Exhibition ‘The Splendor of the Khitan Dynasty’ Opened

On September 27, the exhibition titled ‘The Splendor of the Khitan Dynasty’ opened at the Kyushu National Museum (until November 27). It introduced the culture of the Khitan (Liao), who ruled present-day Inner Mongolia for 200 years from the early tenth century. It consisted of four chapters: Chapter 1 ‘Bajō no geijutsu (Art on Horseback)’; Chapter 2 ‘Daitō no ifū (The Legacy of the Great Tang)’; Chapter 3 ‘Sōgen toshi (Steppe Cities)’; and Chapter 4 ‘Sōten no bukkokudo (The Buddha’s Realm)’. Comprising approximately 130 items, including ornaments and artifacts associated with three imperial women, the exhibition revealed the fusion of Tang culture – which collapsed almost simultaneously with the Khitan unification – and the culture of the steppe nomads. This exhibition proved its significance, contributing to comparative studies of East Asian art forms. It subsequently toured to the Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art (December 17 – March 4, 2012) and the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts (July 12 – September 17, 2012) (Japanese)