Bigelow Exhibition Opens October 30 at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art; Kano Hogai’s “Merciful Mother Kannon” Shown Only December 1–13

“Bigelow, a Lost Collection and the Dawn of Modern Nihonga – A Bostonian Captivated by Japanese Art” opened at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art (Higashi-ku, Nagoya) on Friday, October 30. The exhibition marks 100 years since the death of William Bigelow (1850–1926), who laid the foundation of the Japanese art collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and runs until Sunday, December 13. About 100 works are shown in each of the first and second periods, including works from his former collection, centered on ukiyo-e paintings that returned to Japan in the early Showa era, and works by painters associated with the Kangakai, which Bigelow supported.

Who was William Bigelow? A Bostonian who collected more than 40,000 works of Japanese art

The Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art introduces Bigelow as a supporter of Meiji-era nihonga and a great collector who laid the foundation of the Japanese art collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Japanese art and craft works he collected number more than 40,000.

Bigelow received the Buddhist precepts together with Fenollosa at Homyoin, a subtemple of Onjoji (Otsu), and embraced Buddhism. In accordance with his will, he rests beside Fenollosa in the Homyoin cemetery. He also made a donation when Hashimoto Gaho, Yokoyama Taikan, Hishida Shunso, Shimomura Kanzan and others, led by Okakura Tenshin, founded the Japan Art Institute.

Why see it now? A “lost collection” that returned to Japan in the early Showa era

Part of the collection Bigelow took back to the United States returned to Japan in the early Showa era and was put up for auction. The exhibition brings together again, as a “lost collection,” works formerly owned by Bigelow, centered on ukiyo-e paintings that once crossed to the United States and came back to Japan.

There are also ties to Nagoya. Hashimoto Gaho’s “Autumn Landscape,” formerly in the Bigelow Collection, is now owned by the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art. The exhibition also presents many works by Maeda Kinpu, a pupil of Kano Hogai and Hashimoto Gaho, both supported by Bigelow, who married into the Maeda Sokunenji temple in Nagoya and devoted herself to painting there.

Highlights: Bigelow seen through four themes

The exhibition is organized around four themes. “Bigelow, Collector of Japanese Art” introduces what kinds of Japanese art Bigelow favored through ukiyo-e paintings and works of the Maruyama-Shijo school. Works such as Kitagawa Utamaro’s “Courtesan and Kamuro” (Kansei era, Josai University Mizuta Museum of Art, first period) are on display.

“Bigelow, Supporter of Nihonga” takes up the Kangakai, an art society that Bigelow supported and Fenollosa guided. Kano Hogai, Hashimoto Gaho and others sought to create a “nihonga” suited to the new era, for example by incorporating Western techniques into traditional Japanese painting. Hogai’s Important Cultural Properties “Merciful Mother Kannon” (1888, Tokyo University of the Arts) and “Fudo Myoo” (1887, same, first period) are also exhibited.

“Maeda Kinpu, Active in Nagoya” shows Kinpu’s “Swallows over a Lotus Pond” (c. 1893) and “Hydrangeas” (1887–96) throughout the exhibition (both Maeda Sokunenji). The museum introduces Kinpu as the only woman painter active in the Kangakai. Her outstanding designs received the “Bigelow Prize,” established by the Kangakai.

“Bigelow, Buddhist” presents fusuma paintings and materials associated with Homyoin of Onjoji. Homyoin still holds fusuma paintings by Tsurusawa Tansaku and Ike no Taiga, paintings donated by Fenollosa, and a globe and telescope given by Bigelow. Tsurusawa Tansaku’s “Flock of Cranes” (18th century) and a “Portrait Photograph of Bigelow” (Meiji era, both Onjoji Homyoin) are on display throughout.

Tickets, prices and access

Same-day tickets cost 1,900 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for university students and 800 yen for high school students; junior high school students and younger are free. Regular advance tickets cost 1,700 yen for adults, 800 yen for university students and 600 yen for high school students and are on sale until Thursday, October 29. Groups of 20 or more are admitted at the regular advance price.

