“Vibrant Ming Calligraphy” at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts Until December 20; 72 Works from the Ho Chuang Shih Collection Shown in Japan for the First Time

The special exhibition “Vibrant Ming Calligraphy: Treasures of the Ho Chuang Shih Collection, Taipei” is on view at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (in Tennoji Park, Tennoji Ward, Osaka) until Sunday, December 20, 2026. It opened on Friday, October 9. It shows 82 works, mainly calligraphy from the mid-Ming dynasty to the late Ming and early Qing, from the collection of the Ho Chuang Shih Calligraphy Foundation in Taipei, and according to the museum, 72 of them are being shown in Japan for the first time. Osaka is the only venue, and there are no changes of exhibits during the run. Admission is 2,000 yen for adults.

Why Ming calligraphy now? The roots of Edo-period “karayo” and Obaku calligraphy

The Ho Chuang Shih Calligraphy Foundation was established in Taipei in 1995 by its chairman, Ho Kuo-ching, who named it after his father. Centered on calligraphy of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it holds more than 2,500 works of calligraphy and painting by more than 2,000 artists, including works by Wang Yangming, Xu Wei, Wang Duo, Zhang Ruitu, Huang Daozhou and Ni Yuanlu. It runs an exhibition space, the “Chuang Shih Lecture Hall,” and an “Online Museum,” and also makes its holdings available for academic research.

The foundation marked its 30th anniversary in 2025. According to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, this is the first time the Ho Chuang Shih Collection has been introduced in Japan on this scale. It is also the foundation’s first large-scale exhibition of its Ming calligraphy and painting collection in Japan.

Ming calligraphy is also closely connected to Japanese calligraphy. In the Edo period, the styles of Zhu Yunming, Wen Zhengming and Wang Chong of the Wu (Suzhou) school and Zhang Bi and Dong Qichang of the Huating (Songjiang) school were favored, and Chinese-style “karayo” calligraphy became popular. Late Ming and early Qing calligraphy brought by Obaku monks attracted attention in the modern era for its bold, individual expression. According to the museum, it is still widely used as a model for kanji in calligraphy group shows and open-call exhibitions today.

The museum cites the diversification of scripts, materials and expression as a feature of Ming calligraphy. Larger hanging scrolls, known as “long vertical scrolls,” became popular, as did “continuous cursive,” in which many characters are linked together in cursive script. Calligraphy changed from an “art of the desk” to an “art of the wall,” the museum explains.

What can visitors see? Two chapters and major works

According to the list of works, the exhibition consists of two chapters. Chapter 1, “Urban Prosperity and Calligraphy and Painting of the Mid- to Late Ming” (23 works), features Zhu Yunming, Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, Wang Chong, Dong Qichang, Wang Yangming, Xu Wei and others. Chapter 2, “An Age of Upheaval: The Late Ming and Early Qing” (59 works), includes Wang Duo, Zhang Ruitu, Fu Shan, Huang Daozhou, Ni Yuanlu, Mi Wanzhong, Song Jue, Xu You and others. The names of Bada Shanren and Shitao also appear.

The main works introduced in press materials from the museum and the organizers are as follows. All are in the collection of the Ho Chuang Shih Calligraphy Foundation, Taipei.

• Zhu Yunming, “Five Essays on Silkworm Clothing in Cursive Script” (1522): A long handscroll by the Suzhou calligrapher, more than 8 meters long, in unconnected cursive (28 × 830 cm). First shown in Japan

• Wen Zhengming, “Tao Yuanming’s Poems on Drinking Wine in Running Script” (1555): Shows the mature hand of his later years; Wen Zhengming was at the center of Suzhou’s art world. First shown in Japan

• Wang Yangming, “Seven-Character Poem in Cursive Script” (1519): Cursive calligraphy by Wang Yangming, known as the founder of the Yangming school of thought. First shown in Japan

• Dong Qichang, “On Calligraphy, with a Copy of Wang Xizhi’s Seventeen Letters, in Cursive Script” (1607): A work by Dong Qichang, the central figure of the Huating school, in which his own theory of calligraphy sits alongside his copy of Wang Xizhi. First shown in Japan

• Zhang Ruitu, “Poem by Wang Shimao in Cursive Script” (16th–17th century): A work by Zhang Ruitu (165 × 47.5 cm)

• Wang Duo, “Copy of Wang Xizhi’s Yishi Letter” (17th century): A work in continuous cursive by Wang Duo, who served both the Ming and Qing dynasties (254 × 49 cm)

• Ni Yuanlu, “Poem by Li Shangyin in Running Script” (17th century), and Fu Shan, “Wild Writing After Drinking, in Cursive Script” (17th century): Calligraphy by Ni Yuanlu, who died for the Ming dynasty, and Fu Shan, a Ming loyalist who refused to serve the Qing

• Song Jue, “Eulogy on a Portrait of Heier in Clerical Script” (1617): Records an anecdote about his pet cat “Heier.” First shown in Japan

As highlights, the museum points to the gathering of hanging scroll works by late Ming and early Qing calligraphers such as Mi Wanzhong, Zhang Ruitu, Huang Daozhou, Wang Duo, Fu Shan and Xu You, in addition to works of the Wu and Huating schools.

