Dreams of the Great Plains, The Magnificent Legacy of a Hero Exhibited in Japan for the First Time Including 54 Chinese 1st National Treasure!The Treasures of the Mongols Finally Come to Tokyo
The Edo-Tokyo Museum (Ryogoku, Tokyo) will present ‘The Legacy of Genghis Khan and the Magnificent Mongol Empire’ exhibition from February 2 (Tue.), to April 11 (Sun.), 2010.
The Mongol Empire was established by nomadic horsemen under the leadership of Genghis Khan in 1206. The appearance of Genghis Khan in the 13th century marked the end of 1,800 years of internecine wars between the various nomadic tribes, their unification and the establishment of the Mongol Empire. He promulgated laws and strove to impose government and social order on the people.
By the latter half of the 13th century, the empire under his grandson, Kublai Khan, was no longer confined to China but stretched from Vietnam in the south, to Moscow in the north, the Mediterranean in the West to the Sea of Japan in the East, making it the greatest contiguous empire in history. What system of government and economics was used to support such a huge empire? Among its legacy are the yurt, a form of portable house, and wagons, which were indispensable for a nomadic lifestyle, saddles and harnesses for horses, bows and arrows for hunting and fighting, musical instruments such as matouqin and games like chess. As the empire grew, these were obtained by trade from other countries or craftsmen captured in war were set to produce them for the victors. Gold and silver decoration reflected their tastes and a beautiful golden culture flourished.
This will be a large-scale exhibition, introducing the mystery-shrouded world of Genghis Khan and the great Mongol empire. The Inner Mongolia Museum of the People's Republic of China contains a collection of over 130,000 art and archeological items relating to the northern nomadic horsemen and the Mongol Empire, making it the largest of its kind in the world. This exhibition will present decorative items dating from the 4th century B.C. to the 9th century A.D., prior to the appearance of Genghis Khan, those belonging to his empire when it was at its peak, as well as those from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties to decline of the Qing; a total of 159 exhibits of which 54 special exhibits are Chinese 1st National Treasure.
In Japan a film was produced based on MORIMURA Seiichi’s story, ‘Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea’ (2007), and the movie ‘Mongol’ (2007), starring ASANO Tadanobu, was nominated for the 80th Academy Awards. The author, SAKAIYA Taichi, published a newspaper serial entitled, ‘Sekai o tsukutta otoko chingis han (Genghis Khan, The Man who Created the World), and the subject still continues to excite public interest.
We hope that you will enjoy this, the first exhibition in Japan to introduce the treasures of the Mongol Empire.
Exhibition Outline
| Exhibition Name | The Legacy of Genghis Khan and the Magnificent Mongol Empire |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 2 (Tue.) - April 11 (Sun.) 2010, a total of 60 days |
| Hours | 9:30 - 17:30 (Sat., open until 19:30) Last entry 30 minutes before closing. |
| Closed | Mondays. However, the museum will open March 22 (Mon. holiday) and close on March 23 (Tue.) |
| Venue | 1st Floor Gallery, Edo-Tokyo Museum |
| Access | 3 min. walk from JR Sobu Line Ryogoku Station, West Exit. 1 min. walk from Toei Oedo Line, Ryogoku Station, Exit A4. 1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0015 |
| Admission | General : ¥1,300. ¥1,100 (1040) in advance University / technical school students : ¥1,040. ¥840 (830) in advance. Primary, junior and senior high school students / People aged 65 or over : ¥650. ¥450 (520) in advance *Advance tickets to be sold until Feb. 1, 2010. From Feb. 2, tickets will be sold at door price. * Prices in parenthesis are for groups of 20 or more. * Admission free for children below school age as well as the physically disabled with up to two carers. |
| Organized by | Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum, Sankei Shimbun Co. Ltd., TV Asahi Corporation, Toei Company, Ltd. |
| Supported by | Embassy of People's Republic of China |
| In cooperation with | Inner Mongolia Museum of the People's Republic of China, Japan Airlines |
| Planning and Production | Toei Company, Ltd. |
| For further information | Edo-Tokyo Museum : 03-3626-9974 Edo-Tokyo Museum Website : http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp |
| Exhibition Supervision | Prof. YOSHIDA Junichi (Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University. Head of the Japanese and Mongolian Association). Field of specialty: Mongol history, Central Asian history |
| Events during the exhibition | For further details please refer to the Edo-Tokyo Museum website. ‘Edohaku Culture’ 14:00 - 15:30, Feb. 25, 2010 Theme: Genghis Khan and the Mongols Lecturer: YOSHIDA Junichi, exhibition supervisor and professor at Waseda University |
Exhibition Composition
Section 1 : Mongolia During the Warring States Period
The Mongol people originate from the Mongolian plateau which is situated in the east of Central Asia and covers an area of approximately nine times that of Japan. Consisting of flat grassland, and known as the steppes, it receives little rainfall rendering it unsuitable for agriculture, resulting in the inhabitants supporting themselves through nomadic herding and hunting. The main animals raised and used are horses, the tribes of central Asia being unique as the only horse nomads in the world. Their horses allowed them to hunt, move rapidly over the plains and overpower agricultural nations, resulting in the appearance of numerous powerful nomadic confederations on the Mongolian plateau.
