Traditions of Japanese Art highlights distinct aspects of arts and culture cultivated in Japan through more than fifty objects of wide-ranging media from the museum’s permanent collection. Those works created in the last 1,300 years embody people’s spiritual practices and active engagements with theaters and the natural world. They also present how visual art traditions emerged and evolved through the people’s interactions domestically and globally. Light-sensitive objects, including works on paper and textiles, are rotated throughout the year.

Organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Generous support provided by The Japan Foundation.

Header image:
Scenes of the Twelve Months (detail), 年中行事図屏風, Japanese, Second half of the 17th century. Six-panel screen (right of a pair); ink, color and gold on paper, 42 3/4 inches x 8 feet 4 inches. Gift of John W. Gruber in honor of Laurence Sickman, F84-89/3-4.