Mice. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this word? While there are popular cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, most people probably have an image of annoying creatures that show no hesitation in helping themselves to our food. While mice may lament their hard lot, they have actually been viewed affectionately from days of old as a presence that brings happiness and good fortune. At the “New Year’s Celebration at the Tokyo National Museum,” a program held by the Tokyo National Museum (TNM) for the 17th time in 2020, a spotlight was placed on mice since this is the Year of the Mouse according to the Chinese Zodiac. An exhibit titled “The Many Faces of Mice” showcased 55 works associated with mice from among the museum’s collection. “The more you study them, the more interesting they become,” says Masanori Kawano, a researcher at the museum. We asked him about the appeal of mice.
Standing on two bales of rice while carrying a large sack over his shoulder and holding a mallet in his hand—this is Daikokuten, one of the seven gods of good fortune, well known and popular as the god of rich harvests and commerce and prosperity.
At the New Year’s Celebration at the Tokyo National Museum exhibition, works associated with Daikokuten, such as The Diety Daikokuten statue, Beauties as the Seven Gods of Good Fortune: Daikoku, a woodblock print by Torii Kiyomitsu, and Standing Six-armed Mahakala statue, were displayed here and there. Having the fortune of seeing the plump and smiling face of Daikokuten at the start of the new year is a lucky sign. But wasn’t the theme of the exhibition supposed to be mice, not Daikokuten? What kind of association exists between Daikokuten and mice?
Unravelling this mystery for us was Masanori Kawano, Assistant Curator of Japanese Archaeology, and curator of this time’s exhibition. The theme of the gallery talk he did on January 21st was none other than “The God of Wealth (Daikokuten) and Rats.” The room at the Honkan main building was filled to capacity by people listening intently to his talk.
Through his curation of this exhibition, Kawano became totally charmed by mice. This passion was also directed to the creation of the flyer. He turned our attention to a subtle gimmick in the flyer that might be overlooked. “In the middle of the page is the phrase, ‘Ne! Tohaku!’ ‘Ne’ could mean a lot of different things in Japanese, including ‘mouse’ and ‘yes,’ and ‘Tohaku’ is the abbreviated form of our museum’s name in Japanese. To the right of these words, we have a picture of Pine Trees, a masterpiece designated National Treasure, which is part of our collection. This was the work of Hasegawa Tohaku. So, yes, this was a play on words with ‘Tohaku,’ our museum, and ‘Tohaku,’ the name of the artist who painted this folding screen (laughter).” The Tokyo National Museum continues to draw fans because of its strong appeal not just as the “sanctuary of Japanese art” but as a friendly museum that allows such glimpses of its playful spirit. *
“My parents ran a store, and so ever since I was a small child, I had considered mice to be pests that need to be exterminated. But in curating this exhibition, I had to gather works from our collection that featured mice. And while I was searching for materials concerning mice, I found that the more you study them, the more interesting they become (laughter).”
Daikokuten was originally feared by the people of India and surrounding countries as the god of great darkness, Mahakala (another name for Shiva). It is said that he first appeared in Japan in the Heian period (794-1192). Syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism was making advances at that time, and along with this trend, this god came to be equated with the Shinto deity Ōkuninushi. Daikokuten eventually became a fixture in the lives of people as a god bringing good fortune.
The association between mice and Daikokuten was born within this fusion of Ōkuninushi and Daikokuten.
“In the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), there is an anecdote about a mouse saving the life of Ōkuninushi, the deity enshrined at Izumo Shrine. This led to the mouse being viewed as an animal with close ties with Ōkuninushi, and so after the fusion of Ōkuninushi and Daikokuten, the mouse became fondly known as Daikokuten’s messenger.”
After the gallery talk, we joined the members of the audience in taking a close look at the exhibition. Many works of art that used the mouse as a motif were on display: among them, water droppers to hold the water to be added to an inkstone to make ink; netsuke, miniature carvings attached to a strap; and sketches from the Meiji era. But not everything showed a mouse; kimonos and other items in mousy gray color were also on display. During the Edo period (1603 – 1868), due to a sumptuary decree banning luxury issued by the government, the people could only wear kimonos in subdued colors such as brown or gray. Even within such circumstances, however, the people came up with various tones of “mousy gray” and found ways to dress stylishly with flair.
All the works were preserved in fine condition, and there were more than a few sighs of admiration from the visitors at the sight of these beautiful displays. According to Mr. Kawano, there were some works that were restored for this exhibition and displayed to the public for the first time.
“For example, The Sign of the Rat, from a Protective Stele at a Tomb. With the cooperation of the preservation and restoration section, we improved its condition so that it could be displayed, and were able to show it to the public for the first time. Preparations for this exhibition were carried out over a period of about one-and-a-half years while also maintaining close contact with researchers in the TNM who are experts in various fields, including textiles, decorative arts, calligraphy , and ceramics.
Over 100 people attended the gallery talk. And among them were those meticulously taking down notes.
It’s obvious that much thought went into setting the themes. The mouse was introduced from various angles, beginning with the mouse as one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, then going to the relationship between mice and cats, Daikokuten and mice, explanation of the origins of the word for mouse, picture books on mice, and more. After absorbing all of that you might even think that you’ve become an expert on mice. But they still left some cute mice for us at the end.
“I wanted our visitors to see this not just as a learning experience, but to look at mice from an artistic perspective.” It appears that he was more than able to convey those feelings to the people in the gallery. Many young people were also present among the visitors, with some taking photographs with their smartphones while exclaiming, “So cute!”
An exhibition so rich in content that you regret it’s only held during the new year period. Don’t miss next year’s Year of the Ox!
Text: Yoko Yuda Photos: Implementation Committee for New Concept “Ueno, a Global Capital of Culture” Photo marked *: Courtesy of Tokyo National Museum
New Year’s Celebration at the Tokyo National Museum: The Many Faces of Mice exhibition
Venue: Tokyo National Museum, Rooms T1 and T2 in the Honkan（Japanese Gallery） Duration: January 2 – 26, 2020 Time: 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (from 9:30 am – 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays)
