白壁の町並みがいにしえの風情を今に伝える町、倉敷。瀬戸内海の干拓と新田開発を背景に、江戸時代中期より備中地域の政治・経済の拠点として発展を遂げた町です。天領、すなわち幕府直轄地であった倉敷では、大名の直接支配や庇護を受けない時代が長く続いたことから、町衆の間に自治の気風が育まれ、米や綿花、菜種などの流通・加工を通じて力を蓄えた有力商人たちがその中心的役割を担っていきました。そのような中で、江戸時代後期に勢力を伸ばした「新禄」と呼ばれる商家のひとつが大原家です。幕末には倉敷を代表する豪商へと成長を遂げた大原家は、近代に入ると倉敷紡績の経営に乗り出し、その資本をもとに、今日に続く倉敷の発展を導いていくこととなります。

本展は、大原家の六代目である孝四郎（1833-1910）、七代目の孫三郎（1880-1943）、八代目の總一郎（1909-1968）を中心に、大原家代々が収集し愛賞した中国絵画をご紹介するものです。倉敷紡績初代社長をつとめ、近代産業資本家としての大原家の基盤をつくった孝四郎。西日本屈指の企業家として活躍するとともに、希代の社会事業家としても名を残した孫三郎。戦後の倉敷レイヨン（現クラレ）を率い、理想をあきらめないその姿勢から「美しい経済人」と評された總一郎。彼らの手による中国絵画コレクションには、時代を超えて受け継がれる中国文化への敬愛とともに、変貌を遂げていく日中関係と時代の様相が映し出されているといえるでしょう。室町将軍家旧蔵品、いわゆる「東山御物」であり、古渡の名品として名高い国宝《宮女図》をはじめ、開国間もない日本で繰り広げられた清人画家との交流を物語る胡鉄梅作《謙受堂雅集図》（初公開）、中国最後の文人といわれ、近代日中文化交流でも大きな役割を果たした呉昌碩作《墨梅図》（初公開）など、元時代より近代に至るまで、国宝2件、重要文化財2件と多数の初公開作品を含む展示作品により、大原家と中国絵画との関わりを紐解いていきます。

また、本展は2023年に本格的修復を終えた《五牛図巻》の修復後初公開の機会ともなります。元時代の名品として知られる《五牛図巻》と、20世紀を代表する伝説の中国人画家張大千との驚くべき関わりをはじめ、修復事業を通して明らかとなった知見を広く共有することにより、今後の活発な議論を促し、中国絵画研究の進展に寄与することを願うものです。

The white-walled townscape of Kurashiki preserves much of its historic atmosphere. During the mid-Edo period (1603–1868), the city flourished as a political and economic powerhouse in Bitchu Province, benefitting from land reclamation projects on the Seto Inland Sea and the accompanying cultivation of new rice fields. Unlike most places in Japan at the time, which were ruled and protected by a samurai lord, Kurashiki was governed directly by the Tokugawa shogunate. Over the years, a spirit of autonomy grew in Kurashiki’s townspeople. Affluent merchants played a central roles as they amassed power and influence by distributing and processing locally produced goods like rice, cotton, and rapeseed. By the late Edo period, the Ohara family was part of an emergent group of wealthy merchants who had come to exert considerable authority. By the time the shogunate fell in 1868, the Ohara family was one of Kurashiki’s best-known mercantile families. In the modern period, the Ohara family began operating the Kurashiki Spinning Co. and has used a portion of their earnings to fund Kurashiki’s continued development ever since.

This exhibition showcases Chinese paintings that the Ohara family collected and appreciated over generations, with a special focus on those acquired by the sixth, seventh, and eighth family heads, Koshiro (1833–1910), Magosaburo (1880–1943), and Soichiro (1909–1968). Koshiro served as the first president of Kurashiki Spinning Co. He solidified the family’s financial base as a modern industrial capitalist. Magosaburo was a leading entrepreneur in western Japan who fostered an unusual legacy through his many initiatives meant to benefit society. In the postwar period, Soichiro led the Kurashiki Rayon Co. (now Kuraray). His tireless commitment to his ideals earned him a reputation as a “beautiful businessman.” The Chinese painting collection these figures built reflects not only their enduring admiration for Chinese culture but also the changing times and Japan’s evolving relationship with China.

