Upcoming ExhibitionsBack

Have you ever spotted a beautiful rainbow arching across a clear sky after a rainfall and let out a gasp of delight? Rainbows are wonderous and can fill us with happiness as if something magical is about to happen or make us want to share the sight with someone. In all countries and all times, we have encountered rainbows several times in our lives, though ancient cultures interpreted them in a variety of ways.
Meanwhile, rainbow-like iridescence surrounds us—think of the colors flickering across the thin film of a soap bubble. Since Newton, science has shown how all colors arise from the intricate interplay of light, yet even today, the mysterious allure of a rainbow, or any unpigmented surface that manifests multicolored brilliance, continues to captivate our hearts.
Following the 2018 exhibition Red and Blue: Exploring the World of Sacred Colors, this is the second in our series of fun interactive exhibits for both children and adults. Highlights include our Yōhen Tenmoku teabowl (Important Cultural Property), famed for its striking iridescent surface, alongside lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, whose shimmering shells evoke the rainbow, and ancient glass that has taken on a fantastical gleam over time. We hope all visitors will enjoy the magic of light manifesting as color, while exploring the spectrum of rainbow colors with an innocent heart.