Category: Report

Ueno Royal Museum

Located within the former grounds of Todaiji Temple in Nara, Shosoin is a miraculous treasure house that has protected and passed down for nearly 1,300 years 9,000 treasures that convey the essence of Tenpyo culture. Every autumn, the Shosoin Exhibition is held, where the treasures are open to the public, but recently, the Ueno Royal Museum is holding "Shosoin THE SHOW – Feel. The miracle that exists here, now," which proposes a new way to enjoy the treasures that takes a different approach from viewing the actual items.

The event will run from Saturday, September 20th to Sunday, November 9th, 2025.

Empress Komyo (701-760) supported the 45th Emperor Shomu (701-756), known for the construction of provincial temples and the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple, and worked on Buddhist policies and relief for the poor. The history of the Shosoin treasures began when Empress Komyo, praying for the repose of Emperor Shomu's soul, donated some of Emperor Shomu's beloved belongings to the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple. Among the approximately 9,000 treasures, many have clear records of their dates of creation, purpose, and origin, conveying to the present day the techniques, aesthetic sense, and aspirations of the people of that time.

This exhibition is under the full supervision of the Imperial Household Agency's Shosoin Office and has the theme of "Weaving Love and Beauty," unraveling the various stories behind the treasures that have been carefully protected under the imperial seal system, allowing visitors to experience their charm with their whole body.

At the beginning of the venue, a full-size replica of the "National Treasure Book," a catalogue of the donated treasures and measuring over 14 meters in length, is displayed unfolded on a full sheet of paper, showing the origins of the Shosoin treasures. While this exhibition is a traveling exhibition from the Osaka venue, the "National Treasure Book" is a new exhibit from the Tokyo venue.

At a press briefing held prior to the event, Takehiko Iida, director of the Imperial Household Agency's Shosoin Office, spoke of the dilemma that trying to strictly manage the treasures, which have become fragile over the course of 1,300 years, makes it difficult to open them to the public, and explained that this exhibition was born as a solution. "We wanted to provide a more innovative experience than just looking at the treasures themselves, so we have also included exhibits that appeal to all five senses, allowing visitors to appreciate the appeal of the treasures from all angles," he said, and as such, the exhibition does not feature actual treasures on display .

Some people may be disappointed and think, "What, there are no real ones?", but instead, there are "reproductions" on display that have been researched and produced for many years by the Shosoin Office of the Imperial Household Agency .

Unlike ordinary replicas, reproductions do not simply resemble the appearance, but rather utilize a variety of analytical and optical equipment to investigate the materials and techniques of the time, and Living National Treasures and other master craftsmen use their skilled techniques to aim to recreate the original appearance of the treasures. This exhibition features 11 reproductions, including the world's only surviving ancient five-stringed biwa, the "Mother-of-pearl Purple Sandalwood Five-Stringed Biwa," and the "Mother-of-pearl Box," both of which are renowned as representative treasures of the Shosoin Repository.

The goal of the Shosoin Office is to "create another Shosoin treasure." The replica is like a treasure that has traveled back in time to the present day, allowing us to see the treasures as close as possible to the ones that people of the Nara period actually saw, without any discoloration or damage.

In addition, since 2019, the Shosoin Office has been collaborating with TOPPAN to create detailed 3D digital data (digital archives) of the treasures, making full use of the latest 3D measurement, high-resolution photography, and texture capture technologies .

In this exhibition, a video work that adds special effects to this 3D digital data will be projected in high-definition video of approximately 12K on a huge screen approximately 4 meters high and 20 meters wide. The screen uses screen paint developed based on research on "Quantum Dots," which won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023, making the treasures shine with even sharper contrast.

The approximately 17-minute screening is set to magnificent music and is divided into three parts: a "story video" about the hidden tales of Shosoin, a "digital treasure video" that approaches the overwhelming "beauty" of the treasures themselves, and a "reproduced and imitation treasure video." The most impressive part is the "World of Beauty of Shosoin" in the story video, which recreates a fantastical universe of "beauty" with camels, elephants, and mythical beasts strutting about among the flower and bird patterns and mother-of-pearl decorations on the treasures. The sense of beauty embodied in the treasures is condensed into this video, and standing in front of the screen provides an even greater sense of immersion.

The digital treasure footage projects treasures at angles that allow viewers to glimpse the details and textures of treasures that are difficult to see with the naked eye, such as the gorgeous decorative mirror "Circular Mirror with Flat Mother-of-Pearl Back No. 11," featuring a floral and bird motif interspersed with lapis lazuli and turquoise flakes, and the beautiful incense burner stand "Urushi-Kin Usu-Eban (Lacquer and Gold Thin Picture Board) B," featuring 32 brilliantly colored petals. A truly immersive viewing experience is possible even without the use of monoculars. "Urushi-Kin Usu-Eban (Lacquer and Gold Thin Picture Board) B" offers a truly enjoyable experience that can only be achieved with digital data, with the petals being disassembled to reveal the design, as if a flower is blooming, and the appearance of incense rising.

One of the highlights is the display of a reproduction of the scent of the legendary fragrant wood "Ranjatai ." Ranjatai (treasure name: Huang Jukkou) is a type of agarwood made by depositing resin and essential oils on the stumps of the Aquilaria genus of the Thymelaeaceae family, which is found in Southeast Asia. It was coveted by rulers of the time, such as Oda Nobunaga, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and Yoshimasa, and has been called "the most famous fragrance in the world." Amazingly, it is said that you can still smell a faint scent of it today.

To record the fading scent, the Shosoin Office, with the cooperation of Takasago International Corporation, will begin analyzing the aromatic components in the air volatilizing from the Ranjatai starting in 2024. Furthermore, through the perfumer's 'monko' (a method of savory aroma appreciation in which fragrant wood is heated in an incense burner and the aroma is savored), they discovered that the fragrance resembled labdanum, a natural fragrance extracted from the resin of the cistus plant, and created the first-ever replica fragrance based on this.

Takashi Suzuki of Takasago International Corporation's IR/PR department explained, "Rather than the scent of Ranjatai itself, it is closer to the scent you smell when you listen to it, the scent that Oda Nobunaga and others smelled." At the venue, a replica fragrance will be placed in a glass container so that visitors can actually enjoy the scent.

