In the battle between sight and smell, sight usually comes out on top as the more valued sense. But while our visual sense supplies us with copious and precise information about the world around us and allows us to appreciate images of beauty, our olfactory sense often has a firmer grasp on our moods, memories and mental associations.
The power of smell to conjure up nostalgic states and delicate yearnings is something that has long been recognized in Japanese culture, where the appreciation of fragrances was developed into kodo (the way of fragrance), an art that was distinct from, but related to, other forms of cultural expressions such as sado (the way of tea) and ikebana.
"Fragrance — The Aroma of Masterpieces," an exhibition at the University Art Museum Tokyo explores this rich seam of Japanese culture with a show that aims at synesthetic synergy between the different senses and their expression in art and culture.