Advance tickets are available through Boo-Woo Ticket, Lawson Ticket (L-code 41857), Ticket Pia (P-code 687-494), Seven Ticket, e+, ARTPASS and others. Holders of a physical disability certificate or similar and one companion are admitted free (show the certificate on the day; Mirairo ID also accepted). During the exhibition, the ticket also gives access to the museum’s collection exhibition.

Opening hours are 10:00 to 17:00, and until 20:00 on Fridays (last entry 30 minutes before closing). During the exhibition, the museum is closed on Mondays, November 2, November 16, November 30 and December 7. The venue is on the 10th floor of the Aichi Arts Center, about a 5-minute walk from Sakae Station, which can be reached on the subway Higashiyama Line from Nagoya Station or the subway Meijo Line from Kanayama Station.

Frequently asked questions

When can I see “Merciful Mother Kannon”?

Kano Hogai’s Important Cultural Property “Merciful Mother Kannon” (Tokyo University of the Arts) is on display only from Tuesday, December 1 to Sunday, December 13, within the second period. Hogai’s “Fudo Myoo,” also an Important Cultural Property, is shown in the first period (October 30 to November 15).

How much does the display change between the first and second periods?

About 100 works are shown in each of the first period (October 30 to November 15) and the second period (November 17 to December 13). About 30 of them are shown only in one period, and 8 have scene changes.

Are there lectures or talks?

A series of commemorative lectures co-organized with the Japan Fenollosa Society will be held on Saturdays, November 7, 14, 21 and 28, from 13:30 to 15:00. In the first, Hitomi Inoue (professor, Aichi Gakuin University; planning cooperation for the exhibition) will speak on “Bigelow, Trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: The Founding and Development of the Department of Japanese Art.” The fourth is “The Kangakai: The Starting Point of Modern Nihonga” by Michinobu Sato (professor emeritus, Tokyo University of the Arts).

The second lecture will be given by Toshihiko Fuke, chief abbot of Onjoji (Miidera), the head temple of its school, and the third by museum curator Mika Iwama. The venue is Art Space A on the 12th floor of the Aichi Arts Center; each lecture has 180 seats, is free and requires no advance registration. Slide talks by curators are also held at the same venue on Thursday, November 5, from 11:00 to 11:40 and on Friday, December 11, from 18:30 to 19:10.

Is there a catalogue?

The official catalogue (planned) is published by Fubaisha, B5 format, 260 pages, 3,080 yen (tax included). It includes color illustrations of all the exhibited works, along with commentaries, essays and columns.

Editor’s perspective

The exhibition presents Bigelow not only as a collector but from several angles, as a supporter of nihonga and as a Buddhist. It can be seen as an attempt to trace the provenance of Japanese art that went abroad through a portrait of the person who collected it.

At the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, “Sekai no Kotowari: Art of Our Time” is scheduled to open on Friday, January 29, 2027. Autumn and winter events in Nagoya, Aichi and the Tokai region are compiled in our [Autumn/Winter 2026] Art and Light Events in Nagoya, Aichi, Gifu and Mie.

Overview

Name: 100 Years After His Death: Bigelow, a Lost Collection and the Dawn of Modern Nihonga – A Bostonian Captivated by Japanese Art
Dates: Friday, October 30 – Sunday, December 13, 2026 (first period: until Sunday, November 15; second period: from Tuesday, November 17)
Hours: 10:00–17:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Monday, November 2; Monday, November 16; Monday, November 30; Monday, December 7
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art (Aichi Arts Center 10F)
Address: 1-13-2 Higashisakura, Higashi-ku, Nagoya
Admission: Adults 1,900 yen, university students 1,000 yen, high school students 800 yen, free for junior high school students and younger (regular advance tickets: adults 1,700 yen, university students 800 yen, high school students 600 yen)
Organizers: Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, The Chunichi Shimbun
Co-organizer: NHK Nagoya Station
Cooperation: Onjoji (Miidera), Japan Fenollosa Society
Official website: https://apmoa.museum/exhibition/bigelow
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Kano Hogai, “Merciful Mother Kannon,” 1888, Tokyo University of the Arts (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on information on the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art’s official website (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team