The writer felt that it had an elegant fragrance reminiscent of cinnamon and apricot kernel. This world-famous fragrance has been revived in modern times, and we highly recommend experiencing it at the venue.

Beyond the "Avenue of Beauty," which is covered up to the ceiling with colorful designs of a wide variety of treasures, lies an exhibition area where new works created by contemporary artists inspired by the Shosoin treasures are on display.

The participating artists are music producer Kameda Seiji, photographer Takimoto Mikiya, ceramic artist Kamee Michiko, and designer Shinohara Tomoe .

Seiji Kameda has released a piece called "Hikari," which combines recordings of his treasured biwa and shakuhachi instruments with contemporary music.
Takimoto Mikiya exhibited a series of monochrome photographs of the majestic Shosoin Repository illuminated by moonlight in the dark, evoking the nocturnal world seen by people 1,300 years ago, when there was no light like we have today.
Michiko Kamee imagined the stories of people at the time who would have been moved by the colors, materials, and patterns they had never seen before, and acted out those stories while creating her works.The small plates and vases on display are decorated with patterns created by skillfully combining digital technology and analog brushwork.

Shinohara Tomoe, who attended the press preview, spoke about the production process and details of her "LACQUERED EWER SHOSOIN DRESS, " a dress that combines tradition and modernity with a motif of a Persian-style water pitcher called a "lacquered gobin," inspired by the "beauty that is relevant to the present day" of the Shosoin treasures.

"Lacquer Hubin" is a delicate design of flowers, birds and animals made from thin silver plates using lacquer art unique to East Asia. Shinohara was captivated by the overwhelming presence of this piece, saying, "I felt a sense of the generous flow of the continent and a timeless aesthetic sense."

The creation of this piece, which took about a year from conception to completion, involved hand-tracing over 400 different pattern parts based on 3D data of the treasures, while also embracing the passion of past artisans. Intensely committed to embodying 1,300 years of history, the designers repeatedly applied the cut brass pieces to the crushed velvet fabric, soaking them in chemicals and applying heat to add nuances through repeated trial and error.

The focus of the dress was on its form, and she commented, "I made sure to preserve as much of the oriental form of the lacquered gobin as possible, based on the 3D data. It was my first attempt at creating a costume from 3D data, but I created it with the hope that people would feel as if they were actually peering into a treasure."

While observing the lacquered gobins, he noticed that not only animals such as deer and birds, but even small insects existed in pairs of male and female. He shared the following story, revealing how he was moved when he discovered a "love story between Emperor Shomu and Empress Komyo" in the lacquered gobins.

"The main feature of this exhibition is that it allows you to experience the Shosoin treasures as art, and it is an exhibition that shows the seriousness of the Imperial Household Agency's Shosoin Office. I would be very happy if this exhibition allows you to feel the charm of the Shosoin treasures, the value of handiwork, and the passion of our ancestors who have passed them down to the present. I hope everyone will come and see it."

"Shosoin THE SHOW – Feel the miracle that exists here now" allows you to not only experience the charm of the treasures that have been brought back to life in modern times using the latest technology, but also to come into contact with the feelings of the people who have protected and passed down the history of the ancient treasures. The exhibition will run until Sunday, November 9th.

Overview of "Shosoin THE SHOW – Feel the miracle that exists here and now"

Dates	Saturday, September 20, 2025 – Sunday, November 9, 2025
venue	Ueno Royal Museum
Opening hours	10:00-17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission fee	(Same-day tickets) Adults: 2,300 yen, High school and university students: 1,700 yen, Elementary and junior high school students: 1,100 yen *Free admission for preschool children *For ticket details, please see the exhibition's official website.
Organizer	The Ueno Royal Museum, "Shosoin THE SHOW" Executive Committee (Yomiuri Television, The Yomiuri Shimbun, TOPPAN, Kadokawa Media House), Nippon Television Network, BS Nippon Television
Supervision	Shosoin Office of the Imperial Household Agency
inquiry	Hello Dial 050-5541-8600 (9:00-20:00 open every day)
Exhibition official website	https://shosoin-the-show.jp/tokyo/

*The content of this article is current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official exhibition website for the latest information.

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"Berabou: Tsutaju Eika no Yumebanashi" is a historical drama that depicts the turbulent life of Tsutaya Juzaburo, also known as Tsutaju, a media mogul active in the mid-Edo period.

The "Berabou Edo Taito Taiga Drama Museum" that we visited this time is a facility that opened in Taito Ward, Tokyo, an area associated with Tsutaya Juzaburo, the main character of "Berabou – Tsutajueika no Yumebanashi." The Taiga Drama Museum is packed with content that will allow you to enjoy the drama even more, such as the costumes and props of the characters.

In this report, we will introduce its charms and highlights.

Experience the atmosphere of the Edo period

The Taito Civic Hall, where the Taiga Drama Museum is located, is just a few minutes' walk from Asakusa Station. The 9th floor is an Edo-period town called "Oedo Karamarumachi," and upon stepping inside, you'll feel as if you've traveled back in time.

The corridor leading from the elevator to the Taiga Drama Museum is also filled with various gimmicks that entertain visitors, such as panels where people appear from silhouettes when photographed with a flash, and walls painted with ukiyo-e art that changes depending on the angle from which you view it.

When you step into the "Berabou Edo Taito Taiga Drama Museum," you will be greeted by the main visual of Tsutaju, played by Yokohama Ryusei.

Tsutaya Juzaburo was born in 1750 in Shin-Yoshiwara, Edo (present-day Senzoku, Taito Ward), and opened the bookstore "Koshodo" in front of the Yoshiwara Daimon Gate in his twenties. He interacted with Toshusai Sharaku, Kitagawa Utamaro, and other writers who represent Edo culture, and achieved great success as the "media king of Edo."

The historical drama "Berabou: Tsutaju Eika no Yumebanashi," which depicts the life of Tsutaju, will begin airing on January 5, 2025, and was already entertaining many viewers at the time of this interview in early October.

