Past ExhibitionsBack

The sight of a rainbow arching across the sky after a shower of rain never fails to inspire surprise and delight. Rainbows have a wondrous way of making us think something magical is about to happen and wanting to share the sight with someone. People of every country in the world, present and past, have encountered rainbows several times in their lives, but in ancient times, the play of light and color was interpreted differently from one culture to another.
Like the colors that shine in the thin film of a soap bubble, rainbow-like iridescence is a familiar part of daily life. Since Newton, science has shown how the colors of the spectrum arise from the intricate interplay of light, yet even today, the allure of a rainbow, or any unpainted surface that manifests multicolored brilliance, continues to captivate us.
Following the 2018 exhibition “Red and Blue: Exploring the World of Sacred Colors,” this is the second in our series of interactive exhibits enjoyable for all ages. Highlights include our Yōhen Tenmoku Teabowl (Important Cultural Property), famed for its striking iridescent surface, lacquerware inlaid with sparkling mother-of-pearl, and ancient glass that shines with a mysterious gleam acquired with the passage of centuries. We hope all visitors will open their hearts to the pleasure of light manifested as color and to the beauty of the spectrum of rainbow colors.