"THE MASKS: People Fascinated by Masks" Held at Seikado Bunko Art Museum; All 67 Noh Masks in the Museum's Collection, Including "Wooden Oni Mask," Also Fully Displayed
Seikado Bunko Art Museum holds "THE MASKS" exhibition, displaying oni masks, Kano Tetsuya's reproduced ancient masks, and all 67 Noh masks in its collection.Summary
The Seikado Bunko Art Museum (Seikado @ Marunouchi) in Marunouchi, Tokyo, will hold the exhibition "THE MASKS: People Fascinated by Masks" from November 21 to January 17, 2027. The exhibition traces the gaze of people from the early modern to modern periods who were captivated by old masks, collecting or reproducing them. It introduces 18th- to 19th-century "oni masks," including the "Wooden Oni Mask" and "Oni Mask Bell" left by Matsuura Takeshiro, known as the namer of Hokkaido and a great collector, along with the interactions and research traces of literati of the time. The exhibition also focuses on the superb technique of "reproduction of ancient masks" by Kano Tetsuya (1845–1925), who accompanied Ernest Fenollosa and Okakura Tenshin on investigations of old shrines and temples and served as the first sculpture instructor at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (predecessor of Tokyo University of the Arts). It displays 18 masks from the Seikado collection that Tetsuya created based on Nara-period gigaku masks and tsuina masks with his own interpretations. Furthermore, all 67 Noh masks in the Seikado collection will be shown. In addition to all 67 Noh masks handed down in the Mizoguchi family, lords of Shibata Domain in Niigata, and their storage mask chest, craft objects with Noh mask designs will be unveiled for the first time. The exhibition also explores the world of Noh that fascinated modern Japanese businessmen through the collection of Iwasaki Yanosuke, founder of Seikado, who became devoted to Noh after his 50s. Additionally, a special exhibit by artist duo Nerhol will be held, using portraits and wood fossils (petrified wood) to re-question the meaning of "face" and "mask" from a contemporary art perspective.
(Source：美術手帖)