"Berabou Introduction" introduces the main cast and staff

The Taiga Drama Museum is divided into nine zones.
The "Berabou Introduction" section will feature an exhibition of Tsutaju's costumes and an introduction to the main cast and staff.
The highlight is Tsutaju's costume displayed in the center. It is the black-green tsumugi striped kimono that Tsutaju wore in the drama.

Sachiko Ito, who was in charge of costume design, explained why she chose green for the kimono worn by the main character, Tsutaju, instead of the more common indigo blue:

"He's still nobody, but he's not bound by anything, and he's mischievous and imaginative, and he's going to create something new. I chose the color green, which is not easy to reproduce, as a color to symbolize the start of such an original life."

He said:

The exhibit also features comments from actors such as lead actor Yokohama Ryusei and narrator Ayase Haruka, who plays Kurosuke Inari, as well as from the production team, including screenwriter Morishita Yoshiko, composer John Graham, and title calligrapher Ishikawa Kyuyo.

The photo spot featuring the English title for overseas audiences, "UNBOUND," seems to be extremely popular, with many people taking the same arm-crossed pose as Tsutaju to have their photo taken.

Incidentally, "UNBOUND" means "liberated" or "unconstrained." It seems to have been chosen as a word to describe Tsutaya Juzaburo, who lived a life unconstrained by social status or origin, and unconstrained by convention.

The "Ijikkenmichi Zone" displays props and panels related to Tsutaju.

The next zone, the "Ichikkenmichi Zone," displays props related to Tsutaju, the publisher (a modern-day publishing company; originally referring to the business owner who owns the "plates" used in printing), as well as panels of related characters. The exhibit also includes costumes and props (some of which are replicas) actually used in filming, making for an extremely valuable exhibit.

In particular, "Ehon Mushi Erami," which appeared in the 34th competition, is a gorgeous picture book that fully demonstrates Utamaro's keen observational skills and realism. You will be captivated by the vivid colors and exquisite realism.
It's a rare opportunity to see items that are essential to the drama's episodes up close.

A replica set of "Tsutaya" is also on display. Of course, the scale is adjusted to fit the venue, but it is truly "Tsutaya" itself. The level of reproduction is amazing.

The interior has been meticulously recreated, from the chest of drawers to the household altar, and the eaves are lined with books that Tsutaju was involved in publishing and rental books. You can even sit inside, so be sure to take a commemorative photo.

Recreating Yoshiwara's main street! "Nakanomachi Zone"

The most eye-catching exhibit is the costume worn by Segawa, the legendary courtesan played by Fuka Koshiba, during her courtesan procession. You can picture the courtesans walking briskly down the main street, garnering attention.
The visual of Nakanomachi, Yoshiwara's main street, in the background also leaves a striking impression, but since it would not be possible to build such a long set during the actual filming of the drama, a panel explained that an LED wall of images was used to create depth.

Additionally, the 4K Theater next to the Nakanomachi Zone screens video content that delves into the themes and behind-the-scenes of the program, and also introduces famous places and historical sites in Taito Ward related to Tsutaju.

There is also a circular bus that runs from the Taiga Drama Museum to places associated with Tsutaju, such as Shohoji Temple, Tsutaju's family temple, and the grave of Hiraga Gennai, who had a connection with Tsutaju, so it's a good idea to actually visit the spots you saw in the theater (you will need to present a commemorative visitor's card from the Taiga Drama Museum to board the circular bus).

The official website for "Taito Ward, a place associated with Tsutaju" introduces model tourist courses that take visitors to the Taiga Drama Museum and places associated with Tsutaju, as well as events and traditional rites related to the culture of the Edo period, when Tsutaju lived.
If you're interested, please check out the official website of "Taito Ward, the place associated with Tsutaju."

The Edo Castle Zone focuses on the Shogunate and its retainers

Edo Castle is also an important location in the story.
The setting of "Berabou: Tsutaju Eika no Yumebanashi" is the mid-Edo period, a time of prolonged peace and flourishing arts and culture. However, with the "Kansei Reforms" of Matsudaira Sadanobu as a turning point, the circumstances surrounding Tsutaju and his friends also began to change dramatically.

The Edo Castle Zone features exhibits focusing on people associated with the Edo Shogunate, such as the Shogun family and their retainers, as well as panels introducing the program's art and behind-the-scenes filming.

At the end of the Taiga Drama Museum, handwritten messages and autographed colored paper from the cast members are displayed, conveying the passion they have for this drama. It's also a great way to find the autograph of your favorite character, or to remember characters who have unfortunately already left the show.

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Experience the Edo market! "Taito Edo Market"

The adjacent Taito Edo Market sells souvenirs bearing the logo of the historical drama "Berabou," as well as items related to Edo and products made by local Taito ward companies.

The Taito Edo Market has such a wide variety of souvenirs that you could easily spend an hour just looking around, and the beautiful interior decorations are also noteworthy. There is also a corner where you can try your hand at solving "hanjie," a type of riddle that was popular in the Edo period, and it's full of fun. It would be fun to try it with your children.

Speaking of fun, the commemorative stamp corner in the lobby also has a unique feature.
By layering five color plates on the back of the visitor's certificate, you will eventually complete Utagawa Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Asakusa Kinryuzan." This is a fun experience of the multicolor printing technique of ukiyo-e.

The Taiga Drama Museum is currently holding guided tours, which are enjoyable for both first-time visitors and repeat visitors, so why not give it a try?

Although I had not seen the drama, I was intrigued by the character of Tsutaju, the "media king of Edo," portrayed through the drama, and the place where he grew up, Taito Ward.

The Taiga Drama Museum will be open until Monday, January 12th, 2026 (national holiday).
After viewing the Taiga Drama Museum, why not take a tour of the places associated with Tsutaju and let your thoughts wander back to the Edo period?

