The year 2023 is the year of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac.
To mark the beginning of the New Year, this exhibition introduces the rabbits hidden among the diverse collections of Keio University — from the familiar tales with rabbits, to objects that makes you wonder "is this really a rabbit?" We hope that you will visit this exhibition to delight in the depictions of rabbits from throughout history and in a wide range of media.
In cooperation with the Izumi Kyoka Kinenkan Museum, the exhibition introduces the rabbit collection of Kyoka Izumi, a novelist who was known for his love of rabbits, as well as works by members of his circle of friends, which they dubbed the "Ku-Ku-Ku Kai." This group included several artists, such as Kiyokata Kaburaki, Settai Komura, and Sabrosuke Okada, in addition to the authors Takitaro Minakami and Mantaro Kubota, who were both graduates of Keio University.
It is our hope that this exhibition provides visitors with an opportunity to experience the breadth of the Keio University collection through the lens of the interaction between Kyoka and his circle of friends.