This exhibition explores the Ohara family’s interest in Chinese painting through works dating from the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) to the modern period, including 2 National Treasures, 2 Important Cultural properties, and several works that are being exhibited for the first time. Highlights include Court Lady (National Treasure), which was brought to Japan during the medieval period to become part of the Ashikaga shoguns’ collection the Higashiyama Treasures, Elegant Gathering at Kenjudo (on view for the first time) by Hu Tiemei (1848–1899), which offers insights into the family’s interactions with a Chinese painter in Japan soon after the end of the shogunate’s isolation policy, and Plum Trees (on view for the first time) by Wu Changshuo (1844–1927), the “last” Chinese literati painter and an enormously influential figure in Japan and China’s cultural exchanges during the modern period.

This exhibition further marks the first time the handscroll Five Oxen will be on view since its extensive conservation in 2023. It is our hope that sharing the discoveries made at the time, including a surprising connection between the Yuan-dynasty masterpiece Five Oxen and the renowned twentieth-century Chinese painter Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), will encourage active debate and contribute to advancing the field of research on Chinese painting.

プロローグ：大原家の古画コレクション

大原家の七代目である孫三郎は、我が国でいち早く西洋近代絵画を収蔵・公開した大原美術館（1930年開館）を設立したことで知られますが、彼個人が愛好したのは東洋の古美術でした。備中ゆかりの画僧雪舟等楊の絶筆とされる国宝《山水図》は、孫三郎の収集品を代表する1点です。また、六代目である孝四郎の生家藤田家は江戸後期の文人画家浦上玉堂と親交のあった商家であり、孫三郎はその血脈に導かれるように、玉堂作品の一大コレクションを形成していきました。プロローグでは、中国絵画収集の前提ともいえるこれら古画コレクションの中から代表的名品を紹介し、大原家代々に受け継がれた文化的血脈を確認します。

主な展示作品（予定）
・雪舟等楊《山水図》　室町時代（16c）
　個人蔵（京都国立博物館寄託）　国宝　※上図
・浦上玉堂  《山雨染衣図》　江戸時代（19c）
　岡山県立美術館所蔵　重要文化財　　　

※会期中展示替えがあります。

Prologue:  Ols Paintings in the Ohara Collection

Magosaburo, the seventh head of the Ohara family, is known for founding the Ohara Museum of Art (est. 1930). It was one of the first institutions in Japan to own and exhibit modern Western paintings, but Magosaburo’s personal passion was old Asian art. One of the most famous works he collected is the masterpiece Landscape (National Treasure) by the monk-artist Sesshu Toyo (1420–1506) who had close ties to Bitchu Province. The sixth head of the Ohara family, Koshiro, was an adopted heir whose birth name was Fujita. He came from a wealthy family related to the literati painter Urakami Gyokudo (1745–1820). Perhaps inspired by this heritage, his son Magosaburo built a substantial collection of Gyokudo’s works. The exhibition prologue examines the shared cultural lineage of successive generations of the Ohara family while introducing important old paintings in the collection that preceded their acquisition of Chinese paintings.

Featured Works (Tentative)
・Landscape 
　Sesshu Toyo
　Muromachi period (16th c.)
　Private collection (in the care of the Kyoto National Museum)
　National Treasure
・Rain Cloaks the Mountains
　Urakami Gyokudo
　Edo period (19th c.) 
　Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
　Important Cultural Property
*Works on view are subject to rotation.

第一章：大原家の中国絵画　古渡、中渡、新渡と来舶画人

日本に伝存する中国絵画は、その請来時期によって「古渡（中世）」「中渡（近世）」「新渡（近現代）」と区分され、それぞれ作品の傾向も異なりますが、大原家による中国絵画コレクションは、これらを満遍なく含むものとなっています。古渡としては、孫三郎最晩年の収集品で、東山御物、即ち室町将軍家旧蔵品として知られる国宝《宮女図》が白眉であり、新渡としては、次章でとりあげる呉昌碩の作品群が目を引きます。また、実際に日本を訪れた、いわゆる来舶画人の作品も多く含まれています。大原家での宴席の様子を描き留めた胡鉄梅《謙受堂雅集図》はそのひとつで、孝四郎をはじめ倉敷の有力町衆と思しき人々が胡鉄梅を囲んで過ごした和やかなひとときを、活き活きとした筆遣いで伝えています。第一章は、これらの作品を通して日本人が中国絵画へ注いだ眼差しの変化をたどりつつ、それらの眼差しの集積としてコレクションを捉えようとするものです。

