“The Collection of HAYASHI Tadamasa-related letters and reference materials”, available on the National Museum of Western Art Website

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Letter of Edmond de Goncourt to HAYASHI Tadamasa, dated August 2, 1895, in The Collection of HAYASHI Tadamasa related letters and reference materials. Goncourt (1822-1902) was a French art critic. He asked for HAYASHI Tadamasa's help in writing his now famous biography, Hokusai (published in 1896).

　HAYASHI Tadamasa (1853-1906) was an art dealer in Paris at the end of the 19th century, having dealt in Japanese paintings, ukiyo-e prints, and crafts, and is known for having led the Japonism trend. The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has a collection of letters HAYASHI received from art critics, collectors, and art dealers between 1884, when he opened his store in Paris, and 1905, when he returned to Japan, where died the following year. In 2001, TOBUNKEN published Correspondance adressée à HAYASHI Tadamasa (in French; Kokushokankokai publisher), which is a reprinting of these letters.
　This collection of letters was deposited at the National Museum of Western Art in 2016, and in March 2023, The Collection of Hayashi Tadamasa related letters and reference materials was made public on the museum’s website.
The Collection of Hayashi Tadamasa related letters and reference materials | The National Museum of Western Art (nmwa.go.jp)
　This website was established as part of a National Center for Art Research project, and allows users to search for images and reprints of letters by month and year sent, sender, and list of letters. We hope that many people will use this site to contribute to the research on the history of modern French art and the history of art exchange between Japan and France.