The Yamashina family have their origins in the Fujiwara Hokke, one of the most powerful clans in the Heian-period (8th–12th century) court. They served the emperor for many generations as Stewards of the Emperor’s Wardrobe, during which they passed down knowledge of nobles’ attire and dressing conventions—now known as Yamashina-style rules of dress. Their long-standing connection to the imperial court is believed to have been the basis upon which they received palace porcelains. Displayed in this section are a set of emperor’s robes and the diary of Yamashina Tokitsugu, considered the most important document within the Yamashina family’s collection of diaries.

This section introduces sets of tableware from the palace porcelain presented to the Yamashina family. The Yamashina collection houses multiple sets of ten or more plates and bowls, which were key components of palace porcelain sets. These sets are rarely preserved on such a scale, making this collection very valuable.

Yūsoku monyō (Heian courtly motifs) are traditional designs used in the clothes, furniture, and architecture of the nobility. Many of the designs on palace porcelain combine the imperial chrysanthemum crest and yūsoku monyō. This section lifts the veil on some of the objects in the Yamashina collection by focusing on their yūsoku monyō. Feast your eyes on porcelain furnishings used in palace life, such as smoking sets, incense burners, incense cases, and braziers. This section also presents historical records from the Tsuji family, palace porcelain manufacturers who were based in Arita, Saga, as well as documents from the neighboring city of Imari, from which these porcelains were distributed.

The palace’s Imari porcelain was also used in ritual ceremonies both in the imperial court and within noble families. This section introduces a number of court customs documented in the Illustrated Records of Court Ceremonies, as well as the historical documents owned by the Yamashina family, who were involved in such ceremonies.