Kaishien gaden
- Gallery: Room 93
- Culture: Edo Period; Kan'en Era
- Made in: Kyoto-shi
- Date: 1748
- Object type: illustrated book, print
- Materials: paper
- Museum number: 1979,0305,0.91.4
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is Kaishien gaden, an illustrated book and woodblock print from the Edo Period, published in Kyoto in 1748. It’s the first Japanese edition of the famous Chinese painting manual Jieziyuan huazhuan, or "Garden of Mustard Seeds." This volume is part of a four-volume Japanese adaptation of the original six-volume Chinese work from 1679, and it showcases traditional Chinese painting styles with exquisite, multi-colored woodblock printing.
Displayed images include a small frog and creeping saxifrage, following the style of Ming artist Lu Ji. The work is printed on fine paper and features a Japanese binding style, distinguishing it from its Chinese model. The manual was widely popular in both China and Japan, acting as a key introduction to Chinese painting traditions and full-color printmaking in Japan.
This copy was purchased from Jack Hillier and offers a window into the cross-cultural exchange of art and learning during the Edo Period.
See it in person
Kaishien gaden is on display in Room 93 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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