Part 1 :
Traditions of a Samurai Household — The History and Art Collection of the Hosokawa Family

The Hosokawa family saw its beginnings as lower-ranking vassals of the Kamakura shogunate, then came to hold important offices with the Muromachi shogunal government. In the late Warring States period, Fujitaka (later known by his Buddhist name Yūsai) emerged from roots in a branch house and distinguished himself as the founder of the Hosokawa family of the early modern era. Together with his son Tadaoki (Sansai), Fujitaka saw the family through turbulent times of general upheaval, setting the stage for the Hosokawa to become major daimyo of the Kumamoto domain in Higo by the time of the Meiji Restoration. The family’s samurai ties are evident in the masterfully produced armor and helmets, saddles, swords, and sword guards found in the collection. In addition, the family has preserved and passed down many objects reflecting the cultivated tastes of the successive generations of family heads and their wives—especially in the areas of poetry, tea utensils and Noh costumes—demonstrating the Hosokawa family’s position as lords of both the sword and the brush.

Part 2 :
An Eye for Beauty — The Moritatsu Collection

16th-generation head of the Hosokawa family, Hosokawa Moritatsu (1883–1970) began collecting the paintings and calligraphies of Zen monks such as Hakuin Ekaku and Sengai Gibon early in his career and these works formed the origins of his collection. Later, his interest turned toward swords and sword guards, and the fine and decorative arts of China and Western Asia. With a further eye for arts of his own time, he also supported the activities of Nihonga painters who were his contemporaries, such as Yokoyama Taikan, Hishida Shunsō, and Kobayashi Kokei, and also followed Western painting traditions, adding both richness and depth of variety to the genres represented in his collection. A consideration of the many objects of beauty he collected will allow us to more fully appreciate Moritatsu’s aesthetic sensibilities.

The Eisei Bunko was established as a non-profit foundation in 1950 by 16th-generation family head Hosokawa Moritatsu with the objective of passing on to later generations the cultural properties, including historical documents and artworks, that had been preserved through generations of the Hosokawa family. Opened to the public in 1972, it became a registered museum under Japan’s Museum Law the following year and has continued as such until today. The Eisei Bunko Museum building was constructed in the early Showa period to hold the household offices of the Hosokawa family, and occupies a corner of the vast former Hosokawa family estate in Mejirodai, where the family lived from the Edo period until after World War II. Each year it holds four public rotating exhibitions primarily centered on fine art and decorative art objects.