At the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo, a special exhibition titled "Momoyama - 100 Years of the Ruler of Japan" will be held from Tuesday, October 6, 2020, to Sunday, November 29, 2020. The exhibition focuses on the Momoyama period, a time of flourishing, magnificent culture in Japanese art history, and explores how the transitions of the era influenced artistic expression.

The Azuchi-Momoyama period in political history refers to the 30 years from the fall of the Muromachi Shogunate in 1573 to the establishment of the Edo Shogunate in 1603. This special exhibition, "Momoyama - 100 Years of the Ruler of Japan," showcases the aesthetic sensibilities of Japan through approximately 100 years of art from the late Muromachi to early Edo periods, centering on "Momoyama art"—the most magnificent and splendid art in Japanese art history that flourished during these 30 years.

The arrival of firearms, symbolizing the dawn of the Sengoku period, was in 1543, and Portuguese ships were banned from entering in 1639, the year after the Shimabara Rebellion was suppressed, leading to Japan's isolation. The year 1590, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi conquered the Hojo clan and unified the country, can be considered the approximate midpoint of this 100-year span. This exhibition provides an overview of artworks created during the approximately 100 years from the late Muromachi to early Edo periods, a time of transition from the age of "gekokujo" (lower overcoming the higher) among warring samurai to the rule of the Edo Shogunate. Through about 230 exquisite pieces associated with historical warriors, tea masters, and cultural figures, visitors can trace how culture was shaped and observe the changes that define the distinct characteristics of the "Momoyama period" in art history.

The exhibition is organized into seven sections: "The Essence of Momoyama - The Aesthetics of the Ruler of Japan," "A Century of Transformation - From Muromachi to Edo," "The Eve of Momoyama - The Beauty of the Sengoku Period," "The Perfection of the Tea Ceremony - From Rikyū to Oribe," "The Maturity of Momoyama - From Grandeur to Elegance," "Warriors' Attire - Swords and Armor," and "Towards an Era of Peace - The Reorganization of Power's Aesthetics."

In painting, the exhibition opens with a pair of folding screens depicting the changing cityscape of Kyoto from the late Muromachi to early Edo periods, "Rakuchū Rakugai-zu Byōbu." It then showcases masterpieces, including national treasures and important cultural properties, such as screen paintings by Kanō Motonobu, his grandson Eitoku, and great-grandson Tanyū, as well as Hasegawa Tōhaku, Kaihō Yūshō, and Unkoku Tōgan, alongside genre paintings depicting the customs of the early Edo period.

Visitors can also view arms and armor from the era when warriors like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu vied for supremacy, as well as implements for the tea ceremony, ceramics, and calligraphy, pursued by the daimyo. The exhibition traces the transformation of cultural activities, which began with rituals and formality in the Muromachi period—the eve of Momoyama culture's flourishing—and spread to regional warlords after the Ōnin War. These activities evolved to incorporate their preferences, leading to imposing expressions, and eventually, their successors moved away from ostentatious displays of power to create a world of beauty that valued refined and natural harmony.