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Japanese Art
Contributions from many of America's most important 19th- and 20th-century collectors of Japanese art illuminate the varied art and culture of Japan. Originating with the museum's inception in 1799, the collection contains many works considered rare even in Japan, with the late Edo- and Meiji-period collection ranking among the finest in the world.
Explore some highlights from the collection

Attributed to Hasegawa school, Kyoto. Six-panel screen with wisteria, brushwood, and clouds. Edo period, early 17th century. Ink, color, gold, and silver on paper. Museum purchase, 2001. E301679.A

Artist not identified, Japan. Hinoki wood, gold leaf, crystal. Gift of William Sturgis Bigelow. Accession Number: E18195

Artist not identified, Japan. Wood, lacquer, gilded brass, textile, paper, pigments, gold leaf, plant fiber. Museum Purchase. Accession Number: E37812

Japanese Artist. Japan. Paper, pigment. Gift of Captain Henry King. E6540

Japan. Silk, metallic thread. Japan. 62 inches (157.48 cm). Gift of Mrs. Albert J. Beveridge, 1962. 130323.A. © Dennis Helmar

Paper, pigment, gilding, lacquer, wood. Japan. 67 11/16 x 149 3/16 inches (172 x 379 cm). 2000 E300511

Japanese artist. Wood, straw, velvet, laquer. Japan. 9 1/2 x 6 x 8 1/2 inches (24.13 x 15.24 x 21.59 cm). E6463

Ogata Kenzan, designer. Earthenware. 4 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 1 inches (10.8 x 19 x 2.6 cm). Gift of Dr. Charles Goddard Weld, 1910. E29960

Naito Toyomasa (Japanese, 1773–1856). Ivory. Japan. 1 3/8 inches (3.493 cm). Gift of E.G. Stillman, 1947. E26721

Japanese artist. Wood, pigment, horsehair. Shirayama Gongen Shrine, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. Gift of T.W. Thorndike, 1912. E16155