From Hara Museum ARC, Gunma
The Important Cultural Property Female Passing through a Reed Portiere is being exhibited for first time since the completion of its two-year restoration.
Female passing through a reed portiere (Important Cultural Property), Edo period, 17th century
This work is a valuable example from the Kanbun era (1661-72), a transition period that gave rise to a new representation of feminine beauty focused on a single standing figure, a development that would lead to the many paintings of beautiful women created during the Edo period.
In the picture, a little dog is followed by a beautiful woman who emerges from behind a reed curtain. Her lips are painted red and her teeth are blackened. The woman’s red-painted nails on her hands and feet identify her as a courtesan. The left side of the screen was altered at a later date by the addition of a bamboo blind, thought to be an evocation of the Heian court and the scene of Kashiwagi and Onna San no Miya from Wakana, Chapter 34 of The Tale of Genji. This blind, which some believe replaced the figure of another person, shifts the viewer’s eyes to the single female figure. This image of a courtesan, who is used as a metaphor for Onna San no Miya, points to a transition that led to the idealized feminine beauty that appeared later in paintings of beautiful women, and to a reorientation of the viewer’s gaze towards the female figure that is depicted. The screen is also indicative of 17th century fashion, which we see in the woman’s hairstyle (known as the tatehyogo style), the way the sleeves of her kimono (naginata sode) are shaped and embroidered, and the width of her obi.
In addition to the newly restored screen, this exhibition showcases the female visage and its various expressions. This common thread connects the various works from the Hara Rokuro Collection of traditional East Asian art, along with an example of a more modern visage from the Hara Museum Collection of contemporary art. We invite you to enjoy the beauty that they embody and the dialog that they engage in which transcends time and place.
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Beautiful Visages– Featuring the Important Cultural Property Female passing through a reed portiere
September 17 (Sat.) – October 26 (Wed.), 2011
Place: Hara Museum ARC Kankai Pavilion (traditional East Asian art)
Hours: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm *last entry 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Thursdays during the exhibition period
*Subject to temporary closure during severe weather.
Admission: General (over 12) 1,000 yen; children (over 3) 500 yen; 10% discount for a group of 20 or more.
*Children must be accompanied by an adult
**Combination ticket for Hara Museum ARC and Ikaho Green Bokujo ranch: General 1,800 yen; Children 900 yen
Getting There: By train: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki, change to the Joestu Line, and disembark at Shibukawa. From Shibukawa, ARC is 10 minutes away by taxi or 15 minutes by bus (take the Ikaho Onsen bus to “Green Bokujo Mae”). By car: 8 kilometers (about 15 minutes) from the Kan-etsu Expressway Shibukawa Ikaho Interchange (in the direction of Ikaho Onsen).
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ACCESS
By Train
By JR Joetsu・Nagano Shinkansen
Recommended timetable
・10:12 Depart Tokyo Station→11:01 Arrive at Takasaki Station/ 11:11Depart Takasaki Satation→11:35 Arrive at Shibukawa Station
・11:12 Depart Tokyo Station→12:03 Arrive at Takasaki Station/ 12:20 Depart Takasaki Satation→12:44 Arrive at Shibukawa Station
・12:24 Depart Tokyo Station→13:14 Arrive at Takasaki Station/ 13:31 Depart Takasaki Satation→13:56 Arrive at Shibukawa Station
By JR Joetsu Limited Express Kusatsu
・ 9:00 Depart Ueno Station→10:37 Arrive at Shibukawa Station (No.31 ; operates only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays)
・10:00 Depart Ueno Station→11:43 Arrive at Shibukawa Station (No.3 ; operates only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays)
・12:00 Depart Ueno Station→13:45 Arrive at Shibukawa Station (No. 5)
From Shibukawa Station, take the Kan-etsu Kotsu Bus and get off at the station “Green Bokujo Mae.” http://www.kan-etsu.net/r-bus/timetable/shibu-ikaho-1.htm (in Japanese only). ARC is about 7 minute walk from the bus station.
By Car
Take the Kan-etsu Expressway to Shibukawa Ikaho Interchange. Go in the direction of Ikaho Onsen for 8 km (about 15 min.) .
Highway information:
E-NEXCO Drive Plaza http://www.driveplaza.com/ (in Japanese only)
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