Foot step of Japanese American Robert Shiomi(6)－Donation of Cultural Heritage－

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America is known to have culture of nobles oblige and for those who performs it are rewarded by tax reduction, but that of Robert Shiomi gives impression that it is more than obligation.

According to my mother, Robert’s niece, Robert sometimes muttered that “when one donates consistently, one cannot say “not this year” and hence there are years I have to borrow some money to donate”, but I did not understand details. It seems that his donation has 3 types. 1, exchange students support, 2, Orchestra or Opera support and 3, donation for cultural heritage. As for No3, below are list of donation from Robert Shiomi obtained from Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) annexed to University of Oregon.

1. anonymous/Head of Buddha/Gandharan, mid-2nd cenury, Kushan dynasty

2. anonymous/Standing Arya-Avalokitesvara(sho Kannon bosatsu)/Japanese, Heian period(794-1185)

3. anonymouse/Welcoming Descent o Amitabha Buddha(Amida Nyorai)/Japanese, Nambokucho(1336-1392)

4. anonymous/Thirteen Buddist Deities (Jusan butsu)/Japanese, Nambokucho(1336-1392)

5. Tosa no Tsunetaka/Sugawara no Michizane in Formal Court Attire (Sokutai Tenjin)/Japanese, Kamakura(1185-1333)

6. anonymous/Pilgrimage of Priest Gyogi/Japanese, Momoyama period (1537-1615)

7. Formerly attributed to OGATA Korin/Lotus (Jun type)/Japanese, Edo (Tokugawa) period (1615-1868)

8. Wong Lui-Sang/Moon Setting, Crows Cry in the Frost-Filled Sky/Chinese, 1963

9. KANO Yasunobu/The Crafts of Kyoto/Japanese, Edo (Tokugawa) period (1615-1868)

10. Unknown/Shakyamuni and Sixteen Protective Deities (Shaka juroku zenshin) /Japanese, Muromachi period (1336-1568)

11. KANO Yukinobu (Utanosuke) /Rice Cultivation/Japanese, Muromachi period (1336-1568)

12. anonymous/Banana Plant and Peonies/Japanese, Momoyama period (1568-1615)

13. anonymous/Plum and Pine/Japanese, Momoyama period (1568-1615)

14. Ganku/Tiger/Japanese, 19th century

15. TOSA School/Scenes of the Yoshiwara/Japanese, Edo (Tokugawa) period (1615-1868), 17th century

16. RENZON Kishi/Album of Assorted Landscape, Figure & Animal Designs/Japanese, 19th century

17. Welcoming Descent o Amitabha Buddha(Amida Nyorai) with Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara (Kannon Bosatsu) and Mahasthamaprapta (Seishi Bosatsu); Amida sanzon raigo zu/Japanese, Kamakura period (1185-1333)

18. ISHIDA Yutei/Chinese Imperial Palace in Mountain Landscape/Japanese, Edo (Tokugawa) period (1615-1868)

19. Ganku/Cranes and Rushes, Cranes and Pine/Japanese, Edo (Tokugawa) period (1615-1868), early 19th century

20. KISHI Renzan/Dragon and Tiger/Edo (Tokugawa) period (1615-1868), circa 1850

21. anonymous/Views along the Kamo River in Kyoto (Rakuchu rakugaizu byobu)/Edo (Tokugawa) period (1615-1868), 17th century

The best would be “21.Views along the Kamo River in Kyoto”, donated in 1994, the last years of Robert 21. It is a pair of folded screen called “Shiomi screen” . I happened to find the existence of this screen by the Archeb of the master thesis of Oregon University. I talked to Ms. Heather Hanson, the author several times through LinkedIn. All thanks to internet.

The master thesis of Ms. Hanson

Collections of Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA)

 

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