Dazaifu Tenmangu, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, long revered as a patron of culture and the arts, presents an exhibition exploring Japanese flower-and-bird painting through works from its collection. Spanning classical to contemporary art, the exhibition traces how artists have depicted seasonal plants and birds while expressing changing ideas of nature, symbolism and beauty.
The shrine holds numerous cultural treasures, including National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, many of which are preserved and exhibited at its Treasure Hall. Works on display range from the Sotatsu school and Kano Tanyu to Watanabe Seitei, Kobayakawa Shusei and contemporary artists.
Highlights include several works being shown publicly for the first time, among them Tanyu’s large-scale Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons Folding Screen (first term), which stands more than 160 cm high. In Japanese painting, flowers and birds have served not simply as observations of nature, but also as symbols of the changing seasons and good fortune, while reflecting each artist’s aesthetic sensibility.
The exhibition is divided into first and second periods, with different works shown in each rotation. Visitors returning at a different time can therefore encounter a different selection from the collection.
Dazaifu Tenmangu’s temporary sanctuary, which stood in front of the Main Sanctuary for around three years, is currently being dismantled. Regular worship at the Main Sanctuary is scheduled to resume around early September 2026 following its first major renovation in 124 years, offering another reason to visit alongside the exhibition.
Photo by Misako Misako
- First term: Aug. 7, 2026 (Fri) ~ Oct. 4, 2026 (Sun), Second term: Oct. 9, 2026 (Fri) ~ Dec. 13, 2026 (Sun)
- 9:00~16:30 (last entry 16:00)
- Closed: Mon (open on Sep. 21, Oct. 12, Nov. 23), Oct. 5~8
- Fee: ¥500, college & HS ¥200, ES & JHS ¥100
- Dazaifu Tenmangu Treasure House
- 4-7-1 Saifu, Dazaifu City, Fukuoka
- Website
Related Lectures (Japanese only)
• Venue: Dazaifu Tenmangu Treasure Hall
• Admission: Free
• Capacity: 50 participants per session, first come, first served
“New Discovery! Kano Tanyu’s Flower-and-Bird Folding Screen”
• Sep 5, 2026, 14:00~15:30
• Speaker: Yoshiya Yamashita, art historian specializing in early modern Japanese painting and supervisor of the exhibition
• Registration
“Sotatsu School Flower Paintings and the Culture of Gardening”
• Nov 7, 2026, 14:00–15:30
• Speaker: Shunroku Okudaira, Professor Emeritus, Osaka University
• Registration