Royal Ontario Museum Tour
Private tour of the archived Japanese collection
(November 11, 2004)

by Annette Goulin On November 11, 2004 a small group of CJST members was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the archived Japanese collection at the Royal Ontario Museum which is currently not on public display. However, that will all change upon completion of the museum�fs ongoing $200 million Renaissance ROM renovation and expansion program. The new Prince Takamado Gallery of Japan, scheduled to be unveiled in December 2005, will be a permanent gallery of Japanese artifacts alongside the Chinese and Korean collections in the north wing of the building facing Philosopher�fs Walk. You may recall that the Prince�fs widow Princess Takamado visited Canada in June 2004 and officially toured the ROM. Her visit was part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic relations between Canada and Japan. The ROM�fs collection of 5,000 Japanese objects, the largest in Canada, includes folding screens, woodblock prints, artwork, dishes, lacquerware, armour, swords, tea ceremony collections, original Hiroshige prints, Buddhist paintings and sculptures, and more. The new 3,000 square-foot gallery, looking over Philosopher�fs Walk, is expected to be wide-open, with plenty of space for visitors to walk around, even exuding a zen-like quality. Jody Townshend of the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation greeted the CJST group in the museum�fs rotunda. She showed us the construction currently underway of the new crystal-shaped building and the redevelopment of the existing building. We made our way to the curatorial offices, where we met Dr. Klass Ruitenbeek, Senior Curator and the ROM�fs Louise Hawley Stone Chair of Far Eastern Art. Dutch-born Dr. Ruitenbeek is an expert on Asian art, architecture, history and literature, and has been with the ROM since 1996. He also lectures at the University of Toronto in the Department of East Asian Studies. Dr. Ruitenbeek took us into the rooms housing the Japanese collection. He explained that many of the items have been in storage for close to 25 years due to lack of space on the display floor. Pieces have been taken out for short periods of time over the years; however, they have not all been on display at the same time - that is, until the new gallery opens in December 2005. Many of the items are covered in sheets of paper, under glass, wrapped up, or otherwise protected from heat, light, and humidity. The CJST group was treated to a rare opportunity to view some recently acquired items, such as a beautiful 17th century double folding screen depicting a bird�fs-eye view through the clouds of people arriving in boats at a shrine in Osaka. The gold lacquer and brilliant colours were astounding. Another piece showcased by Dr. Ruitenbeek was a 17th century book of artwork by Hiroshige. He carefully unwrapped the tissue paper, revealing a beautiful, fragile book of Hiroshige�fs paintings depicting nature, people, and other typical Japanese scenes. Since the pages have been closed for most of their 150 years, they are in remarkably good condition, with the colours still bright and undamaged. This was indeed a rare treat to see, for it is very difficult for a book to be displayed in a museum. Perhaps only two pages could be shown at a time in a museum display case; here, Dr. Ruitenbeek flipped carefully through every page for us to view briefly. Other items Dr. Ruitenbeek showed us were some Chinese and Japanese pottery that were over 100 years old, and new acquisitions of the museum. They were carefully and intricately painted on the inside and out. Dr. Ruitenbeek kindly and engagingly answered all our questions throughout the tour. I�fm sure we could have asked many more questions if time had permitted. The CJST is grateful for his time and expertise, and we look forward to the opening of the Prince Takamado Gallery of Japan.