■ Overview of the "Berabou Edo Taito Taiga Drama Museum"

period	February 1, 2025 (Saturday) – January 12, 2026 (Monday/Holiday)
Opening hours	9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed days	The second Monday of every month (the following day if the second Monday is a public holiday), New Year's holidays, etc.
place	Taito Civic Hall, 9th floor, 2-6-5 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Organizer	Taito Ward Historical Drama "Berabou" Promotion Council
inquiry	03-4330-1409 (Taiga Drama Museum)
"Taito Ward, the place associated with Tsutaju" official website	https://taito-tsutaju.jp/features/exhibition

■ Overview of the Taito Edo Market

period	February 1, 2025 (Saturday) – January 12, 2026 (Monday/Holiday)
Opening hours	9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed days	The second Monday of every month (the following day if the second Monday is a public holiday), New Year's holidays, etc.
place	Taito Civic Hall, 9th floor, 2-6-5 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo
inquiry	03-6802-8150 (Taito Edo Market)
"Taito Ward, the place associated with Tsutaju" official website	https://taito-tsutaju.jp/features/edomonoichi

*The content of this article is current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official website for the latest information.

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Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

 

The exhibition “Van Gogh: A Painter’s Dream Passed on by a Family” is currently being held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum , tracing the activities of the Van Gogh family, including the devoted support of the globally beloved painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), his brother Theo, his wife Jo, and his nephew Vincent Willem, and showing how Vincent’s dreams and works have been passed down to the present day.
The event will run from Friday, September 12th to Sunday, December 21st, 2025.

Vincent van Gogh started his career as a painter somewhat late, in 1880, at the age of 27, but he produced around 2,000 works in the short 10 years until his death in July 1890 at the age of 37. During his lifetime, Vincent was devotedly supported both emotionally and financially by his younger brother, close friend, and fellow artist, Theo (Theodorus van Gogh), but he passed away six months after his brother’s death.

Although Vincent was not unknown during his lifetime, it is well known that he only sold a few of his works. So how did he come to achieve such a brilliant reputation today as a painter whose works are treasured in art museums around the world?

Theo’s wife, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, who inherited the vast collection after his death, played a key role in this. Jo dedicated her life to bringing her brother-in-law’s work to the world, working tirelessly to ensure that he was properly recognized as a painter by exhibiting his works in exhibitions, strategically selling them, and organizing and publishing his correspondence.

Furthermore, Theo and Jo’s son, Vincent Willem van Gogh, established the Vincent van Gogh Foundation in 1960 to prevent the collection from being dispersed, and was instrumental in opening the National Vincent van Gogh Museum (now the Van Gogh Museum), which has a generous policy on lending artworks.

This exhibition is the first in Japan to focus on this carefully handed-down family collection. It features over 30 of Vincent’s oil paintings and drawings, primarily from the Van Gogh Museum’s collection. In addition, the exhibition is divided into five chapters, showcasing oil paintings and drawings by Paul Gauguin and Édouard Manet, illustrated prints from British and French newspapers, and ukiyo-e prints, all of which reveal the interests of the Van Gogh brothers and the art trends of their time, as well as four handwritten letters by Vincent, which will be shown in Japan for the first time.

Vincent aspired to be a painter, and from 1881 he honed his drawing and oil painting skills in The Hague and the rural village of Nuenen in the Netherlands. He established his modern style in Paris, where he moved in 1886, and went on to create innovative masterpieces in Arles, Saint-Rémy, and Auvers-sur-Oise, the place of his death in the south of France. The works on display at this exhibition allow visitors to trace the artist’s career over those intense 10 years.

“Face of a Fisherman in a Waterproof Hat” (1883) was painted during his time in The Hague, when he was enthusiastically studying black media such as pencil, chalk, and ink, influenced by the realistic subject matter and black-and-white contrasts found in illustrated newspaper prints. During his stay in Nuenen, his interest in color theory grew, and he began actively working on still lifes as a way to practice working with color. “Vase with Lunaria” (1884) is one of his first botanical still lifes, produced in late autumn and early winter of 1884.

Upon arriving in Paris, he was astonished to find that the works of the new avant-garde painters were completely different from what he had imagined, and he began to move away from the dark tones seen in this work and to seek out new colors and brushwork. Taking inspiration from the painters he respected, such as Delacroix’s colors and Monticelli’s impasto technique, he produced over 30 still lifes of flowers in the summer of 1886 alone. One of these, Vase with Gladiolus and Aster Flowers (1886), features a distinctive background resembling overlapping crosses.

If you turn your eyes to the highlight of this exhibition, the masterpiece Self-Portrait as a Painter (1887-1888) , which is said to be the last work he produced during his time in Paris, you will be amazed at how, in just two years, he had transformed into an extremely modern painter, compared to the oil paintings he produced during his time in the Netherlands.

The rich and skillful use of color, the fruit of his color theory studies in Paris, is born from the palette of colors that can be seen on the canvas, and the brushstrokes, imbued with unwavering confidence, spread vividly across the canvas. His posture is good, and his gaze, though slightly shadowed, is directed directly at the viewer, giving the impression of a strong will, perhaps a declaration of his pride as an artist, or perhaps a declaration of his resolve.

 There is an anecdote about this work, about the first time Vincent and Yeo met in 1890, before Vincent left the Saint-Rémy asylum and headed for Auvers-sur-Oise. Yeo had heard many stories about Vincent’s illnesses and poor health, so he imagined him to be a frail-looking man, but in his memoirs he wrote that he found him to be “a sturdy, broad-shouldered man with a healthy complexion, a smile on his face, and a very resolute demeanor.” He added, “Of all his many self-portraits, this one, in which he is at his easel, is the one that most resembles him at that time.”

Vincent himself seems to have had a negative impression of the painting, associating it with the Grim Reaper, but in any case, this work is considered one of the most important treasures of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and, by extension, the Van Gogh Museum.

Vincent also admired Jean-François Millet, known as the “rural painter,” from the early days of his career, and left behind many copies. His “The Sower” (1888), painted during his time in Arles, was based on Millet’s work of the same name. Wanting to paint his own colorful “The Sower,” he repeatedly made prototypes until he was satisfied with the composition of this work.

The influence of ukiyo-e is clearly evident in the treatment of motifs and the deformed depictions, such as the innovative composition that boldly crops the farmer below the knees, the tree trunk that is shown close up in the foreground with extreme perspective, and the huge sun that shines divinely on the farmer, and so the work is being exhibited alongside a collection of ukiyo-e prints.

