“Masterpieces of Buson, Goshun and the Tea Ceremony” at the Suntory Museum of Art Until November 8; 149 Works from the Itsuo Art Museum, Including 15 Important Cultural Properties

“Itsuo Art Museum Collection: Masterpieces of Buson, Goshun and the Tea Ceremony” was on view at the Suntory Museum of Art in Roppongi, Tokyo, until Sunday, November 8, 2026. The Itsuo Art Museum (Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture) was founded in 1957 and bears “Itsuo,” the art name of Ichizo Kobayashi (1873–1957), founder of the Hankyu Toho Group. From its collection of about 5,500 objects, 149 works (15 of them Important Cultural Properties), including old calligraphy, handscrolls, paintings by Yosa Buson and Goshun and tea utensils, were introduced in six chapters. Works were changed during the exhibition to protect them.

Who was Itsuo, Ichizo Kobayashi?

After working at Mitsui Bank, Ichizo Kobayashi built the Hankyu Toho Group, including Hankyu Railway, Hankyu Department Store and Toho. He was involved in founding the Takarazuka Revue, and before and after the war he served as Minister of Commerce and Industry and as Minister of State and President of the War Damage Rehabilitation Board. In the tea ceremony, he interacted with many people throughout his life as a modern sukisha (tea connoisseur).

According to the museum’s commentary, Itsuo was not bound by old traditions and set up a tea room with chairs. On his travels abroad he brought back Western ceramics and glassware and used them at tea gatherings as tea utensils in the spirit of mitate. He also proposed new forms of the tea ceremony, such as incorporating rice bowl dishes and Western food into kaiseki cuisine.

During his lifetime, Itsuo envisioned “One City, One Museum,” a plan to build art museums not only at the national level but also in small cities across the country. The Itsuo Art Museum was founded in accordance with his wishes.

The Suntory Museum of Art, which is holding this exhibition, opened in 1961 on the 9th floor of the Palace Hotel in Marunouchi, Tokyo. Itsuo’s second daughter, Haruko, married Kichitaro, the eldest son of Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii. The final chapter of the exhibition also introduces this relationship between the two museums. Hankyu Corporation and the Takarazuka Revue are listed as cooperators.

What can be seen? The six chapters and main works

Chapter 1, “Old Calligraphy and Sutra Scrolls,” and Chapter 2, “Medieval and Early Modern Painting and Crafts”

Chapter 1 presents fragments of old calligraphy and sutra scrolls from the Heian and Kamakura periods. The Important Cultural Property “Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (Satake Version): Fujiwara no Takamitsu” (painting attributed to Fujiwara no Nobuzane, calligraphy attributed to Gokyogoku Yoshitsune) has been on view since October 14. “Tsugi Shikishi,” attributed to Ono no Michikaze, the album of old calligraphy “Tanimizu-jo” and “Fragment of Volume 2 of the Golden Light Sutra on Paper with Ink Line Drawings (Menashi-kyo)” are also Important Cultural Properties.

Chapter 2 introduces works such as the Important Cultural Properties “Ashibiki-e” (with scroll changes) and “Toshiya Archery at Sanjusangendo” folding screens, and the Namban lacquerware “Western-style chest with bird-and-flower maki-e and mother-of-pearl inlay, with rattan outer chest.” The display of Kano Mitsunobu’s “Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi” (Important Cultural Property) ended on October 12.

Chapter 3, “Buson and Goshun: Paintings of the Early Modern Schools”

This is the core chapter of the exhibition. Yosa Buson (1716–1783) produced haiga (haiku paintings). The Important Cultural Property “Oku no Hosomichi Handscroll” (1779) is an illustrated copy of Matsuo Basho’s “The Narrow Road to the Deep North.” The scrolls will be changed during the exhibition.

Goshun (1752–1811) was a pupil of Buson and, after Buson’s death, came to paint under Maruyama Okyo. He reportedly lived for a time in Ikeda, where the Itsuo Art Museum is located. The Important Cultural Property “White Plum Blossoms” (pair of six-fold screens, on view throughout) depicts white plum blossoms against an indigo-dyed background. The museum says the picture brings to mind Buson’s death poem, which speaks of nights that now dawn only into white plum blossoms.

Since October 14, Buson’s “Flower Viewing, Haiku with Painting” and Nagasawa Rosetsu’s “Puppies in Falling Snow” have also been on view. Works on display also include Goshun’s “Carp Swimming Beneath Pines” and “Peacock on a Rock,” and works by the Maruyama-Shijo school and Edo painters are also introduced.

