Tiger-shaped
Bronze You (wine vase) from Shang dynasty
Sen-Oku
Hakukokan Museum
On March 26, 2022, the exhibition Bronze Age of Ancient China opens at Sen-Oku Hakukokan Museum, Kyoto, Japan. The exhibition displays 133 pieces (sets) of exhibits to introduce bronzeware from ancient China and its artistic values to the audience. The most valuable items in the exhibition includes a colossal bronze drum themed on a Chinese mythical creature named Kui with Tao-tie and bird design and a tiger-shaped bronze You (wine vase) holding a human figure from the Shang dynasty, an eight-arched bronze mirror with design of a deity and a hare in the moon from the Tang dynasty, as well as an animal shaped bronze wine vessel from the Northern Song dynasty.
The exhibition is divided into four parts. "Ancient Beauty: A Selection of Bronze Masterpieces" introduces the invaluable and well-shaped bronze collections from the Sumitomo family; "Luxurious Utensil: Types and Uses of Bronzeware" demonstrates different categories of ritual bronzeware; "Decorative Motifs and Chinese Legendary Tales" explains the meanings behind the patterns of ritual bronzeware and bronze mirrors; and "Development of Bronze Culture" introduces the evolution of bronze mirrors after the Qin and Han dynasties. The Sen-Oku Hakukokan Museum houses the Sumitomo family collection, including many categories. The main collections of the museum are Chinese bronzeware, famous for the ritual bronzeware from the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Source: Global Times, Sen-Oku Hakukokan Museum