The Hakutsuru Museum in Kobe, which first opened its doors in 1934, is holding its 2026 autumn exhibition from September 26 (Saturday). The museum was founded in 1931 around 500 items donated by Kanō Jihei VII (1862–1951), head of the Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Company, and opened to the public in May 1934. Since then, it has continued to present its collection of fine East Asian antiquities through exhibitions held each spring and autumn.
This season's exhibition draws on the museum's own holdings to display East Asian crafts made from metal and precious stone. Minerals unearthed from the ground have been worked with a wide range of techniques across different eras and regions, becoming works of art in their own right. The exhibition invites visitors to take a closer look at the shapes and colors — including circular and spiral motifs — found on bronze vessels from China's Yin and Western Zhou dynasties, silver wares from the Tang dynasty, and personal ornaments made during the Three Kingdoms period of the Korean Peninsula and Japan's Kofun period.
Whether solemn objects carrying religious weight or decorative crafts imbued with festive symbolism, each piece was created with a purpose. By examining works that hold historical information about the techniques and contexts of their creation, visitors can share in a part of the culture of ancient peoples — and perhaps come away wanting to imitate or actually use some of the forms on display.
In the museum's annex, the exhibition centers on Anatolian carpets featuring medallion motifs and lamp designs, offering a look at the range of characteristics found in these religiously inflected patterns.
Exhibition Overview
- Exhibition:
- Main building: "The Beauty of Spirals, the Beauty of Radiance — Dazzling East Asian Metal and Stone Crafts" (旋回する美・光彩の美 －めくるめく東洋金石工芸)
- Annex: "Anatolian Medallions and Lamp Motifs" (アナトリアのメダリオン・ランプ文)
- Dates: September 26 (Saturday) to December 13 (Sunday), 2026
- Closed: Every Monday, except October 12 and November 23, when the museum is open and closed the following Tuesday instead
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM (last admission at 4:00 PM)
- Admission:
- Adults: ¥800
- University and high school students: ¥500
- Junior high and elementary school students: ¥250
- Age 65 and over: ¥500
- Groups of 20 or more receive a 20% discount on the above rates
Main Exhibits
Main Building
"Jar with Kui-Dragon and Phoenix Design," Western Zhou dynasty
"Gold Cicada-shaped Ornament," Six Dynasties period
"Gilt Silver Openwork Hairpin with Floral Design," Tang dynasty
Important Cultural Property, "Gold Chain Necklace with Jadeite Magatama Beads," Kofun period
Annex
Carpet (Fertek, central Anatolia), mid-19th century
Related Events
Cultural Property Lecture (capacity: 40)
- Date: October 18 (Sunday), 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
- Theme: "Unraveling the Techniques Behind the Hakutsuru Museum's Ancient Metalwork"
- Speaker: Kazutoshi Harada (原田一敏), Director of the Fukuyama Museum of Art
Program on Ancient Chinese Culture (capacity: 40)
- Date: November 8 (Sunday), 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM
- Theme: "Approaching the Kinbun Tsushaku"
- Relay talk: Toshio Tanaka (田中敏雄, Professor Emeritus, Osaka University of Arts), Osamu Yamanaka (山中理, Trustee, Hakutsuru Museum), Takashi Yamamoto (山本堯, Curator, Sen-oku Hakuko Kan)
- Lecture: "The Kanji Studies of Professor Shizuka Shirakawa (白川静)," by Ichiro Kominami (小南一郎, Honorary Director, Sen-oku Hakuko Kan)
Lecture on Middle Eastern Culture (capacity: 40)
- Date: December 6 (Sunday), 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
- Theme: "Copper Production and Copper Goods in Ottoman-era Anatolia"
- Speaker: Kazuaki Sawai (澤井一彰), Professor, Faculty of Letters, Kansai University
Special Cultural Property Workshop on Traditional Metalworking (capacity: 20)
- Date: December 13 (Sunday), 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
- Theme: "Copper Production and Copper Goods in Ottoman-era Anatolia"
- Instructor: Taku Sudo (須藤拓), metalworking artisan and artist
University Student Workshop (capacity: 20)
- Dates: November 15, 22, and 29 (Sundays), 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
- Theme: "A Flip of the Wrist! Miniature Folding Screens Made from Paper"
Slide Talk (capacity: 40)
- Date: Second Saturdays during the exhibition period, 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
- Theme: "The Appeal of the Exhibited Works"
- Speaker: Museum curator
More details on the exhibition are available on the museum's official website: https://www.hakutsuru-museum.org
Access
Hakutsuru Museum
6-1-1 Sumiyoshiyamate, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0063
- About a 1 km (15-minute) walk northeast of Hankyu Mikage Station
- Free parking available (large buses accommodated)
- From Hanshin Mikage Station or JR Sumiyoshi Station, take the city bus (route 38, bound for Uzumoridai) to the "Hakutsuru Museum-mae" stop
