Gotoh Museum


The Gotoh Museum is a private museum in the Kaminoge district of Setagaya on the southwest periphery of Tokyo, Japan. It was opened in 1960, displaying the private collection of Keita Gotō, chairman of the Tokyu Group. Today's collection is centered on the original selection of classical Japanese and Chinese art, such as paintings, writings, crafts, and archaeological objects, completed by a small selection of Korean art. It features several objects designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. The exhibition changes several times each year with special openings in spring and fall.
The museum also comprises a garden with a tea house, ponds, and Buddhist statues.

Highlights of the collection

Genji Monogatari Emaki

Some of the most important items housed in the museum are sections of the oldest extant illustrated handscroll of The Tale of Genji dating to the 12th century. This Genji Monogatari Emaki used to be the property of the Hachisuka family. The fragments cover chapters 38, 39 and 40 of the novel.
  • The Bell Cricket 1: one illustration, two pages of text
  • The Bell Cricket 2: one illustration, two pages of text
  • Evening Mist: one illustration, two pages of text
  • Rites: one illustration, three pages of text
The fragments are very fragile and are listed as National Treasure. They are displayed in the Gotoh Museum every year for about a week in April/May around the Golden Week holidays. More scrolls are housed in the Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya.

Murasaki Shikibu Diary Emaki

Another important item and National Treasure of the museum collection is a set of 13th-century fragments from a handscroll of the Murasaki Shikibu Diary with illustrations. Three illustrations and three pages of text are housed in the museum. The items are displayed in the Gotoh Museum every year for about a week in autumn. More fragments are housed in the Fujita Art Museum in Osaka.

Publications

The museum has published a number of books about its collection and special exhibitions, including the following:
  • Masterpieces of Ink Painting from the Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
  • Genre Painting and Woodblock Prints: Masterpieces from the MOA Museum of Art, A Travelling exhibition celebrating the museum’s 15th anniversary
  • Selected Works from the Gotoh Museum: Paintings and Calligraphy
  • In the Eyes of Taste: Mukozuke Dishes for the Cuisine of Tea
  • The 50th Anniversary Exhibition: The Illustrated Handscroll of the Tale of Genji
  • Chasing Crazy Clouds: Person and Persona in the Art of IKKYU
  • Jeweled Odyssey: Foundation and florescence in the Asian Enamel Arts
  • The Beauty Between: East Asian Arts in an Age of Transformation, 16th-17th Centuries
  • ''From Clay to Crystal: Masterworks of Ceramics and Glass from the Machida City Museum''