The special exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting” is being held at the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art from Saturday, April 25, to Sunday, June 7, 2026.
Focusing on Chinese paintings collected by the Ohara family’s sixth-generation head Koshiro, seventh-generation head Ohara Magosaburo, and eighth-generation head Ohara Soichiro, this exhibition explores the history of exchange between Japan and China and how Chinese paintings have been received in Japan.
A total of 29 works are on display throughout the exhibition, including works designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.
Here is an introduction to the special exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting.”
The information presented here was current when this article was published in May 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the special exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting”
The special exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting” consists of a prologue and three chapters.
- Prologue
The Ohara Family’s Collection of Old Paintings - Chapter 1
Chinese Paintings in the Ohara Family Collection: Old, Middle, and New Imports and Chinese Painters Who Came to Japan - Chapter 2
Ohara Magosaburo and the Wu Changshuo Collection - Chapter 3
Ohara Soichiro and Chinese Paintings at the Ohara Museum of Art
Here is an introduction to each chapter.
Prologue: The Ohara Family’s Collection of Old Paintings
The Ohara Museum of Art opened in 1930, during the time of its seventh-generation head, Magosaburo, as Japan’s first private museum centered on Western art. At the same time, Magosaburo himself is said to have loved not only Western art but also East Asian art.
The prologue features some of the most representative works from the Ohara family’s collection of old paintings.
Sesshu Toyo’s “Landscape” (National Treasure), by a painter associated with Soja City, was on display through May 24. From May 19, “Rainy Mountain Staining Clothes” (Important Cultural Property) by Uragami Gyokudo, a painter from the Kamogata Domain in Bitchu (a branch domain of Okayama Domain) whose works Magosaburo collected enthusiastically, is also on display.
The display case is about 20 centimeters thick. Although visitors cannot touch it, they can view it from very close up. The opportunity to view works designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties up close is one of the exhibition’s attractions.
Chapter 1: Chinese Paintings in the Ohara Family Collection—Old, Middle, and New Imports and Chinese Painters Who Came to Japan
Front: “Qian Xuan” seal, “Court Lady,” National Treasure, private collection (on deposit at the Kyoto National Museum)
Chapter 1 introduces the Chinese paintings collected by the Ohara family according to when they were brought to Japan, dividing them into three categories: old imports (kowatari), middle-period imports (nakawatari), and new imports (shinwatari).
Old imports refer to works from earlier periods, middle-period imports to the early modern period, and new imports to the modern era and later. The Ohara family collected works evenly from each period.
The exhibition also introduces the Ohara family’s connections with Chinese painters who came to Japan, known as visiting Chinese painters, in addition to paintings brought from China to Japan.
Through the relationship between Japanese people and Chinese art as the eras changed, Chapter 1 offers a glimpse into how Japanese people have appreciated Chinese paintings and how new works were created in Japan and preserved.
Chapter 2: Ohara Magosaburo and the Wu Changshuo Collection
Alongside Magosaburo, the person most closely associated with the history of the Ohara Museum of Art is Western-style painter Kojima Torajiro.
Kojima Torajiro is known for spending a long time in Europe, but he also traveled to China four times.
During his stays in China, he came into contact with Wu Changshuo, known as “the last literati of China,” and collected Wu Changshuo’s works.
A literati was a person with a humanistic education in China and a deep knowledge of subjects such as the Chinese classics.
Chapter 2 is centered on works by Wu Changshuo.
It also features “Flowers and Fruit,” painted by Kojima Torajiro in 1922, allowing visitors to compare the Chinese painter’s work with Torajiro’s.
Chapter 3: Ohara Soichiro and Chinese Paintings at the Ohara Museum of Art
The concept for the Ohara Museum of Art’s East Asian Gallery took shape during the time of the Ohara family’s eighth-generation head, Ohara Soichiro. Soichiro, too, had a deep knowledge of East Asian art and culture, including Chinese painting.
Chapter 3 features the “Five Oxen Scroll,” which is being shown for the first time since its restoration. Before restoration, only variations in the ink’s darkness could be seen, but the restoration revealed delicate color expression.
Scientific investigations conducted as part of the restoration also revealed that a work thought to date from the Song or Yuan dynasty was actually a modern work.
This may raise the question of whether it was a forgery, since it was from a different period. However, studying by imitating old works and painting something so convincing that it could be mistaken for a work from that time is no easy feat.
The display of the “Five Oxen Scroll” is a valuable opportunity not only to examine whether a work is genuine or fake, but also to show many people the achievements of Chinese painting’s development through imitation.
Highlights of the special exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting”
Ayumi Yoshikawa, Senior Specially Appointed Researcher at the Ohara Art Foundation, spoke about the special exhibition as follows:
Some of the works on display were created when Chinese literati and calligraphers actually visited Kurashiki. The Ohara Museum of Art is often associated with Western painting, but in addition to the main building, it also has a facility called the Craft and East Asian Gallery.
As part of the museum’s work to introduce a wide range of cultures, and as a group of works deeply connected to the history of the Ohara Museum of Art, the exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting” may change visitors’ image of the museum.
From the Writer
Museums do more than simply collect and display works; they also research them and share their findings with the wider public.
The special exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting” offers an opportunity to learn, through the Ohara family’s collection, about the family’s connections with Chinese painting and how Chinese paintings have been received in Kurashiki.
The author felt that this exhibition offers a chance to enjoy the Ohara family’s collection of Chinese paintings while also reflecting on the history of the Ohara family, the Ohara Museum of Art, and Kurashiki as a whole.
The special exhibition “The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting” is being held through Sunday, June 7, 2026. Be sure to visit.
Special Exhibition “The Ohara Family of Kurashiki and Chinese Painting” Information
| Name | Special Exhibition “The Ohara Family of Kurashiki and Chinese Painting” |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 25, 2026 (Saturday)–June 7, 2026 (Sunday) |
| Location | 1-1-15 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | Adults: ¥2,000 Elementary, junior high, and high school students, or those under 18: ¥500 Children under elementary school age: Free *Various discounts available |
| Website | Special Exhibition “The Ohara Family of Kurashiki and Chinese Painting” |
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“The Kurashiki Ohara Family and Chinese Painting” brings together masterpieces representative of the Ohara family’s collection, allowing visitors to experience how Chinese paintings have continued to be cherished through changing times in the regional city of Kurashiki.