Suntory Museum of Art
Exhibitions
Mushi (Insects and Other Creatures) Lovers in Japan

Mushi (Insects and Other Creatures) Lovers in Japan

July 22 to September 18, 2023

*Download the list of changes in works on display
*There will be an exhibition change during the course of exhibition.

One of the characteristics of Japanese art, evident since ancient times, is that it has cherished plants, trees, birds, and flowers. Mushi, insects and other small creatures, are tinier than plants and trees or birds and flowers, yet they too have been significant motifs. Not only the creatures now classified as insects but also other little, wriggly creatures—spiders, frogs, and snakes, for example—are familiar as mushi and appear in stories, waka poems, and a variety of works of art. Fireflies and insects that chirp and sing, such as crickets, are particular favorites. Their deep connections to narratives are communicated to us by paintings of scenes from The Tales of Ise, The Tale of Genji, and other classic literary works. Plant-and-insect paintings, which express good fortune through depictions of plants and insects, are a genre introduced from China. Those paintings have been treasured in Japan since its medieval period and have influenced Japanese painters.
In the Edo period, advances in honzōgaku (the study of animals, plants, and minerals for use in Chinese medicine), plus the influence of haikai poetry and studies of ancient paintings, inspired the birth of diverse paintings of mushi that went far beyond the scope of plant-and-insect paintings. Moreover, in the mid Edo period, listening to insects and catching fireflies became increasingly popular pastimes among city dwellers, gradually growing into an annual seasonal activity in Edo. That culture lived on in the modern period and thrives today.
While Japan’s mushi-loving culture developed over many centuries, it became a growing part of popular culture in Edo period; that period is thus particularly noteworthy. This exhibition thus focuses mainly on that period in reexamining the relationships between human beings and mushi.

Movies about the exhibition

Works from the exhibition

Period

July 22 to September 18, 2023

*Download the list of changes in works on display
*There will be an exhibition change during the course of exhibition.

Hours

10:00-18:00　*Friday and Saturday 10:00-20:00

*Open until 20:00 on August 10 and September 17
*Last admission: 30 minutes before closing

Closed

Tuesdays

*Open until 18:00 on September 12

Admission

Adult	General ¥1,500	Advance ¥1,300
University and High School Student	General ¥1,000	Advance ¥800

Elementary, junior high school students and under are free.
*With a certificate of disability, the admission fee of a disabled person and a care-giver will be waived.
*Advance tickets will be available on the website from April 22 to July 21.

Discount

◇100 Yen Discount
•For presenting a ticket to a thematic exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo, or Mori Art Museum
•For parties of 20 or more

*Only one discount per person

Audio Guide

¥600

English audio guide available

Organized by

Suntory Museum of Art, The Asahi Shimbun

Mushi (Insects and Other Creatures) Lovers in Japan

SUNTORY MUSEUM of ART