At the same time, the exhibition also includes a section featuring works that Yeo sold, i.e., works outside the Van Gogh Museum’s collection, in order to showcase his unparalleled entrepreneurial spirit and achievements in the art world .

Although Yo was originally an amateur in the field of art, after marrying Theo, she gradually became familiar with modern and contemporary art, including Van Gogh, the world of private collectors and museums, and the mechanisms of the art trade. After Theo’s death, she regularly sold Vincent’s works, but the economic reason of making a living for father and son was secondary; it was her ambitious goal to establish the reputation of Vincent, whom she believed to be a central figure in modern art.

The “accounting books” kept by Teo and Yeo shed light on Yeo’s efforts. Initially, they only recorded the household income and expenditures, but after Teo’s death, sales of his artworks were also recorded, leaving behind a vivid record of which works Yeo sold, when, to whom, and for how much. As a result of research and investigation, over 170 paintings and 44 works on paper have been identified, of which three oil paintings are on display in this exhibition.

The Van Gogh Museum boasts the world’s largest collection of Vincent’s works, with approximately 200 oil paintings and 500 drawings, and it is said that if Yeo had not sold them, there would have been around 250 more. However, it was Yeo’s strategic maneuvering that allowed his works to be included in collections around the world, making it relatively easy for those of us living in Japan to see the originals and properly appreciate them. Vincent’s dream of “having his paintings seen by people living 100 years from now” has thus been realized.

The Van Gogh Museum’s collection has gradually expanded, particularly since the late 1980s, thanks to donations and grants. While the collection has expanded to include works by the Barbizon School, the Hague School, Symbolism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism, as well as works on paper such as prints and posters, Vincent’s works and letters have also been incorporated. This exhibition marks the first time that four letters addressed to Anton van Rappard, whose whereabouts had been unknown for a long time but were discovered in a private collection in 2006, will be coming to Japan.

These are four pieces of paper from four letters addressed to Van Rappaardt, a senior painter whom Vincent met in Brussels, containing illustrations of people sitting on benches and old people he saw in a workhouse. These letters are prone to deterioration and are very rarely exhibited in exhibitions, making this an extremely rare opportunity.

At the end of the exhibition, an “Immersive Corner” will be created, offering an experience of a space over 4m high and 14m wide. High-definition images of Van Gogh Museum masterpieces such as “Branches of Blossoming Almond Trees” and “Wheat Field with Crows Flying” will be projected on a giant monitor, along with a 3D scanned CG video of “Sunflowers” (SOMPO Museum of Art). Come and enjoy this immersive experience, where you can expect to make new discoveries from a bold perspective that is too close for the naked eye.

Overview of the “Van Gogh Exhibition: A Painter’s Dream Continued by a Family”

*The content of this article is current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official exhibition website for the latest information.

Article provided by: Kokosil Ueno

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Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum is currently hosting an exhibition titled “The Joy of Making: DIY for Living,” which focuses on the creativity that everyone possesses and encourages people to think about how to “live better” in their own way. The exhibition is themed around DIY (Do It Yourself) and will run from Thursday, July 24, 2025 to Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

Here is a report on the press preview where the exhibiting artists gave lectures.

■ Exhibiting artists (in order of exhibition/titles omitted): Wakaki Kurumi, Seo Natsumi, Noguchi Kengo, Dunhill & O’Brien, Hisamura Taku, Ito Akihiro Design and Architectural Design Office, Studio Megane Architectural Design Office

 

DIY is an approach that involves using one’s own ingenuity to solve the problems at hand. This exhibition sees DIY as both a way to live better and a means to overcome inconveniences and difficulties, focusing on the “joy of making” such as the realizations and sense of accomplishment that come along with the process. Presenting works by five contemporary artists and two architects who are interested in DIY methods and ideas, the exhibition encourages reflection on the nature of DIY, which relies on one’s own methods and sensibilities, and the existence of art, which is closely connected to life.

The venue is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1, “DIY that starts with seeing,” displays the works of printmaker Kurumi Wakaki (1985-), who finds creative impetus in “seeing,” the very beginning of DIY, and reuses everyday items such as stationery, kitchen utensils, empty cans, and furniture as engravings.

The “Tube Opening” series , which uses raw lacquer tubes to create the shape of fish fillets, was inspired by the way artisans open tubes of expensive raw lacquer to use up every last bit. The unique texture of the tubes expresses their unevenness and shine, giving the “fish print” a mysterious charm. Through such experimental acts, the artist is able to inject new images and meanings into ordinary everyday items, while also presenting the joy of creativity in a humorous way that is accessible to everyone.

The ceiling-reaching “High-Street Mansion” (2025) is a work made from a refrigerator that Wakagi has been using for over 20 years since he first began living alone. As the refrigerator was nearing the end of its life, he “decided to put an end to it myself by making a print,” and so he used it for this exhibition.

The idea for the piece came from a ticket to an exhibition of German painter Paul Klee that was taped to a refrigerator. The ticket itself is incorporated into the piece, creating a Cubist-style tower apartment building reminiscent of Klee’s work, which is captivating with its musical sensibility and poetic, colorful world.

 

Chapter 2, “DIY: Rebuilding After Loss,” features works by Seo Natsumi and Noguchi Kengo , which focus on the efforts of people who have lost much due to natural disasters or economic hardship to rebuild their lives anew.

Natsumi Seo (1988-), a Tokyo native, moved to Tohoku after the Great East Japan Earthquake and is an artist who creates a wide variety of works while recording the words of people living with the disaster and the changes in the landscape.The space in this exhibition is centered around drawings and paintings.

The opening piece , Ring (2011), was painted on the night of the disaster, but he couldn’t understand why “it turned out to be the same lines as yesterday.” From there, he said, he went to the actual site and thought about what he should paint with sincerity while interacting with local people.

In 2015, Seo witnessed the process of raising the ground as part of the reconstruction of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, and the familiar mountains being cut down and the remains of the town being filled in, which made him realize the need for a story. This chapter also features a number of drawings related to “The Double Town,” a story about Rikuzentakata in 2031, where the people of the old town and the people of the new town, who live underground, are connected.

