News Release

Tsuzuri Project donates a high-resolution facsimile of 16th century artwork "Peafowl and Phoenixes" to a museum in Izumi, a city with strong ties to the attributed artist

TOKYO, June 25, 2025—Canon Inc. announced today that the Tsuzuri Project (officially, the Cultural Heritage Inheritance Project), a joint project organized by Canon and Kyoto Culture Association (NPO), has donated a high-resolution facsimile of "Peafowl and Phoenixes," a famous 16^th century artwork attributed to Tosa Mitsuyoshi, to be displayed for a special public viewing at the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi in Osaka, Japan. The original piece resides in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.

"Peafowl and Phoenixes," is an elegant piece of art which was painted during the Momoyama period (1573-1615). It depicts a pair of male and female peafowl and a corresponding pair of phoenixes against a background of paulownia trees and bamboo, their gorgeous, painstakingly colored wings illuminated brilliantly amid the gold surroundings. The right-side folding screen features the phoenixes at the center, with spring flora such as horsetail shoots and violets drawn around their feet. On the left screen, the peafowl are surrounded by Japanese gentian and Chinese lantern plants, showing that the autumnal season is underway. This artwork, which was painted in exquisite detail with a subtle use of colors, is thought to be the work of Tosa Mitsuyoshi, a painter from the Tosa school who specialized in such detailed paintings.

"Peafowl and Phoenixes" is known as a valuable piece of artwork which conveys the history of Japanese art, combining both Yamato-e (Japanese-style paintings) and Kara-e (Chinese-style paintings) in a style similar to works produced by the Kano school. Tosa Mitsuyoshi was based in Izumi Province (modern-day southwestern Osaka Prefecture), the location of the Imperial Court painting bureau which managed Imperial Court painters, and is said to have been connected to townspeople such as merchants and cultural figures. Therefore, in a sense, the donation of this high-resolution facsimile might be considered its “return home” to Izumi.

Canon jointly reproduced the cultural property as part of the Stage 17 of the Tsuzuri Project. Its EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless camera was used to capture images of the original work, after which Canon applied its proprietary color matching system and image processing. The facsimile was then output using large-format inkjet printers with 12-color pigment ink. Finally, expert Kyoto craftsmen applied gold to the facsimile and mounted it on folding screen frames, completing an extremely accurate reproduction of the original work.

The donated work will be displayed^* for a special public viewing from Thursday, June 26, 2025 to Sunday, March 22, 2026 in the lounge of the main building of the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi, which houses many masterpieces of Oriental antiquity, national treasures and important cultural properties and is known as a regional cultural hub. At the exhibition, visitors will not only be allowed to take photographs but also view the artwork up close without a glass case. This will allow them to fully appreciate the unique impact and beauty of the full-scale model which faithfully reproduces the delicate color tones and decorative expressions, including the gold used for the phoenix and peafowl feathers. The work will later become a permanent display at the museum. As the creation of a painter who has a strong connection to the region, it will also be used for cultural events organized by Izumi City and events held in cooperation with local communities.

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  Admission to the lounge of the main building requires a separate fee. For information about museum opening hours and display locations, please visit the official Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts website:
  Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi

About the Tsuzuri Project

The Tsuzuri Project is a joint cultural support activity organized by Canon and Kyoto Culture Association (NPO) in 2007. Many of Japan’s precious historical and cultural assets have limited viewing opportunities, often because they have been moved overseas or are preserved in storage as designated national treasures. The project produces high-resolution facsimiles by combining Canon’s technical expertise in imaging, processing, and output with the master craftsmanship of traditional Kyoto artisans. These high-resolution facsimiles are donated to institutions with ties to cultural assets such as shrines, temples, local governments, and museums and are available for a variety of purposes including public display and tangible educational materials. So far, more than 60 high-resolution facsimiles of artwork from artists including Katsushika Hokusai, Tawaraya Sōtatsu, and Ogata Kōrin have been produced

For more information, please visit the official Tsuzuri Project website:
https://global.canon/en/tsuzuri/