaweed on their shells, and bronze cranes with individually distinct feathers are worth a close inspection.

The mythic creatures on display also include Chinese lions and qilin.

With their bold outlines and surprisingly playful expressions, the lions on the folding screens painted by Seison Maeda (1885-1977) set themselves apart from the usual stern depictions of these creatures.

Chinese phoenixes are represented here as well, with paintings by Somei Yuki (1875-1957) in particular standing out for their bright coloration. The reds and greens stand in sharp contrast to the ink paintings on the nearby folding screens. One eye-catching detail of many of the phoenixes depicted at the event is their tail feathers, which often resemble those of a peacock.

Shimatani went on to emphasize that Mt. Fuji is another auspicious motif from Japan’s natural world, as it is said to be connected to Mt. Penglai, a mythical land where immortals are supposed to dwell.

Although the exhibition is full of images of mountains, the massive “Land of the Rising Sun, Japan” by Taikan Yokoyama (1868-1958) truly calls out to visitors to come take a look. The painting depicts Mt. Fuji and a bright red rising sun, with mist obscuring everything else from view.

The most surprising exhibit is “Spiny Lobster” by Kunzo Shofu (1908-1981). This tortoiseshell construction is so richly detailed, it seems primed to take a swim. Take a look at the tiny hairs on the bottom of the legs to see just how carefully the creator worked. Visitors approached the lobster — one of the items they were not allowed to photograph — again and again.

Each item is thought to invite the good fortune represented by what it depicts. So a trip to the museum might be just what people are looking for to start off a healthy and prosperous 2025.

The exhibition runs until March 2.