A Road Traveled by Feudal Lords and Pet Dogs:
Hiroshige's Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido,
Primarily from the Hoeido and Reisho Editions
Saturday 17 December 2011 to Sunday 15 January 2012

Compare woodblock prints from two versions of the 53 Stations of the Tokaido-the Hoeido Edition from the Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum of Art, and the Reisho Edition from the Suntory Museum of Art's own collection. The exhibition brings together the two versions as they follow the highway from Edo(Tokyo) to Kyoto. In addition to prints that convey scenes from the time of initial publication (shozuri), the Hoeido Edition includes updated views (kawarizu) where the block has been partly recut. Here they are exhibited together with the binding to hold portfolio used when republished as a set of prints after completion of all 55 views.

50th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibition “Art revisited, beauty revealed” IV
Light and Shadows in Namban Art: The Mystery of the Western Kings on Horseback
Wednesday 26 October to Sunday 4 December 2011

Namban art, which blossomed during the Momoyama Period (1573–1615), constitutes an important pillar of the Suntory Museum of Art's collection. This exhibition showcases a wide range of research into the mystery of how one of the early masterpieces of the style, Western Kings on Horseback, was made. Works of Namban art enable us to experience directly both the light and shadows of a history that began with the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese Namban trading ships and the Christian missionaries they carried.

50th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibition “Art revisited, beauty revealed” III
With the Special Exhibits of the Corning Museum of Glass
“The Yearning for Venetian Glass: Beauty that Traversed Oceans and Time”
Wednesday 10 August to Monday (Holiday) 10 October 2011

Soon after its development in the late 15th century, Venetian glass took Europe by storm. The beauty of the pieces that were imported to Japan and used as tribute gifts for feudal superiors was such that it inspired the development of a local glass-making industry. Displaying a level of technical brilliance unmatched even today, Venetian glass continues to thrill admirers. This exhibition explores the continuing attraction of Venetian glass, which still transcends both time and national borders.

50th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibition “Art revisited, beauty revealed” II
Symbols of Immortality: The Phoenix and the Lion
Wednesday 8 June to Sunday 24 July 2011

In religion, manners, folklore, entertainment and other aspects of Japanese culture, the phoenix, which had its origin in ancient Chinese fables, and the lion have played important roles as symbols of nobility and vigor. This exhibition examines key works of painting, craft and textiles in order to trace the transformations that have occurred in the images of the phoenix and the lion as they have spread globally since ancient times through to the present.

50th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibition “Art revisited, beauty revealed” I
In Pursuit of a Dream: The Collection Today-Featuring Recent Acquisitions Cherished Masterpieces
Saturday 19 March to Sunday 22 May 2011

The Suntory Museum of Art, which first opened in 1961, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2011. The first in a series of special exhibitions to mark this occasion explores the museum’s collection, which has developed over the years alongside the regular program of temporary exhibitions. This exhibition features both a selection of highlights from the collection and also some 20 new acquisitions, providing a clear sense of both the museum’s past and its future.

Commemorating 150 years of Japanese-German Friendship
From the Collection of the Museum of MEISSEN Art, MEISSEN Manufactory "300 Years of Meissen"
Saturday 8 January to Sunday 6 March 2011

The porcelain factory at Meissen, Germany, which was the birthplace of Western porcelain, recently celebrated its 300th anniversary. This exhibition, which is planned with the full cooperation of the Museum of MEISSEN Art, MEISSEN Manufactory, explores all aspects of Meissen’s history, looking at the styles and genres of ceramics made in all periods – from its beginnings in the 18th century to its work satisfying the luxurious tastes of the noble classes, its participation in international expositions, the age of Modernism and the present. The exhibition includes a great variety of Meissen ceramics, thereby conveying their full complexity and splendor.

Tsutaya Jūzaburo
-Publisher who Discovered Utamaro and Sharaku
Wednesday (holiday) 3 November to Sunday 19 December 2010

Tsutaya Jūzaburo, often called "Tsuta-jū," was the renowned publisher who discovered and developed Utamaro and Sharaku. Focusing on Tsutaya, this exhibition introduces works by the cultural and artistic talents who gathered around him, including Utamaro, Sharaku, Kyōden, and Nampo. Tsutaya cultivated friends and contacts in the Edo-Yoshiwara and Shibaimachi areas, and became very knowledgeable of these districts. Examples of Tsutaya publications exhibited here include works set in Edo-Yoshiwara and Shibaimachi, kyōka-ehon (illustrated books of humorous poem) that used his networks in Yoshiwara, Utamaro's bijinga (pictures of beautiful women), and Sharaku's yakusha-e (prints depicting actors). Through these exhibits, the exhibition also explicates some of the cultural networks involved in the two red-light districts.

Nabeshima Ware-Designs that Inspire Pride
Wednesday 11 August to Monday (holiday) 11 October 2010

Nabeshima ware was first made in the second half of the 17th century at Hizen in Saga prefecture, and production of high quality tableware continued throughout the Edo period. The products were used by the feudal lord, notably for purposes such as presentation to the Tokugawa shogun and as gifts. As befits ceramics produced for such sophisticated purposes, the designs on Nabeshima ware were refined and distinctively Japanese. Tracing the history of Nabeshima by examining a series of some of the most outstanding ceramics produced, this exhibition highlights the beauty of their design.

Elegance and Esprit Noh and Kyōgen Masterpieces
from the National Noh Theatre Collection
Saturday 12 June to Sunday 25 July 2010

The National Noh Theatre, which opened in 1983, has built up a collection of some 400 significant items relating to Noh and Kyōgen plays. From this collection, the exhibition presents a careful selection of Noh and Kyōgen masks, costumes, musical instruments, scores, and paintings, spanning a range of six centuries from the Muromachi period to the present day. Together, they present an opportunity to compare the elegant beauty ("yūgen") of Noh with the contrasting wittiness that makes Kyōgen such a delight.

Japanese glass-Stylish vessels, playful shapes
Saturday 27 March to Sunday 23 May 2010

Glass vessels made their appearance in Japanese daily life a little after the middle of the 17th century. Glass is transparent, but resonates with the light it lets through, giving glass vessels a unique, slightly mysterious, essence not found in other materials. Both lightweight and robust, glass soon became the stylish choice for lifestyle aficionados of the day. Wa-glass (Japanese glass) was particularly attractive, and gained a solid popularity. This exhibition demonstrates how this glassware penetrated into the many corners of everyday lives.

Arts for Japanese Hospitality from the Suntory Museum of Art Collection
Wednesday 27 January to Sunday 14 March 2010

When you invite guests, you make the effort to do something special that differs from your everyday approach. That desire to take special care of your guests-that spirit of hospitality-becomes visible in the form of beauty. This exhibition examines examples of the beauty that has emerged from the hospitality associated with annual events and festivals, and of the tools used for entertaining when hosting tea ceremonies or serving meals. It provides a deep and thought-provoking look into the esthetics that have developed from Japan's spirit of hospitality.