【Discover the Feature Exhibition】 A Collection of Portraits that show Kuroda Josui & Nagamasa

January 17th (Tue.) ~ March 19th (Sun.), 2023

Feature Exhibition Room 2

Portrait of Kuroda Josui (left) and Nagamasa (right) depicted with dignity (1821)

This exhibition showcases portraits and paintings of Kuroda Josui (1546-1604), founder of the Fukuoka domain, and his son Nagamasa (1568-1623), its first lord. What we display is mainly from the museum's collection, and it introduces how the art's characteristics have changed over time.

The portraits drawn at the beginning of the Edo period, soon after the deaths of Josui and Nagamasa, retain their appearances and expressions.

The portraits of the two men each provide insight into their way of life. Josui was depicted as a retiree, leaned on an armrest, while Nagamasa was shown as riding a horse wearing a heroic helmet with a large silver-foiled plate, or in meditation seeking enlightenment. By the late 17th century, half a century after their deaths, the two men began to be portrayed as more dignified and admirable, with Nagamasa in his traditional Japanese court dress, and Josui in his neatly seated position (photo shown above). Those paintings were later enshrined and revered as deities protecting both the Kuroda family and the clan.

Meanwhile, after the Genroku Period (1688-1704), another image of Nagamasa emerged. At first, Nagamasa was depicted as a small figure wearing his regular helmet, with a pair of large bull horns, with Twenty-four major samurai warriors supporting the Kuroda clan. However, he gradually began to be drawn in a variety of ways. He was displayed alone with the same helmet, and he became familiar to samurai families and ordinary people as a symbol of bravery, and a protector of peace and security in Chikuzen Province. 

Exhibition view