Dazaifu Tenmangu holds approximately 11,000 cultural properties, including a National Treasure and Important Cultural Properties. For more than 1,100 years, numerous works of art and other cultural treasures have been dedicated in prayer to Sugawara Michizane, the shrine’s enshrined deity, who is revered as the patron deity of culture and the arts. The collection has also continued to grow through various connections and now encompasses a broad spectrum of art, from classical to contemporary.

This exhibition highlights paintings from the collection that depict the natural world, particularly birds, flowers, and other living creatures. The works on view include a richly decorative example in the tradition of Tawaraya Sōtatsu; a work by Kanō Tan’yū, who laid the foundations of the Edo Kanō school; works by Watanabe Seitei, a leading figure in modern kachō-ga (bird-and-flower painting); paintings by Kobayakawa Shūsei, whose lyrical style has attracted renewed attention in recent years; and works by contemporary artists. Together, they present a wide range of pictorial expression.

Research into works acquired by the shrine in recent years has made it possible to present many of them publicly for the first time, offering a new perspective on the breadth and richness of the Dazaifu Tenmangu collection. We invite you to enjoy the diverse forms of kachō-ga, vying in beauty across time, and the multifaceted world of nature and life portrayed in these works.