主な展示作品（予定）
・「銭選」印《宮女図》　元時代（13–14c）
　個人蔵（京都国立博物館寄託）　国宝　※上図
・「用田」印《栗鼠図》　元時代（14c）
　個人蔵　初公開
・仇英（款）《上林賦図》　明時代（16c）
　大原芸術財団大原美術館所蔵　初公開
・胡鉄梅《謙受堂雅集図》
　清時代末（1885年）　個人蔵　初公開
・章寿彝《西嶽崋山松林坪之図》
　清時代末（19c）　個人蔵　初公開　　

※会期中展示替えがあります。

Chapter One: Chinese Paintings in the Ohara Collection—Works from Three Key Time Periods and by Visiting Artists

Chinese paintings passed down in Japan are broadly divided into those that arrived during the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. Japanese collectors’ proclivities differed in each period, and the Ohara collection contains insightful examples of each. A highlight among medieval works is Court Lady, which was acquired by Magosaburo near the end of his life. It was formerly part of the Higashiyama Treasures, a collection belonging to the Ashikaga shoguns. Particularly outstanding modern paintings include the works by Wu Changshuo discussed in the next chapter. Several paintings by Chinese artists that traveled to Japan also from an integral part of the collection, like Elegant Gathering at Kenjudo by Hu Tiemei, which depicts a banquet at the Ohara residence. Its lively brushwork captures a moment of peace, with Hu Tiemei surrounded by figures who appear to be prominent merchants from Kurashiki, including Koshiro. The first chapter of the exhibition examines the way Japanese collectors viewed Chinese paintings through the works they collected, recasting the collection as a representative sampling of such views over time.

Featured Works (Tentative) 
・Court Lady
　With the seal of Qian Xuan
　Yuan dynasty (13th-14th c.)
　Private collection (in the care of the Kyoto National Museum)
　National Treasure
・Squirrels
　With the seal of Yongtian
　Yuan dynasty (14th c.)
　Private collection
　First showing
・Scenes from "Shanglin Rhapsody"
　Signed Qiu Ying
　Ming dynasty (16th c.)
　Ohara Art Foundation
　First showing
・Elegant Gathering at Kenjudo
　Hu Tiemei
　Qing dynasty (1885)
　Private collection
　First showing
・Pines and Fields of Mount Hua, the Western Mountain 
　Zhang Shouyi
　Qing dynasty (19th c.)
　Private collection
　First showing
*Works on view are subject to rotation

第二章：大原孫三郎と呉昌碩コレクション

孫三郎とともに大原美術館の礎を築いた洋画家児島虎次郎は、長くヨーロッパに滞在し西洋文化に通じる一方、中国の古文化を深く敬愛し、4回にわたる中国滞在を果たしました。孫三郎は、「中国最後の文人」と称される呉昌碩の作品を多数所蔵していましたが、それらは全て児島が中国訪問時に呉昌碩本人やその周辺の人々を訪ねて買い求めてきたものです。明治以来、呉昌碩は日本でも人気が高く、その作品は今日も我が国に多数伝存しますが、画家児島の眼で選び取られた呉昌碩作品は、それらの中でも特別な輝きを放つ一群といえるでしょう。第二章では、日本の中国進出や日中航路の整備を背景に、実際に中国を訪れることが可能となった大正時代、洋画家児島虎次郎によって収集された呉昌碩コレクションとその関連作品をご紹介します。

主な展示作品（予定）
・呉昌碩《倣沈周僧庵山水図》　1912年
　個人蔵
・呉昌碩《牡丹玉蘭図》　1913年
　個人蔵　初公開　※上図
・呉昌碩《墨梅図》　1914年
　個人蔵　初公開
・王一亭《朱達磨図》　1921年
　個人蔵　初公開
・児島虎次郎《菜果図》　1922年
　個人蔵


Chapter Two: Ohara Magosaburo and the Wu Changshuo Collection

Magosaburo laid the foundation for the Ohara Museum of Art together with the oil painter Kojima Torajiro. Kojima spent prolonged periods in Europe and was familiar with Western culture but also possessed a deep-rooted love for classical Chinese culture, visiting the country on four different occasions. All of the works by Wu Changshuo, China’s ‘last’ literati-painter, purchased by Magosaburo, were acquired by Kojima during his visits to China, either from Wu Changshuo himself or from people in his inner circle. Wu Changshuo was a popular artist in Japan from the Meiji era (1868–1912) onward, and many of his works have been preserved here. Kojima’s eye as a collector, however, produced a particularly brilliant selection of his paintings. The second chapter of the exhibition focuses on the Wu Changshuo collection and related works acquired by Kojima as it became easier to travel to China during the Taisho era (1912–1926), a period marked by Japanese expansion and the establishment of Japan-China shipping routes.

