Since the late Jōmon period polished and perforated hard and semi-precious stones were used as protective amulets against evil spirits in times of danger.  During the Yayoi period, the magatama assumed the characteristic comma shape and, during the subsequent Kofun period, necklaces made of jasper tubular elements (kutadama), constituted ornaments indicative of high social and religious conditions. Of great spiritual value, the magatama is still used as a ceremonial object in the Shinto context. Our finds, dating back to the 4th-6th century AD, were part of princely funerary artifacts from the Kofun period. 

It is a small wooden pagoda known as Hyakumantō百万塔, literally "a million pagodas/ stūpa". The term stūpa indicates a Buddhist monument, originally from the Indian subcontinent, similar to a pagoda, whose main function is to preserve relics. This Hyakumantō comes from the series of one million pieces produced by the order of Empress Shōtoku in 764 and donated to the ten largest temples of that time. In the cylindrical cavity there are small, rolled sheets on which are printed some prayer formulas called dhāranī. This small object represents not only an interesting witness in the history of Buddhism, but also an important element for Japanese culture: these dhāranī are in fact considered the oldest printed plates texts still existing. Other musealised Hyakumantō can be found at the MET in New York and the British Museum in London.

The folding screen is accompanied by a second one depicting the Battle of Ichinotai. Displayed continuously for 37 years at the Accademia Ligustica, these were dismembered and divided into twelve framed panels in the years 1962-1964. All the publications published between 1905 and 1977 refer to the attribution to the Tosa School and the dating to the 14th century, but lack historical-critical justifications and stylistic analyses. The two byōbu in the museum are part of the group of screens depicting the three main Genpei wars (Ichinotani, Yashima and Dannoura) commissioned by members of the military aristocracy to the Kanō painters between the end of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century. Folding screen consisting of six movable panels with a black lacquer frame, a brocade border with designs of cut stems on a dark blue background and an ivory background border with small swirls and scattered treasures. The hinges are in engraved, chiseled and silvered metal. The back lining is in paper with a suzumegata motif. The panels seamlessly house a representation of the Battle of Yashima. The war event is told through a wide panoramic view with valleys, buildings and stretches of sea. A complex but detailed narrative unfolds against this backdrop. Numerous anecdotes from the Romance of the Heike enrich the story. In the first panel, the boy ruler Antoku can be recognized on board one of the ships anchored in the strait, where the Taira were waiting for the Minamoto to attack them from the sea. The second and third panels depict the most famous hero of the battle, Nasu no Yoichi, a warrior of the Minamoto clan who accepted the challenge of the Taira and, having launched his horse into the sea at a gallop, pierced with a single arrow a red fan that the opponents had hung from the mainmast of one of their ships.

L’archivio conserva migliaia di fotografie – tutt’ora in corso di catalogazione – prevalentemente dedicate al periodo coloniale e alla Prima guerra mondiale. Ne è esempio la serie di 27 immagini assemblate dal Museo delle Guerre per raccontare la cattura e l’esecuzione di Cesare Battisti, avvenuta il 12.7.1916 nella Fossa del castello del Buonconsiglio a Trento. Tra le fotografie della serie – che occupa due teche – esposte nello spazio dedicato alla grande guerra – spicca quella con boia ghignante Josef Lang in bombetta fatto arrivare in tutta fretta da Vienna e gli ufficiali austroungarici e i borghesi che lo circondano sorridenti come si trattasse di un trofeo di caccia. La fotografia fu scelta dallo scrittore Karl Kraus per accompagnare nel 1922 la prima edizione del suo capolavoro Gli ultimi giorni dell'umanità, dramma-denuncia degli orrori del conflitto mondiale.

