Tsuzuri Project donates to Kyushu National Museum (one of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage) a high-resolution facsimile of a Kano School’s 16th century masterpiece, “Landscapes, flowers, and trees of the four seasons”
TOKYO, February 4, 2025—Canon Inc. announced today that the Tsuzuri Project (officially, the Cultural Heritage Inheritance Project), a joint project organized by the Kyoto Culture Association (NPO) and Canon, has donated to the Kyushu National Museum, one of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, a high-resolution facsimile of “Landscapes, flowers, and trees of the four seasons” painted by Kano Motonobu, the original of which resides in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. The facsimile of this historic artwork—one of the Kano school’s 16th century masterpieces—was created in 2024 as part of Stage 16 of the Tsuzuri Project.
Kano Motonobu / National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1955.26
Canon’s EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless camera was used to capture images of the original work, after which Canon applied its proprietary color matching system and image processing. The facsimile was then output using large-format inkjet printers with 12-color pigment ink. Finally, expert Kyoto craftsmen applied gold to the facsimile and mounted it on folding screen frames, completing an extremely accurate reproduction of the original work.
As the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, which houses the original cultural property, forbids the collection to be taken out of the museum in accordance with the will of its founder, the original masterpiece cannot be seen without visiting the site. This faithful reproduction of a masterpiece of Japanese painting therefore helped realize its “homecoming” to Japan.
In consideration of the Kyushu National Museum’s founding philosophy of “mapping the formation of Japanese culture within the context of Asia’s history” and the fact that it will soon celebrate its 20th year anniversary in 2025, it was determined that this reproduced historical work, which represents an artistic synthesis of Japanese and Chinese culture, would be donated to the Kyushu National Museum with the expectation that it would make a long-lasting contribution to Japanese culture.
The donated work will be displayed* at the Kyushu National Museum’s Cultural Exchange Exhibition (a permanent exhibition) from Tuesday, February 4 to Sunday, March 16, 2025. In addition to a folding-screen painting by Kano Eitoku, a master of the Kano school, a beautiful maki-e lacquer decoration on an inkstone box will also be exhibited, allowing visitors to appreciate the excellence of Japanese art that was established and developed by accepting Chinese culture. Visitors will also be allowed to take photos of the donated work and enjoy viewing it up close without being obstructed by a glass case, in a way that is only possible with a reproduction.
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For information about museum opening hours and display locations, please visit the official Kyushu National Museum website:
https://www.kyuhaku.jp/en/
About the original artwork
Kano Motonobu is said to have created the “Landscapes, flowers, and trees of the four seasons” folding screen after being inspired by the popular practice in the late Muromachi period of displaying hanging scrolls on gorgeously painted folding screens. Chinese-style landscape paintings in black ink on silk cloth are arranged on a gold background with vivid Japanese-style flowers. Kano Motonobu, the son of first-generation artist Kano Masanobu, was responsible for establishing a unique painting style in the school by merging Japanese-style painting (Yamato-e) developed by the Tosa school with Chinese-style painting often used in landscape painting, which had previously been the basis of the Kano school, thereby laying the future foundation of the school that would last for about 400 years.
About the Tsuzuri Project
The Tsuzuri Project is a joint cultural support activity organized by Kyoto Culture Association (NPO) and Canon in 2007. Many of Japan’s precious historical and cultural assets have limited viewing opportunities, often because they have been moved overseas or are preserved in storage as designated national treasures. The project produces high-resolution facsimiles by combining Canon’s technical expertise in imaging, processing, and output with the master craftsmanship of traditional Kyoto artisans. These high-resolution facsimiles are donated to institutions with ties to cultural assets such as shrines, temples, local governments and museums and are available for a variety of purposes including public display and tangible educational materials. So far, more than 60 high-resolution facsimiles of artwork from artists including Katsushika Hokusai, Tawaraya Sōtatsu, and Ogata Kōrin have been produced.
For more information, please visit the official Tsuzuri Project website: https://global.canon/en/tsuzuri/