This image of a “double town” has inspired him whenever he travels to various places that have experienced disaster, including areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and has led to unexpected connections with people and places, creating opportunities for dialogue in which they can share their experiences and thoughts. Amid irreversible change, a place is created for memories and thoughts that are no longer spoken, and these are then picked up by someone else and used to support their lives. With words that empathize with loneliness, he conveys to viewers the potential of the activities that connect people in small communities.

Photographer Kengo Noguchi (1984-) is exhibiting his “Hermitage People” series , which he photographed while visiting people who have built their own unique living spaces along riverbanks and in parks. These “hermitages,” created from a bricolage of recycled materials and blue tarps, are diverse in design and appearance, with some people living there for economic reasons and others continuing to live there of their own choosing. However, each one reveals a variety of ingenuity and creativity, conveying a straightforward yet earnest “DIY for survival” spirit and the resilience of the people involved.

Noguchi has visited the same place many times over the course of his 10 years of research, and one series in the exhibition focuses on a single man and his “hermitage” using the same composition, documenting their changes.

“Some people may not have changed at all when you visit next, while others may look like they’ve aged. Or, even in the same hut, people may change residences like hermit crabs. Or, someone may have built their own home with DIY, only to have it blown away in an instant by a typhoon. These are the kinds of people who go about their daily lives in the corners of the city. The huts are, ultimately, temporary accommodations, living from day to day. I hope that people who look at the artwork will also think about what it means to live.” (Noguchi)

 

Chapter 3, “DIY Forms and Relationships,” introduces Dunhill & O’Brien and Taku Hisamura, who are engaged in a variety of expressive activities based on a sculptural approach , emphasizing the process by which the “forms” they create give rise to new “relationships” with people and society.

London-based artist duo Dunhill & O’Brien are inspired by the challenges and possibilities of collaboration, creating original installations and incorporating performances and collaborative work. All of the works on display are new creations prepared specifically for this exhibition. The starting point for this new project was their encounter with Mogami Toshiyuki’s Iroha Ni Ho He Tochirinuru Wowaka Yotare Sotsune….n, an outdoor sculpture based on the Iroha song and housed in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, where they were impressed by the relationship between form and words. (The work can be viewed free of charge.)

From there, we gathered over 100 participants from a variety of backgrounds, including artists, scientists, musicians, and writers, in the UK and Japan, and held workshops where they created clay sculptures based on texts describing outdoor sculpture. All of the clay works created through remote “dialogue” were digitized and 3D printed, and then launched as a “library of shapes” at the venue.

Furthermore, by mashing up these data sets, he created a 3D maquette (model) as a whole. He then installed a pantograph, a device used in the 19th century to enlarge sculptures, and enlarged the 3D maquette to roughly the same size as the outdoor sculpture, completing the large-scale installation “Means and Devices for Appreciating the ABCs – Mata Iroha” (2025).

What appears to be a pedestal is a full-scale replica of Dunhill & O’Brien’s studio in London. The pair describe it as a “raft for practice,” serving as a pedestal, a place of production, and a home-like space. In the exhibition, a pantograph is placed on top of the studio-style “raft,” which functions as a complex tool for creating sculptures.

Taku Hisamura (1977-), a graduate of the Sculpture Department at Tama Art University, is an artist who questions the ever-changing value of art, moving back and forth between institutional frameworks. There are no sculptures in the exhibition that could be called typical sculptures. Hisamura’s search for ways to distance himself from academic sculpture, which he describes as “strict and athletic,” led him to adopt materials that emphasize lightness and ease of strain on the body and mind, as well as DIY and handicraft techniques that are on the fringes of art.

Hisamura mainly works on parergon (structural elements that make a work of art possible), such as pedestals, frames, and exhibition spaces.

For example, the “wearable sculpture” PLUS_Ralph Lauren_yellow striped shirts (2025) is a work made from secondhand Ralph Lauren clothing. The base is embroidered onto the logo on the chest, creating a sculpture, but Hisamura felt that this alone would not take it beyond the realm of handicraft, so he framed the embroidery to create a painterly effect. In addition, he created a mandrel on a rotating platform, placed the shirt on it, and installed a stepped base made from recycled waste materials, emphasizing its artistic quality through a four-layered construction.

The “One Point Structure” series , made from hurdles donated from a closed school and A-type barricades used at construction sites, has bench-like bases that encourage visitors to sit down without realizing they are sculptures. This is a way to resolve the dilemma faced by art museums, which want visitors to enjoy the art they see, but tend to have few places to sit and rest.

The bar counter-like space , Textile Bar at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (2025), was created as a place to generate communication and encourage longer stays at the museum. Every Friday, an event is held here where visitors can order their favorite weaving yarn and fabric, just like choosing a drink at a bar, and create their own original textile. (Advance reservations required.)

The threads used are a variety of items, including those provided by craft thread manufacturers and pieces made from shredded old clothes. It is said that some of the threads were curtains from an exhibition previously held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Weaving these threads with the artist’s own hands while recalling the memories they bring to life promises to be a rich experience, typical of this exhibition.

 

Chapter 4, “DIY Station – Try it yourself!” , is a platform for visitors to reflect on the exhibits and think about DIY anew, using the diverse approaches and ingenuity seen in Chapters 1 through 3 as reference points.

The space was designed by two teams of architects , Ito Akihiro Design and Studio Megane Architects , and has a theme of “observation and contemplation.” As a symbol of this, a “DIY Timeline” has been displayed in the center of the space, which summarizes historical activities from the perspective of the DIY spirit, starting with the Arts and Crafts movement that emerged as a counter to the Industrial Revolution.

Around the exhibition, there are corners where you can experience the creative techniques and approaches of the exhibiting artists, as well as displays of materials related to DIY and the artists. For example, Dunhill & O’Brien has created a device that allows visitors to reach into a box and observe the sculpture inside with their hands, in response to their desire to “touch and feel” the sculpture.

