Department of History of Fine Arts
The important collections of this department comprise artworks and archives collected from Japan, China, and Korea. The art section is especially rich in ceramics, copies of hanging as well as hand scrolls, funpons, facsimiles of mural paintings, and woodcut-rubbing of hanging scrolls; it, however, also includes artworks from West Eurasia—Victorian silver coins and photographs. The major Chinese collections are represented by ceramics of the Song dynasty, while the Korean specimens are vases of the Joseon dynasty. The Japanese collections include wide-ranging specimens—of particular note is Tanyu shukuzu, a collection of sketches of old paintings by Tanyu. Tanyu was an important okueshi, an artist who worked only for Shogun in the Edo period (1615–1868), who established the Kano school in Edo. Among the archives, an important specimen is a copy of Horyuji kondo hekiga, the mural paintings from the Horyuji Golden Hall of the Hakuho period (645–710). While a fire in 1949 destroyed the original, the copy, in possession of an American collector, was donated to the university. Today, the digitalized paintings widen the scope for their use.
 Sekkei sansui-zu senmen (Landscape in a Winter Scene, Fan Painting; Sealed by Genkyu), Japan. Monochrome ink painting on paper, Muromachi period (16th century), Japan |
 White porcelain melon-shaped ewer, Song dynasty (11–12th century), China |
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 Jicchoseimon white porcelain vase, Joseon dynasty (18–19th century), Korea |
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