Collection
Japanese Art
PEM holds a remarkable array of objects from everyday life in 19th-century Japan.
PEM’s relationship with Japan extends back more than 200 years.
With significant holdings of everyday objects from life in 19th-century Japan complemented by examples of more traditional fine arts, the museum’s Japanese collection is distinguished by its range, from paintings and sculpture to decorative arts, costumes and textiles. Spanning Hokkaido in the North to Okinawa in the South, and prehistoric periods to the present, these objects illuminate the country's varied artistic and cultural traditions.
Until the end of the Edo period (1615–1868), the Dutch were the only European merchants permitted to trade with Japan. Between 1797 and 1807, however, the Dutch East India Company chartered twelve American ships to sail to the island nation. Among them, the Franklin and the Margaret set sail from Salem, reaching Nagasaki Harbor in 1799 and 1801. Ceramics and lacquer brought back on those early voyages were donated to the East India Marine Society. They are considered the earliest Japanese works to enter an American institution.
Highlights from this collection
ON VIEW
Helmet (kabuto) with design of a dragonfly, late 18th to early 19th century
On view in the Japanese Art Gallery.
ON VIEW
Surcoat (jinbaori), 18th century
On view in the Sean M. Healey Family Gallery of Asian Export Art.
Pumpkin (Akoda), 2008
Katsumata Chieko (b. 1950, Japan), Pumpkin (Akoda), 2008. Stoneware with matte glazes. Gift of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, 2015.42.5. Photo by Richard P. Goodbody.
Helmet (kabuto) with design of a dragonfly, late 18th to early 19th century
Terada Tadatoyo, Helmet (kabuto) with design of a dragonfly, late 18th to early 19th century. Lacquer and shell inlay. Gift of Dr. Charles Goddard Weld, 1904. E7559. Photo by Dennis Helmar.
On view in the Japanese Art Gallery.
The Bodhisattva Jizō, 1279
Artists in Japan, The Bodhisattva Jizō, 1279. Lacquered wood, gold leaf, pigments, copper alloy, and crystal. Gift of Dr. Charles Goddard Weld, 1909. E12068.1AB-.4AB.
On view in Powerful Figures.
Shop sign (kanban) advertising medicine for stomach pain, 19th century
Artists in Japan, Shop sign (kanban) advertising medicine for stomach pain, 19th century. Wood, lacquer, pigments, gold, and metal. Museum purchase, made possible by the R. C. Billings Fund, 1914. E15898.
Surcoat (jinbaori), 18th century
Artists in Japan, Surcoat (jinbaori), 18th century. Dutch gilt leather and wool, European-printed cotton lining, and silk trim. Museum purchase, made possible by an anonymous donor, 2007. E303608.
On view in the Sean M. Healey Family Gallery of Asian Export Art.
Noblewoman’s palanquin (onna norimono), 19th century
Artists in Japan, Noblewoman’s palanquin (onna norimono), 19th century. Wood, lacquer, gilded brass, silk, paper, pigments, gold leaf, and bamboo. Museum collection. E37812.
On view in the Japanese Art Gallery.
Rabbit netsuke, late 18th-early 19th century
Naito Toyomasa (1773–1856, Japan), Rabbit netsuke, late 18th-early 19th century. Ivory. Gift of Ernest Goodrich Stillman, 1947. E26721.
On view in the Japanese Art Gallery.
Six-panel screen depicting the arrival of a Portuguese ship for trade (nanban byōbu), early 17th century
Artists in Japan, Six-panel screen depicting the arrival of a Portuguese ship for trade (nanban byōbu), early 17th century. Ink, color and gold leaf on paper. Museum purchase, made possible by an anonymous donor, 1994. E200727.
Doll of a woman and child (iki ningyō), 1883
Artists in Japan, Doll of a woman and child (iki ningyō), 1883. Gesso over paper, wood, and vegetable fiber. Commissioned by Edward Sylvester Morse for PEM, 1883. E16310.B.
Kabuki robe (uchikake) with design of tortoise, crane, and pines, 1850–68
Artists in Japan, Kabuki robe (uchikake) with design of tortoise, crane, and pines, 1850–68. Wool, silk, cotton, gold-wrapped thread, and metals. Gift of Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow, 1921. E17983. Photo by Dennis Helmar.
Teacup and saucer, about 1801
Artists in Japan, Teacup and saucer, about 1801. Stoneware and lacquered wood. Gift of Captain Samuel G. Derby, 1803. E30279 and E30280.
On view in Japanomania! Japanese Art Goes Global.
Brazier in the form of a rabbit, 18th or 19th century
Artists in Japan, Brazier in the form of a rabbit, 18th or 19th century. Stoneware. Gift of Edward Sylvester Morse, 1900. E5798.
On view in Salem Stories.
Portrait of Edward Sylvester Morse, 1913
Frank Weston Benson (American, 1862–1951), Portrait of Edward Sylvester Morse, 1913. Oil on canvas. Gift of Edith Owen Robb, 1914. M4311.
On view in Salem Stories.
Dejima, the Dutch Trading Station at Nagasaki handscroll, about 1800
Artists in Nagasaki, Japan, Dejima, the Dutch Trading Station at Nagasaki handscroll, about 1800. Paint and ink on silk. Museum purchase, made possible by an anonymous donor, 1999. E300414.B.
Loans and acquisitions
PEM is committed to providing the broadest possible access to its collection through the loan of objects for educational and scholarly purposes. Learn how to request a loan from the museum’s collection.
Keep exploring
Exhibition
Japanese Art
Ongoing
Past Exhibition
Japanomania! Japanese Art Goes Global
March 31, 2018 to January 5, 2025
Blog
A craze for Japanese art
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Blog
An interconnected world
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