Following the guidance of “Tsukurun,” the exhibition facilitators, who were members of the public, participants took turns explaining the characteristics of the sculpture inside the box, while the other created a picture based on the explanation.It was a lot of fun to see how the same sculpture could produce completely different pictures depending on the texture, shape, and words each participant focused on.

There are also a number of other exhibits that encourage making, talking, and thinking, such as a corner where Wakaki Kurumi carves a block out of discarded pillar wood, and visitors can turn it into a work of art using frottage (a technique in which paper is placed on a textured surface and then rubbed with a pencil or similar to transfer a pattern).Through this exhibition, visitors may encounter various impulses and emotions, such as things they want to try, things that are bothering them, things they want to solve, and this may lead to the birth of original DIY projects.

Overview of “The Joy of Making: DIY for Living”

*The content of this article is current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official exhibition website for the latest information.

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National Museum of Western Art

The National Museum of Western Art (Ueno Park, Tokyo) is hosting an exhibition titled "Nationalmuseum Drawing Collection: From Renaissance to Baroque ," showcasing approximately 80 masterpieces from the Nationalmuseum, which boasts one of the world's finest collections of drawings, including works by Dürer and Rubens. The exhibition will run from July 1 to September 28, 2025.

The Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden, is one of the oldest art museums in Europe, and was founded on the art collection of the Swedish royal family. It houses a wide range of art, crafts, and design from the Middle Ages to the present day, but its collection of drawings is considered one of the best in the world in terms of both quality and quantity.

A sketch (drawing, drawing) is a two-dimensional work that primarily consists of line drawings using pen, charcoal, chalk, etc. to express the contours, texture, light and shade of a subject. There are various purposes for creating sketches, such as quickly capturing an idea or honing one's skills, but because sketches are often linked to the process of formulating a concept for a painting or sculpture, writers of the 16th and 17th centuries regarded them as the basis for all forms of art and highly valued them.

The great appeal of sketches is that they allow viewers to experience an intimate sense of being present at the creative process, as they directly sense the artist's thoughts and traces of his hand, and also reveal a sense of momentum that is not present in real works, which require careful brushstrokes.

This exhibition conveys the unique characteristics and appeal of drawings from the Renaissance to the Baroque period, showcasing a total of 84 works, including 81 masterpieces on loan from the Nationalmuseum's drawing collection and three related works from the National Museum of Western Art.

Drawings are a medium that is highly susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity, as well as light and vibration. This is the first time that works from the collections of overseas art museums have been brought together in Japan on such a large scale.

The exhibition is divided into four chapters, showcasing works by region of production: Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The first chapter focuses on Italy, which continued to be a brilliant center of art during the Renaissance, Mannerism, and Baroque periods.

Of particular note are the works of the Carracci family, who played an important role in later Baroque art from around the end of the 16th century, when natural observation, which had suffered a decline in interest among painters during the Mannerist period, began to be emphasized again.

The Carracci family established a private art academy in their hometown of Bologna in 1582, where they provided a unique artistic education, including copying classical sculptures and sketching suburban landscapes and common people. They particularly focused on nude drawing, sometimes using anatomy to understand the structure of the human body. Annibale Carracci's red chalk Study of a Nude Young Man Lying on His Back with Head Tilt and Eyes Closed is a good example of such a figure drawing.

Additionally, Portrait of the Painter Ludovico Cardi, known as Cigoli (c. 1604-09) is a portrait sketch capturing a fellow painter in the midst of creating a sketch, and is the icon of this exhibition.

The second chapter, which is themed around France, begins with the unusual costume designs of Italian painters invited to the court of Fontainebleau, southeast of Paris, and continues with works by unique printmakers from Lorraine, such as Jacques Bérange and Jacques Callot, as well as painters who led the French Baroque period.

Caro was also an accomplished draftsman, and the exhibition features a preliminary sketch for The Temptation of Saint Anthony, which depicts a legend surrounding Saint Anthony , alongside a print (c. 1635) based on the sketch.

Each piece is well worth seeing on its own, with its printmaking techniques that give movement to the lines through meticulous adjustments while expressing a natural sense of perspective, its wide variety of demonic visuals, and its dynamism that is as if it had been cut out of a panic movie.

However, while in the print Antony is seen bravely brandishing a cross as he fights the devil, in the drawing he is seen falling on his buttocks and being pushed into a disadvantageous position. In addition, there are various differences in the details between the two works, such as the presence or absence of rocks bordering the left and right sides of the composition. By comparing the two works, one can imagine what the artist focused on as he developed his work, and the effect of his choices in the elements.

The chapter also touches on the elegant design drawings commissioned by Nikodemus Tessin, the architect who laid the foundation for the Nationalmuseum's drawing collection, for the ceiling decoration of his own home.

Chapter 3 focuses on Germany (or more precisely, the German-speaking region, including Switzerland, Austria, etc.) in the 16th century, and highlights include head studies and portrait drawings by three of the greatest masters of the German Renaissance: Matthias Grünewald, Albrecht Dürer, and Hans Baldung Grien.

Dürer's Portrait of a Young Woman with Three Braids (1515), which has been described as "there is nothing that cannot be depicted with black lines," is a sketch, yet it is completed as an independent monumental work of art. While the various parts of the face, the contours, and the texture of the skin are delicately depicted with fine, intricate lines, it is interesting to note that the hair, ribbons, and clothing are depicted with thicker, darker bundles of lines, and this technique can be seen as naturally drawing attention to the subject's stature.

At the beginning of Chapter 4, which traces developments in the Netherlands (present-day Belgium and the Netherlands) centered on the 17th century, visitors can see Lucas van Leyden's Portrait of a Young Man (1521), with its striking pale eyes reflecting light. Oil painting techniques developed rapidly in the Netherlands in the early 15th century, but the spread of paper was slower than in Italy, and few drawings from before the early 16th century remain. In that sense, this work is a valuable example.

Due to political and religious unrest, the Netherlands was divided into North and South Flanders at the end of the 16th century, but once the unrest had calmed down, Peter Paul Rubens was at the center of the artistic revival in Flanders. In order to handle the large number of orders that came to his workshop, Rubens assigned the work to his many apprentices and assistants, and it is said that this system was supported by meticulously prepared preparatory sketches.

