Maschera da guerra

Collezione Edoardo Chiossone 1898 Genova - lascito testamentario

Myōchin, Yoshihiro

war mask

Jingasa

Menuki and kozuka

Ungyō

Collezione Edoardo Chiossone 1898 Genova - lascito testamentario

ambito giapponese

Japan, Edo period, 19th century

statue

Fudō Myō-ō, the immovable King of Wisdom

Collezione Edoardo Chiossone 1898 Genova - lascito testamentario

ambito giapponese

Kimura Shōgen Munenari, japan, Middle Edo Period (1673-1751)

- XVII-XVIII

B-1279

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 79.5

bronzo- fusione, doratura

Myō-ō are furious deities of Indian origin who were adopted into esoteric Buddhism to serve and protect the various Buddhas. Myō-ō always have a ferocious and threatening appearance, in order to subdue evil and frighten non-believers, until they embrace Buddhist law. They represent the wisdom of Buddhism, protect the Buddhist teachings, remove all obstacles to enlightenment, and force evil to surrender. In Japan, Fudō (不動) is the most revered among the Kings of Wisdom, especially by the Shingon cult of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. It represents the rage of Dainichi against evil and ignorance. Fudō Myō-ō was introduced to Japan in the ninth century, during the Heian period (794-1192), and since then many famous images have been made of him. Fudō Myō-ō (Sanskrit: Acala, the immovable), is the most important of the Five Kings of Wisdom or Light ( Myō-ō), that is, the five deities of Hindu origin who play the role of guardian kings and protectors of the faith in Mikkyō, the esoteric Buddhism introduced to Japan from China at the beginning of the ninth century. The figure of Fudō Myō-ō stands, by itself, with an expression of harsh ferocity, typical of the protective deities of dogma, surrounded by purifying flames. And, according to the usual iconography, he is equipped with a sankoken sword, a symbol of knowledge and submission, and a hilt in the shape of a three pointed vajra - lightning-diamond - (in our case the blade is missing but the hilt is clearly visible), and with a kensaku loop, with the dual purpose of immobilizing the enemies of the faith and keeping the believers from turning away from the right path.

Statuetta di Buddha Amida

Collezione Edoardo Chiossone 1898 Genova - lascito testamentario

Sculptor of the Shichijō atelier, Japan, Edo period, 17th century

B-1212

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 33.4

Giappone

bronzo- fusione, doratura

Buddhas who have achieved perfect enlightenment are called Nyorai (Sanskrit Tathāgata): among them is the Buddha Amida, venerated in the Pure Land Buddhist sect, here seated in the lotus meditation posture. The statue has close affinities with a work commissioned by Shōgun Tokugawa Ietsuna (1641-1680) by Kōjō, the twenty-fifth head of the Shichijō atelier, for the Kan'eijin temple in memory of his mother.

Mirror with four bosses, four animals and ten Buddhist deities, gift of Atsushi Saisho to Edoardo Chiossone,

