Marubeni Corporation (“Marubeni”) is pleased to announce that the upcoming Marubeni exhibition “HAMANO Toshihiro: Harmony of Tradition and Modernity—The Illustrated Life of Prince Shotoku and New Works” will be held from September 12 to October 14, 2023. This exhibition will feature The Illustrated Life of Prince Shotoku—a work created as an art project by artist Hamano Toshihiro to commemorate the completion of Kyuwaden, the new hall at Chugu-ji, a temple in Nara with noted connections to Prince Shotoku—as well as a selection of the artist’s newest works.

Taking Hamano Toshihiro fifteen years to complete, The Illustrated Life of Prince Shotoku is a 36-meter-long folding screen that depicts in exquisite and gorgeous detail the life of the prince against a painted background of flowers and plants representing spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The work has been extremely well received in international exhibitions, having been featured at the Nantes History Museum in the Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) in 2021 to mark the 1400th anniversary of Prince Shotoku’s death, and at the Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris in 2022. The Marubeni Gallery exhibition will specifically feature the parts of the screen depicting spring and summer, as well as a selection of Hamano Toshihiro’s most recent works, including pieces from the Tea Room series and the Katsura Imperial Villa series.

Exhibition Details:

Dates:	Tuesday, September 12 to Saturday, October 14, 2023
Hours:	10 am to 5 pm (Last admission: 4:30 pm)
Closed:	Sundays and public holidays Note: Also closed whenever the Marubeni Building is closed. Please check the Marubeni Gallery website for details.
Admission:	General admission: 500 yen All proceeds from general admission sales will be donated to the Marubeni Foundation. Note: Admission is free for the following groups. ・ Children under 18 and 18/19-year-old senior high school students (with student ID) ・ Visitors with an official disability certificate, plus one accompanying caregiver ・ Visitors wearing a kimono, yukata, or other traditional Japanese attire

About the Marubeni Gallery:
Designed under the concept of “a space where the aesthetics of the East and West in ancient and modern times resonate with each other,” the Marubeni Gallery is a facility where Marubeni’s art collection is on display to the public. Marubeni’s art collection consists of the three main categories: textiles, designs for textiles, and paintings. Since its founding in 1858, Marubeni has pursued the aesthetic beauty of Japan through its textile business. This resulted in the collection and preservation of ancient textile products (such as kimono, obi, and silk gift-wrapping cloth) and designs primarily from the 17th to mid-19th centuries—the first and second pillars of the collection. Gaining contacts in the art world through this pursuit of textile designs, Marubeni also acquired modern Japanese paintings through art dealers or from the artists themselves. Later, in the 1960s and 70s, Marubeni expanded into the international art business, acquiring Western paintings as well. Together, these Japanese and Western paintings form the third pillar of the collection. Today, the Marubeni Gallery features rotating exhibitions to share this collection, the history of Marubeni, and the aesthetic beauty of both East and West with the public.

Official Website: https://www.marubeni.com/gallery/en/
Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/marubeni_gallery_official

Future Exhibits (Tentative Titles/Details):
1. The Tale of Genji—The Beauty of a Court Lady’s Attire, Reborn (December 1 to 28, 2023) 
2. Kosode Reproduced from a Fabric Fragment with an Ink Inscription: “Order Received from Fushimi-dono” (January 23 to February 22, 2024)