 

Kappas are creatures from Japanese mythology that inhabit lakes, rivers, and ponds. They are described as child-sized humanoid beings with turtle-like shells and scaly skin ranging from green to yellow. They have webbed hands and feet that help them live in an aquatic environment. The kappa's main feature is a cavity on its head filled with water; however, this is also its main weakness: if the water were to spill it would risk death. In our netsuke a kappa is firmly resting on a hamaguri shell: a hind leg of the creature is stuck inside between the two valve, from which the mollusc can be seen spilling out, made in ivory. The junction of the hamaguri is made of shell, while the cavity on the head is made of pewter. The signature of the author, Komin, is inserted within a gilded rectangle at the base of the shell, along with the seal (kakihan). Several other pieces with the same subject and signed by Komin are well known.

Kannon personifies compassion and it’s one of the most important deities of Buddhism. The origin of this bodhisattva is not clear but the majority of the scholars seems to agree on locating its roots in India around the 1st / 2nd century a.d.
In Japan the veneration of Kannon started around the end of the 6th century when Buddhism reached Japan from way of China and Korea. The Sino-Japanese term “Kannon” means “watchful listening” and it’s often translated as “one who sees / hear all”. This is indeed the task of the compassionate Kannon who listens to the prayers of the people in difficulty. Another name for Kannon is Kanzeon which means “the one who constantly surveys”.

The statue of the standing Amida Nyorai fits in the standard typology and dimensions of “one feet and five sun” The long shaped face, the fact that the edge of the monastic coat covers the left upper arm and the formal and stylistic proximity of the figure made by the pupils of the renowned sculptor Unkei (1151-1223), allow us to date the statue to the Kamakura period, more precisely to the second half of the 13th century. However, the hands, the halo and the pedestal were replaced in the Edo period. We can assume that the Buddha Amida was placed side by side the statues of the bodhisattva Kannon and Seishi considering the typical composition of these three called Amida Sanzon.  Unfortunately, these two statues went missing as well as the original halo and pedestal. The statue expresses a feeling of monumentality and volume besides a stronger masculinity. These elements reveal an intentional reference to the style of the school of sculpture Kei of the Kamakura period.

On the little removable shutter there are two views with rocky islands, pavilions and plants. The first one in tsuikin on the outside, the second one on the inside with thin and engraved lines saturated with gold on bright black lacquer. The tsuikin technique has its roots on the Ryūkyū Islands of the 18th century. The exact meaning is “applied brocade” and it consisted of two types of relief applications: hard materials like mother of pearl, soapstone, bones, ivory or, in a cheaper version, made with the application of coloured lacquers.
On the lid there are a camellia branch and a small bird flying, on the sides there’s a plum plant, on the front of the drawers a serpentine pattern with little leaves and some embellished emblems of richness and prosperity. The vivid red colour creates a strong contrast with the colourful decoration which shows a strong exuberance, sign of a production of the second half of the 19th century, probably intended for the export to the West.

This vase clearly takes inspiration from China, both on the tianqiuping shape with a bulbous body and a long and thick neck, and on the bas-relief decoration. This technique was performed in China since the Tang period. The blue under glazed painted ornament with little branches, curled leashes and big hōsōge, flowers has bright colors on the bottom that gradually lighten from the front to the shoulder and they completely turn white on the bas-relief drawings that start to emerge on the base of the neck and become more visible. This decoration was achieved through an outstanding technique, typical of the Kōransha manufacture, that was founded in Arita in 1689 by Matashiro Fukagawa (then named Eizaimon Fukagawa), and is still active to this day. This piece is dated 1894, according to the inscription on the base which reads “Meiji nijūrokunen  Koransha sei”: “Twenty-sixth year of Meiji period [1894], Kōransha made”.

A pawlonia tree grows near some rocks, spreading out its branches with an uneven harmony on a piriform bottle with long neck. This delicate and unusual object is a tokkuri, a bottle used to serve sake. The desing suggests the Nabeshima masters’ painting style with its own interesting and graceful decoration. The porcelain manifacture of Nabeshima is called after the name of the daimyō Nabeshima Naoshige, governor of the Hizen province.