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The Mourning Children - Production Art & Research Exhibition
Tokyo National Museum
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Artists
Sunao Katabuchi
The acclaimed film “In This Corner of the World” (2016) masterfully depicted life during WWII 80 years ago—capturing the breath, atmosphere, and emotions of the era in stunning detail.
Now, the same creative team behind that masterpiece takes on a new challenge: “The Mourning Children” (Tsurubami-iro no Nagiko-tachi), venturing a thousand years into the past.
Traditionally, the Heian period has been imagined — through literature and art — as a world of resplendent robes, elegant poetry, and leisurely games of kemari, all wrapped in refinement. Yet what emerges through a process of “rediscovery” and “reconstruction” is a very different picture.
“Tsuru-bami-iro” (mulberry color) refers to the dark, muted black hue of mourning robes worn by Heian aristocracy. The age of “The Pillow Book” and “The Tale of Genji” may appear graceful and serene, but in reality, Heian aristocrats lived amid an overwhelming tide of death, often unable to remove their mourning clothes before entering the next period of grief.
This exhibition and lecture will display a glimpse into how this world is being reconstructed through the making of the film — and share some of the discoveries made along the way.
Venue: Tokyo National Museum Heiseikan Lounge 1F
Now, the same creative team behind that masterpiece takes on a new challenge: “The Mourning Children” (Tsurubami-iro no Nagiko-tachi), venturing a thousand years into the past.
Traditionally, the Heian period has been imagined — through literature and art — as a world of resplendent robes, elegant poetry, and leisurely games of kemari, all wrapped in refinement. Yet what emerges through a process of “rediscovery” and “reconstruction” is a very different picture.
“Tsuru-bami-iro” (mulberry color) refers to the dark, muted black hue of mourning robes worn by Heian aristocracy. The age of “The Pillow Book” and “The Tale of Genji” may appear graceful and serene, but in reality, Heian aristocrats lived amid an overwhelming tide of death, often unable to remove their mourning clothes before entering the next period of grief.
This exhibition and lecture will display a glimpse into how this world is being reconstructed through the making of the film — and share some of the discoveries made along the way.
Venue: Tokyo National Museum Heiseikan Lounge 1F
Schedule | Oct 28 (Tue) 2025-Nov 3 (Mon) 2025 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Tokyo National Museum Collection Exhibition admission fee required (except on November 3). | ||||
| Website | https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_event/index.php?controller=dtl&cid=5&id=11472 | ||||
| Venue | Tokyo National Museum https://www.tnm.jp/?lang=en | ||||
| Location | 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8712 | ||||
| Access | 10 minute walk from the Koen exit of JR Ueno Station, 13 minute walk from the Main exit of Keisei Ueno Station on the Keisei line, 15 minute walk from exit 7 at Ueno Station on the Ginza and Hibiya lines. | ||||
| Phone | 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial) | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it  |
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