Collezione Edoardo Chiossone 1898 Genova - lascito testamentario

ambito cinese

China or Japan, 5th - 6th century AD

- V-VI

B-546

Unità di misura: cm; Diametro: 24.2; Spessore: 0.9; Unità di misura: g

bronzo- fusione

In a written memorial dated November 1881, the General Director of the Printing Bureau of the new Ministry of Finance Polygraphic Institute, Tokunō Ryōsuke, direct superior of Edoardo Chiossone wrote regarding a pair of mirrors (almost identical) donated one to him and the other to Edoardo Chiossone by their mutual friend Saisho Atsushi as a sign of their friendship: "Since the most remote antiquity, mirrors have been considered treasures in our country. Since their intrinsic character is that of being pure, clear and spotless [...] it is exactly like a pure heart to which selfishness and falsehood are unknown [...] Mr. Edoardo Chiossone searches for antiquities with tireless courage, without letting himself be stopped by obstacles; he loves all ancient objects with unheard-of ardour; there is no other way to define him, except as an extraordinary man! One of my friends, Mr. Saisho Atsushi, kept multiple very old mirrors: two of them have the same motifs and figures. He gave one to me, and the other to Mr. Chiossone. I believe Mr. A. Saisho wanted to show our mutual affection and its eternal duration, like that of mirrors. I dare to hope that Mr. Chiossone will want to keep this mirror very precious. In front of this mirror, he will seem to see all three of us together; it would be something so pleasant! The mirror... represents four bosses, four divine animals and ten sacred characters executed in an impeccable manner. The registration is partially deleted, so it cannot be read completely. It's only been a few years since the mirror was unearthed. The metal is covered with a beautiful green patina, a palpable sign of antiquity. Moreover, it is impossible to establish the era from which it dates. 11th month of the 14th year Meiji (November 1881), Tokunō Ryōsuke".
From this memorial we learn how Chiossone was well introduced and respected in Japanese society both that, six years after his move to Japan, he had already begun strenuously to collect artworks and that many of his acquaintances and friends were involved in facilitating the gathering. From Tokunō's writing we also understand that the mirror was buried and that it only came to light after an excavation.
In Japan, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in fact, there were not only occasional excavations for the creation of plants and infrastructures, well inserted in the Meiji modernization perspective, which led to fortuitous finds but also to real archaeological excavations increased by the growing antiquarian and collector taste: this is probably the case of the gift mirrors of Saisho Atsushi, an imminent politician in charge, over time, of several Prefectures of Japan. An identical specimen, found at the Kongōrin-ji temple in Ōsaka, is kept in the Kyōto National Museum and is on the Japanese national list of Important Cultural Heritage (jūyō bunkazai). These ritual mirrors, whose reflective side is obtained by polishing the bronze (opposite the visible side) are usually decorated with Taoist motifs: our specimen features a rare combination of Taoist decorative motifs and Buddhist figures.   Bronze mirror of ritual use from an unknown archaeological context, with four ashlars, four animals and ten Buddhist deities. The reflective side, opposite to the decorated side, is obtained by polishing the bronze.

Bronze ritual bell

Collezione Edoardo Chiossone 1898 Genova - lascito testamentario

ambito giapponese

Japan, Yayoi Period, 100 b.C. - 100 a.C.

bell

Inlay cabinet

Enrico A. D'Albertis 1932

Hakone, Japan, 1875 - 1880

C.D.A 1583

Tipo di misura: altezzaxlarghezzaxspessore; Unità di misura: cm; Valore: 171x72x32

Giappone

Legno a intarsi policromi.

Arredo

Wooden structure with shelves, doors and drawers, covered with wooden inlays in various natural colours in a vast ornamental repertoire of geometric and floral motifs. This interesting piece of furniture was probably acquired by Captain d'Albertis during his first World Tour, in the years 1877-1878. It represents the full technical evolution of the valuable wooden inlay yosegi zaiku 寄木細工 traditionally practised since 1635, i.e. from the beginning of the Edo period (1600 - 1867) in Hakone, a town located on the lake of the same name near Mount Fuji, in the province of Odawara. Fuelled by the immense reserves of precious wood in the surrounding wooded area, this artistic craftsmanship originates from the ancient skills and specific culture of Japanese carpenters, woodworkers and marquetry craftsmen who, in the 8th century, first came into contact with the marquetry decorated artefacts imported for Japanese rulers from Tang-era China (618 - 906 AD).

Sala sensoriale

Sala sensoriale (231618)

Sensoriale is a place where time is dilated, the space cosy, the senses finely stimulated. It was created to welcome and experience well-being. The workstation consists of individual elements to be combined in multiple formations: five instruments, a soft seat and a cushion, arranged according to Padovan's geometric principle of harmony. Video projections show fragments of light and flowers. Cedar essence encourages psychophysical relaxation through the sense of smell.