Afternoon of Japanese Art in Ueno

For this meetup, we will spend an afternoon in Ueno to check out following two exhibitions. 1. Japanese Treasures from the British Museum 2. Kukai and the Treasures of Shingon Buddhism **Meeting Time:** 2:00PM (14:00) **Meeting Spot:** Around the Park Exit of JR Ueno Station ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **First Exhibition** Japanese Treasures from the British Museum **Venue** Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum ([https://www.tobikan.jp/en/guide/index.html](https://www.tobikan.jp/en/guide/index.html)) **Admission Fee** ¥2,300 **Information about the Exhibition** "Founded in London, England in 1753, the British Museum is one of the world's great museums. Its collection of Japanese art is said to be one of the most comprehensive outside of Japan in quality as well as quantity. People’s enduring fascination with the culture of Japan, a foreign land far beyond the seas, has been the force driving the collection’s expansion since the late 19th century, when Japonisme became a craze. Connections built by collectors and curators that reached across borders and decades have been passed down to this day. This exhibition will showcase selected masterpieces from the British Museum’s some 40,000-piece Japanese collection with a focus on Edo-period paintings on folding screens (byobu), hanging scrolls (kakejiku), and handscrolls (emaki), as well as prints by eight renowned ukiyo-e artists including Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai, and Hiroshige. By also shedding light on recent research findings and the collection’s history, the exhibition will trace the British Museum’s role at the forefront of the collection, research, and conservation of Japanese art. It will, in this way, present opportunities to look back on the history of international cultural exchange and, at the same time, open a new dialogue between we who live today and Japanese art masterpieces in the care of the British Museum. " [from [the Museum Website](https://daiei-ten2026.exhibit.jp/english.html)] **Official Website** [https://daiei-ten2026.exhibit.jp/english.html](https://daiei-ten2026.exhibit.jp/english.html) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **Second Exhibition** Kukai and the Treasures of Shingon Buddhism **Venue** Tokyo National Museum ([https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=113](https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=113)) **Admission Fee** ¥2,300 **Information about the exhibition** "Kūkai (774–835) founded the Shingon school in Japan after studying a systematized form of esoteric Buddhist teachings in China under the monk Huiguo (746–805). The Shingon school has since grown to comprise over fifty sects and branches, which have continuously preserved Kūkai’s teachings for over 1,200 years. The special exhibition Kūkai and the Treasures of Shingon Buddhism is a belated celebration of the 1,250th anniversary of Kūkai’s birth—an event officially marked in 2023. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will trace the journey of Kūkai’s faith as it spread across a broad geographic region. They will further discover how his teachings and the many sacred treasures associated with him have survived to present day." [from [The museum website](https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=2760)] **Official Website** [https://tsumugu.yomiuri.co.jp/kukai2026/](https://tsumugu.yomiuri.co.jp/kukai2026/) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **Chat Session** We will take a coffee break between the first and second show to have a chat session.