Related events: a curator’s lecture and live calligraphy demonstrations

Following the one on Saturday, October 17, a lecture in which chief curator Takayuki Yumino explains the highlights will be held on Saturday, November 7, from 14:00 to 15:00. The venue is Jaorium on the 1st floor, with a capacity of 100 (first come, first served). Participation is free, but a same-day exhibition ticket is required. No advance registration is needed; numbered tickets are handed out from 13:30 on the day.

On Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, live calligraphy demonstrations will be held in the south gallery on the 2nd floor. According to the flyer, calligraphers of the Mainichi Calligraphy Association will write. Over the two days, nine calligraphers including Shisei Morimoto, Hokushin Fujino and Shinyo Kubota are scheduled to appear, with Hakuun Terada as host.

Times are 13:00–13:40 and 15:00–16:00 on the 21st, and 13:00–13:40 and 15:00–15:40 on the 22nd (all subject to change). Participation is free and no reservation is needed, but an exhibition ticket must be shown. Numbered tickets are handed out at the entrance to the demonstration venue from 45 minutes before each session, and the audience changes between sessions.

On weekdays in October, original stickers (not for sale) featuring the black cat “Heier” from the exhibited work “Eulogy on a Portrait of Heier in Clerical Script” are given to the first 100 visitors each day. Every day during the run, staff post a character chosen from the exhibited works as the “Character of the Day” on the museum’s official X account. The official catalogue (B4 size, 256 pages) costs 4,000 yen (tax included) and is sold at the special shop at the venue and on “Mainichi Shobo,” an online shop run by The Mainichi Newspapers.

Tickets and prices

Admission is 2,000 yen for adults, 1,200 yen for high school and university students and 500 yen for elementary and junior high school students (tax included). For groups of 20 or more, it is 1,800 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for high school and university students and 300 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Advance ticket sales ended on October 8.

No reservation is required. Same-day tickets are sold at the museum entrance from 9:30 to 16:30 on opening days. Tickets can be bought on the official online ticket site until 15:00 on Sunday, December 20, and from ticket agencies until 16:00 the same day.

Preschool children and holders of a disability certificate or similar (including one caregiver) are free (proof required). Osaka City residents aged 65 and over also pay the adult price. On the day of the visit only, the ticket also admits holders to the museum’s other themed exhibitions.

There is also a reciprocal discount with the Abeno Harukas Art Museum. Showing a ticket (stub accepted) for its “Andrew Wyeth Exhibition” (until December 6) at the ticket window gets 100 yen off a same-day ticket for this exhibition. Showing a ticket for this exhibition likewise gets 100 yen off a same-day ticket for the Wyeth exhibition. Each ticket can be used once only and cannot be combined with other discounts.

Opening hours, closed days and access

Opening hours are 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30). The museum is closed on Mondays; it opens on Monday, November 23 (a public holiday) and closes the next day, the 24th.

The museum is in Tennoji Park. The nearest stations are Tennoji Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji and Tanimachi lines and JR, Osaka-Abenobashi Station on the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line, and Tennoji-ekimae Station on the Hankai Tramway Uemachi Line. At Tennoji Station on the Tanimachi Line, use Exit 15, 16 or 17; the elevator is at the end of Exit 16, beyond the South Ticket Gate.

Editor’s perspective

According to the organizers, 72 of the 82 works are being shown in Japan for the first time, and Osaka is the only venue. It is an opportunity to see a substantial body of Ming calligraphy, which influenced Japanese calligraphy through Edo-period karayo and Obaku calligraphy.

The range of sizes is also worth noting. Zhu Yunming’s handscroll is more than 8 meters long, and Wang Duo’s “Copy of Wang Xizhi’s Yishi Letter” measures 254 × 49 cm. The shift in Ming calligraphy that the museum describes as a move from an “art of the desk” to an “art of the wall” can be seen in the very shapes of the works. At the live calligraphy demonstrations, visitors can also watch today’s calligraphers at work.

From February 6, 2027, the museum will also host “Maruyama Okyo: Beyond the Real – A Spatial Revolution,” which opens at the Edo-Tokyo Museum on November 28. Other exhibitions in the Kansai region are gathered in our guide to exhibitions in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hyogo.

Overview

Name: Special Exhibition “Vibrant Ming Calligraphy: Treasures of the Ho Chuang Shih Collection, Taipei”
Dates: Friday, October 9 – Sunday, December 20, 2026 (no changes of exhibits during the run)
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (open on October 12 and November 23), October 13, November 24
Venue: Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts
Address: 1-82 Chausuyama-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka (in Tennoji Park)
Admission: Adults 2,000 yen, high school and university students 1,200 yen, elementary and junior high school students 500 yen (groups of 20 or more: adults 1,800 yen, high school and university students 1,000 yen, elementary and junior high school students 300 yen). Free for preschool children and holders of a disability certificate or similar (including one caregiver) (proof required). No reservation required
Organizers: Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, The Mainichi Newspapers, NHK Enterprises Kinki
Special cooperation: Ho Chuang Shih Calligraphy Foundation, Taipei
Support: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau
Official website: https://www.osaka-art-museum.jp/special_exhibition/mindai
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: “Five Essays on Silkworm Clothing in Cursive Script” (detail), Ming dynasty, Jiajing 1 (1522) (from a press release by Osaka City Museums)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (Osaka City Museums) (June 3, August 6 and September 16, 2026) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team