In 2014, the National Palace Museum (NPM), the Tokyo National Museum, and the Kyushu National Museum co-hosted a special exhibition entitled Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The joint efforts of the museums attracted a historical number of visitors, where the two Japanese museums combined for a total of nearly 800,000 visitors. Such a result served as a perfect example of the successful international exchanges between Taiwanese and Japanese museums.
This year, the Tokyo National Museum, the Kyushu National Museum, and the NPM will once again co-host a special exhibition together. The exhibition, entitled Japanese Art at Its Finest: Masterpieces from The Tokyo and Kyushu National Museums, is the exchange exhibition of the Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum special exhibition and features 151 artifact masterpieces found in the collection of the two Japanese museums. The said artifacts include Japanese paintings, private and circulated copies of Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, lacquerwares, and screens. Of the 151 artifacts, 68 are important national cultural and art treasures of Japan; the 151 artifacts were made during periods that spanned from the prehistoric Jōmon period to the Taishō period, making them an epitome of the history of Japanese culture and the annual exhibition one that Japanese culture fans will surely not want to miss.
Japan, located on the east side of the Eurasian Plate and facing the Pacific Ocean, enjoys a geographical location that enables it to engage in exchanges with numerous Asian countries. Such exchanges have subsequently contributed to Japan's unique and diversified culture. This exhibition catalogue contains six sections, which are "Worship and Life," "Imperial Power and Buddhism," "Realms of Aristocracy," "Culture of the Samurai," "Formation of the Urban Class," and "Tradition and Innovation." Each section introduces representative cultural artifacts, allowing readers to examine Japan's rich and colorful national treasures from a wide range of perspectives.
In addition, this exhibition catalogue features monographs written by a number of scholars, including "The History of Japanese Paintings" (written by Tazawa Hiroyoshi, the Tokyo National Museum), "The History of Japanese Crafts: Understanding Artifacts Exhibited at the Japanese Art at Its Finest: Masterpieces from The Tokyo and Kyushu National Museums Special Exhibition" (written by Takeuchi Namiko, the Tokyo National Museum), "The Development of Buddhist Art in Japan" (written by Takashi Kusui, the Kyushu National Museum), and "The 'Bakohan' Bowl and Others" (written by Xie Ming-liang, National Taiwan University). Such monographs will transmit knowledge pertaining to the Japanese art showcased at this special exhibition, allow readers to gain insight into Japan's cultural art development spanning five thousand years, and serve as a record of the precious exchanges between the Taiwanese and Japanese museums.