The period from 475 BC to 1125 AD saw the rise of numerous confederations, including Donghu, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Tujue, Khitan, etc. The Donghu developed an advanced Bronze Age culture and numerous bronze ceremonial vessels, weapons and decorative items that were used as funerary items, have been excavated from their tombs. The Xiongnu, etc., who lived on meat and dairy products, developed a beautiful and refined plains culture. The confederations that sprung up on the Mongolian plateau gradually extended their influence to the Chinese kingdoms to the south and the oasis towns to the west, submitting to Chinese rule when China was strong and building a flexible relationship with outside world. A lively cultural and mercantile exchange existed between the two peoples and many ornamental items, demonstrating a Chinese influence, remain from this period.
The first section concentrates on the nomadic peoples who lived before Genghis Khan’s time, presenting 67 archeological finds, featuring decorative items belonging to the Donghu, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Tujue and Khitan peoples.
Section 2 : The Sudden Rise of the Mongol Empire Within a Single Generation
Nomadic empires rose and fell on the Mongolian plateau then at the beginning of the 12th century, the Mongols sent tributary offerings to the Jin Dynasty, thereby increasing their power. At the end of the 12th century, a Mongol leader named Temujin (1162[?]-1227), who belonged to the Kiyad clan, united the nomadic confederations of the Mongolian plateau, founding the Mongol Empire and adopting the title, Genghis Khan. After this, Genghis Khan sent his armies into the neighboring countries, gradually conquering them, his descendants continuing his work until the empire eventually encompassed Central Asia, East Asia, West Asia and East Europe, becoming the largest contiguous empire in history. In 1260, Kublai Khan, the 2nd son of the Genghis Khan’s youngest son, founded the Yuan Dynasty, moving his capital from Karakorum to Dadu (present-day Beijing), and thereby establishing the center of the Empire in China.
The Mongol Empire soon constructed a network of roads throughout its territories and established a system of post stations. Trade with Islam and Christian merchants increased, and the Silk Road, linking Asia with Europe, flourished. Sea trade also developed and the Yuan Dynasty prospered as a multi-racial nation.
During the latter part of the Yuan Dynasty, however, it suffered from political corruption and its power waned. There was a peasant rebellion, led by religious devotees, that succeeded in forcing the Emperor Toghun Temur Khan to flee from Dadu (present-day Beijing) and return to the Mongolian plateau. The Mongol minority who remained in China chose to join with the Chinese.
Section 3 : The Mongols During the Ming and Qing Dynasties
In 1368 the establishment of the Ming Dynasty forced the Yuan Emperor, Toghun Temur Khan to flee Dadu (present-day Beijing) and gave rise to confrontation between the Mongols and Ming in the old Yuan territories that was to last for about 270 years. During that period, the power of the Khans waned and this led to a period of continued unrest as powerful men, unrelated to Genghis Khan, fought each other for power. This unrest was finally brought to an end by Dayan Khan, said to be direct descendent of Genghis Khan. ‘Dayan’ means ‘Great Yuan’ and he took control of the eastern Mongolian plateau, reorganizing the nomadic peoples. His grandson, Altan Khan, concluded peace and established trade with the Ming Dynasty, while also introducing Tibetan Buddhism to the Mongols, thereby becoming one of the most influential rulers in Mongol history.
After his death Altan Khan was succeeded by Nurhaci, the leader of the Manchu region, and his son, Huang Taiji, who greatly extended their power, taking control of Inner Mongolia (present-day southern Gobi Desert), then in 1636 establishing the Qing dynasty. They eventually conquered Outer Mongolia (present-day northern Gobi Desert) bringing the majority of the Mongols under Qing control.
With the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911, Outer Mongolia declared independence. In 1947, the area known as Inner Mongolia was declared an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China.
