Image: Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo
The Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo will present ‘The Itsuo Art Museum Collection: Buson, Goshun and Tea Ceremony Treasures’ from September 16 through November 8, 2026. The exhibition will bring selected works from the Itsuo Art Museum’s holdings to the museum for a presentation centered on paintings by Yosa Buson and Goshun, alongside notable objects associated with the tea ceremony.
The exhibition follows the closure of the Suntory Museum’s presentation ‘A Feast for the Eyes: Tableware’ on August 30. The Tokyo museum is scheduled to close for installation and display changes from August 31 through September 15, reopening with the new exhibition on September 16. The museum’s exhibition page states that works will be changed during the run to protect the objects.
The Itsuo Art Museum was established in Ikeda, Osaka, in 1957. It takes its name from ‘Itsuo,’ the art name of Kobayashi Ichizo, identified by the museum as a leading modern Japanese business figure and the founder of the Hankyu Takarazuka group, now the Hankyu Hanshin Toho group. The museum’s collection numbers approximately 5,500 objects and includes fragments of calligraphic works, tea-ceremony utensils and paintings by Buson and Goshun.
According to the Suntory Museum, the collection reflects Kobayashi’s broad activities and his interest in sharing beauty with the public. The Tokyo exhibition is described as a selection of its outstanding holdings, bringing works from these different areas together. The announced focus on Buson, Goshun and tea-ceremony treasures places the painters’ works within a collection that also encompasses the material culture of tea.
The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Fridays. The museum will also remain open until 8 p.m. on November 7 and until 9 p.m. on October 31 for Roppongi Art Night; admission ends 30 minutes before closing. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, although it will close at 6 p.m. on September 22 and November 3.
General admission is ¥1,700 at the door and ¥1,500 in advance. University students pay ¥1,200, or ¥1,000 in advance, while high-school students pay ¥1,000, or ¥800 in advance. Visitors of middle-school age and younger enter free. The exhibition is organized by the Suntory Museum of Art, with special cooperation from the Hankyu Culture Foundation, and will be on view in Tokyo through November 8, 2026.