Featured Works (Tentative)
・Monastic Hermitage in a Landscape after Shen Zhou
　Wu Changshuo
　1912
　Private collection
・Peonies and Yulan Magnolias
　Wu Changshuo
　1913
　Private collection
　First showing
・Plum Trees
　Wu Changshuo
　1914
　Private collection
　First showing
・Bodhidharma in Red Robes
　Wang Zhen
　1921
　Private collection
　First showing
・Fruits and Vegetables
　Kojima Torajiro
　1922
　Private collection

第三章：大原總一郎と大原美術館の中国絵画

孫三郎が設立した大原美術館は、戦後、八代目の總一郎のリーダーシップのもとに精力的な作品収集と施設の拡充を進めました。中国を主とした東アジア文物の展示施設「東洋館」の新設もそのひとつです。總一郎は青春時代、東西古文化に対する児島の思想に触れ、戦後は、記念碑的大著『雲岡石窟』を手掛けた長廣敏雄、水野清一ら京都大学の東洋美術・考古学研究者との交流から多くを学びました。企業家としての總一郎は、1960年代初頭、当時深刻な繊維不足に陥っていた中国の求めに応え化学繊維ビニロンのプラント輸出に踏み切っており、国交断絶下において政治の常識を超えて成し遂げられたこの事業は、總一郎の中国への思いと、中国文化への理解によって下支えされたものといえるでしょう。第三章では、大原美術館に収蔵された中国絵画を紹介し、中国との国交断絶下で進められた東洋館構想について考えます。また本章では、十数年ぶり、かつ修復後初公開となる《五牛図巻》をご覧いただきます。2カ年にわたる本格的修復事業を通して得られた知見を共有し、今後の活発な議論の契機になればと考えます。

主な展示作品（予定）
・董源（款）《群峰霽雪図巻》　明時代
　大原芸術財団 大原美術館所蔵
・韓滉（款）《五牛図巻》　近代
　大原芸術財団 大原美術館所蔵　※上図


Chapter Three: Ohara Soichiro and the Ohara Museum of Art’s Chinese Paintings

In the postwar period, the eighth head of the Ohara family, Soichiro, enthusiastically expanded the galleries and collection of the Ohara Museum of Art that his father Magosaburo had founded. One of his new additions was the Asian Art Gallery, where he planned to display objects from East Asia, particularly China. In his youth, Soichiro had been exposed to Kojima’s ideas about ancient Eastern and Western culture. After the war, he learned much more from Asian art historians and archaeologists at Kyoto University, like Nagahiro Toshio (1905–1990) and Mizuno Seiichi (1905–1971) who compiled a seminal work on Buddhist caves in China titled The Yungang Grottoes. As an entrepreneur, Soichiro responded to China’s requests during a dire textile shortage in the early 1960s with the bold step of exporting a manufacturing plant to produce the synthetic fiber vinylon. His success in this venture occurred during a break in China-Japan diplomatic ties, and it was his personal sentiments toward China and understanding of Chinese culture that enabled him to transcend the period’s political limitations. The third chapter introduces Chinese paintings owned by the Ohara Museum of Art while discussing the creation of the Asian Art Gallery during the postwar rift in diplomatic ties. This section also features the handscroll Five Oxen, which is being shown for the first time in over a decade. This showing coincides with its first unveiling after an extensive conservation project that lasted over two years. The discoveries made during its conservation are revealed here in the hopes they will encourage active discussion in the academic community.

Featured Works (Tentative) 
・Snow Clearing over Mountain Peaks
　Signed Dong Yuan
　Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
　Ohara Art Foundation
・Five Oxen
　Signed Han Huang
　20th c.
　Ohara Art Foundation