Though nihonga is a long-standing, traditional style of painting in Japan, for ordinary Japanese it is not easily accessible in everyday life. Even art students rarely get the opportunity to learn traditional Japanese-style painting techniques.
To bring nihonga closer to the public, this exhibition explores such artists' creative processes through selected works from the Kobe City Museum's collection and the Ikenaga Hajime Collection, which is known for acquiring Japanese works with foreign themes.
In an exploration of painting techniques — some of which have been passed down over generations, others introduced from the West — around 100 works, including six designated Important Cultural Properties, are on display. The pieces represent different nihonga styles, methods and materials, and the exhibition includes some funpon preparatory studies or sketches; Dec. 10-Jan. 22.
Kobe City Museum; (078) 391-0035; 2 Kyomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe; 10-min. walk from Sannomiya Station, JR, Hankyu Kobe lines. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Fri., till 7 p.m.). ¥1,000. Closed Mon. and Dec. 29-Jan. 3; open Jan. 9. www.city.kobe.lg.jp/museum.