Kokyo Hatanaka Collection: Masterpieces of Old Indian Textiles

Boasting over a millennium of history, the textile arts of India were gradually revealed to the rest of the world after Vasco da Gama's 1498 discovery of a sea route between Europe and the subcontinent. The Shoto Museum now shines a light on embroidery, brocades and other dyed or woven fabric works from India, popular in Japan since the Edo era, through around 150 pieces selected from the collection of Kokyo Hatanaka, a Nihonga (traditional-style Japanese painting) artist and expert on Indian art.