[Kansai Report] "Kanei Imperial Visit and the Cultural Figures of the Flower Capital" at Sen-oku Hakuko Kan, Kyoto until October 18: Unraveling the "Missing Link" of Art History
A Kyoto exhibition marks the 400th anniversary of the 1626 Kanei Imperial Visit, spotlighting the "missing link" of Kanei culture.Summary
Marking 400 years since the 1626 Kanei Imperial Visit, this special exhibition at Sen-oku Hakuko Kan in Kyoto runs until October 18, 2026. Its centerpiece is the Kyoto City-designated cultural property "Nijo Castle Imperial Visit Screen," an extraordinarily detailed painting of the procession that also vividly depicts the townspeople of Kyoto. The show reexamines "Kanei culture," a neglected period between the splendor of Momoyama and the rise of Genroku, when figures such as Hon'ami Koetsu, Kobori Enshu, Sen Sotan, and Nonomura Ninsei flourished. It also highlights Tofukumon'in (Tokugawa Masako), daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada and empress to Emperor Gomizunoo. Beyond linking the court and the shogunate, she is presented as a producer of beauty who commissioned and designed kosode robes and oshie pictures, changing the culture of the imperial court and supporting the arts. The exhibition runs from September 5 to October 18, 2026, with rotating first- and second-term displays.
(Source：美術展ナビ)