Chapter 4, “Itsuo’s Tea Utensils,” to Chapter 6

Chapter 4 introduces the utensils that Itsuo chose and used at tea gatherings in the course of his friendships with Yasuzaemon Matsunaga (Jian), Keita Goto (Kokyoro) and others. A “Wucai yobitsugi tea bowl with lotus design, named ‘Iemitsu-ko’ by Itsuo” (on view throughout), which Itsuo named himself, is also on display. Mitate utensils include a Sèvres “Jar with bird-and-flower design in gold on a red ground (used as a water jar)” and an Italian “Small green glass jar with floral design (used as a tea caddy)” (on view throughout). The list of works also includes Raku Chojiro’s black Raku cylindrical tea bowl named “Oimatsu” by Seisai and Hon’ami Koetsu’s “Black Tea Bowl.”

Chapter 5, “Modern Artists and Itsuo,” conveys how Itsuo found appeal in new works by contemporary painters and craftspeople and supported their creation. “Hachiman Bell,” which he bought from Kiyokata Kaburaki around 1901 while working at Mitsui Bank, is also on display. Ryosai Misago’s “Natsume tea caddy with maki-e of the Takarazuka Revue Doll Festival score on a black ground, Itsuo’s preference” (1933, on view throughout) is a utensil Itsuo had made for a tea gathering commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Takarazuka Revue.

Chapter 6, “Meiji, Taisho, Showa: The Life of Itsuo Ichizo Kobayashi,” traces the philosophy of the Takarazuka Revue and the “One City, One Museum” concept. Ichizo Kobayashi’s framed calligraphy “Art upon Art” (1952) is on view throughout.

Display changes, tickets and prices

The list of works divides the display periods into four: September 16–28, September 30 – October 12, October 14–26 and October 28 – November 8. As some works change on October 28, check the display periods of the works you want to see in the list of works (PDF) on the official website.

Admission (on the day) is 1,700 yen for adults, 1,200 yen for university students and 1,000 yen for high school students; advance ticket sales ended on September 15. Junior high school students and younger are free, and holders of a disability certificate and one caregiver are admitted free. Showing a ticket for a special exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo or the Mori Art Museum gives 100 yen off (the “Atoro discount”), and groups of 20 or more also receive 100 yen off. Discounts cannot be combined.

The audio guide costs 700 yen and is also available on the app “Kiku Bijutsu.” In this exhibition, photography is allowed in the galleries for some works only.

Evening openings, events and access

Opening hours are 10:00–18:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). The museum is open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturday, November 7, and until 21:00 on Saturday, October 31, in line with Roppongi Art Night. It is closed on Tuesdays but open until 18:00 on November 3. On October 31, during Roppongi Art Night 2026, an “Evening Tea Service” (paid, advance application, first come, first served) will be held from 17:30 to 20:30.

Exhibition lectures by curators will be held on Sunday, October 25 at 11:00 and 14:00 (about 40 minutes, no application required, high school students and older). Viewing guides by educators will be held on Saturdays, October 24 and November 7, at 11:00 and 14:00 (about 20 minutes, no application required).

The venue is on the 3rd floor of Tokyo Midtown Galleria. It is directly connected to Exit 8 of Roppongi Station on the Toei Oedo Line and connected via an underground passage to Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (with stairs along the way). It is about a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Nogizaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line. At 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, also in Tokyo Midtown, the exhibition “Learning from Hojoki” is on view.

Editor’s perspective

The exhibition is a showcase of masterpieces and, at the same time, an exhibition about how a modern businessman connected art and the tea ceremony with his business and daily life. A natsume tea caddy decorated with a Takarazuka Revue score and tea utensils chosen from Western vessels show those connections concretely. If you are interested in masterpieces of the tea ceremony, also see the Daitokuji exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum (until December 6). As for Okyo, under whom Goshun studied after Buson’s death, the Maruyama Okyo exhibition opens at the Edo-Tokyo Museum on November 28.

Overview

Name: Itsuo Art Museum Collection: Masterpieces of Buson, Goshun and the Tea Ceremony
Dates: Wednesday, September 16 – Sunday, November 8, 2026 (works are changed during the exhibition)
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturday, November 7, and until 21:00 on Saturday, October 31; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Tuesdays (open on November 3)
Venue: Suntory Museum of Art
Address: Tokyo Midtown Galleria 3F, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: Directly connected to Exit 8 of Roppongi Station on the Toei Oedo Line; directly connected via an underground passage to Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line; about a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Nogizaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line
Admission: Adults 1,700 yen, university students 1,200 yen, high school students 1,000 yen. Free for junior high school students and younger, and for holders of a disability certificate and one caregiver
Organizer: Suntory Museum of Art
Special cooperation: Hankyu Culture Foundation
Inquiries: 03-3479-8600
Official website: https://www.suntory.co.jp/sma/exhibition/2026_3/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Yosa Buson, “Fan Painting of a Scene from The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” c. 1780, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons)

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

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team