In "Robin, Lord Arundel's Vassal" (1620), Rubens himself has written detailed notes in the margins about the materials and colors of the clothing worn by the model, which gives us an idea of how the sketches were used.

In the Netherlands, where economic prosperity led to an unprecedented boom in painting, genres such as landscapes, genres, still lifes, and animals flourished, due to the fact that the Netherlands was a Protestant country that prohibited religious worship and the citizens who purchased paintings preferred familiar and accessible subjects.On the other hand, there were also painters who continued to focus on depicting Christian stories, and the most prominent of these was Rembrandt van Rijn.

"The Arrest of Christ," depicting Christ being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane following Judas' betrayal, gives a simple impression, but makes use of the effects of light and darkness that are synonymous with Rembrandt. The painting expresses the majesty and divinity of the tense scene, as well as the nobility of Christ's spirit as he accepts his fate, making it a small but eye-catching piece.

At the end of the exhibition is Cornelis Visser's Sleeping Dog , an adorable dog asleep with its guard down. The painting is based on meticulous observation of every detail, from the slightly open eyelids to the soft fur on the dog's belly, and the gentle colors convey the artist's warm gaze towards the dog. Original merchandise based on this work was also available for sale, so be sure not to miss it if you visit the venue.

Overview of the "Nationalmuseum Drawings Collection: From Renaissance to Baroque" Exhibition

*The content of this article is current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official exhibition website for the latest information.

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National Museum of Nature and Science

When you hear the word "ice age," some people may imagine a harsh world covered in ice and snow, completely different from the present. However, academically, an ice age refers to a period when ice sheets, thick masses of ice covering the land, existed widely on a continental scale.

Ice ages, when the climate is cold and ice sheets grow large, are alternated with interglacial periods, when the climate is relatively warm and the ice sheets retreat, in cycles of about 100,000 years, so ice ages are not always cold. Even though we live in a year 2025, when ice sheets exist in Greenland and Antarctica, the year may look a little different if you understand that we are in the middle of an interglacial period, or in other words, a glacial period, and are suffering from extreme heat every day.

The special exhibition currently being held at the National Museum of Nature and Science, "Ice Age Exhibition – The World as Seen by Humanity 40,000 Years Ago" (July 12th to October 13th, 2025), focuses on the state of the Earth around 40,000 years ago, during the last ice age.

The exhibition will showcase the lives of humans and animals who lived in environments completely different from those of modern times, as well as changes in their environments, using the latest scientific knowledge and powerful exhibits, including the actual skulls of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, which will be on display in Japan for the first time, as well as skeletal specimens of extinct animals, ecological reconstruction models, and archaeological materials.

Kenichi Shinoda, director of the National Museum of Nature and Science, who supervised the exhibition, said the following at the press preview:

"There are 8 billion human beings living in the world, but in reality we are all one species: Homo sapiens. There once were other species of humans in Europe and Asia, but by 12,000 years ago, only Homo sapiens remained. What kind of people and animals did our ancestors encounter after they left Africa 60,000 years ago? The main purpose of this exhibition is for visitors to experience where the animals that have become extinct lived and what they looked like. We hope that this exhibition will not only encourage visitors to reflect on our journey so far, but also give them an opportunity to think about how we should live as the environment changes due to global warming."

Visitors are greeted at the venue by the majestic appearance of a woolly mammoth, which is said to have survived on the islands of Siberia and Alaska until thousands of years ago and is owned by the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum in Germany. This is one of the highlights of the exhibition and will catch your eye with its power, but don't forget to check out the cave lion rib with spear wounds, which is casually displayed just before it.

This 48,000-year-old fossil rib was excavated in southern Germany. Cave lions, a close relative of modern lions, often appear in murals and sculptures, and are known to have been a common prey for Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (Cro-Magnons). The spear marks indicate that our human ancestors faced off against animals roaming the frigid ice age, and lived tough lives, making this a fitting opening for the exhibition, overflowing with romance.

At its coldest point 30,000 to 20,000 years ago, the high latitudes of Eurasia experienced cooling and the formation of vast steppe tundra (areas of cold grassland and permafrost). In this environment, grassland-dwelling mammoth fauna, including woolly mammoths, cave lions, woolly rhinoceroses, and steppe pythons, thrived. These fauna, along with the giant deer and cave bear that had survived in forests since the interglacial period, and many other extant species, formed the megafauna of the last glacial period.

"Chapter 1: The Animals of Europe in the Ice Age" displays fossils, full-body skeletal specimens, and reconstructed models of megafauna, and explores the mystery of their rise and fall while explaining the ecology of extinct and living species. The animals, with their impressive bodies and long fur to withstand the cold, give an idea of the harsh environment of the time.

Characterized by their long fur that looks as if they are covered in cloth and their large hooves, the musk ox is a surviving member of the mammoth group and a member of the goat subfamily. 20,000 years ago, a sudden warming of the Earth caused the steppe tundra to shrink, and species adapted to cold climates and grassland-dwelling species gradually disappeared. However, the musk ox and the Arctic fox were able to move their habitats into the Arctic Circle, and so they continue to survive to this day.

The ancestors of Cro-Magnons originated in Africa about 300,000 years ago and spread across Eurasia about 60,000 years ago. At the time, another human species called Neanderthals lived in Europe, but they disappeared about 40,000 years ago.

Neanderthals had sturdy physiques and strong muscles, while Cro-Magnons had relatively slender builds and long limbs. At first glance, it seems that the former was better suited to surviving the harsh Ice Age, but what was it that determined the fates of the two? "Chapter 2: Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons" unravels this mystery with archaeological remains such as stone tools and ornaments, and the actual "La Ferrassie 1" and "Cro-Magnon 1," said to be the "world's most famous skulls" of two human species that lived in the same era, are on display in Japan for the first time.

"La Ferrassie 1" was discovered in 1909 at the La Ferrassie rock shelter in France, and is a nearly complete skeleton of a Neanderthal man who lived between 45,000 and 43,000 years ago. "Cro-Magnon 1" was also discovered in the Cro-Magnon rock shelter in France during road construction and is thought to be a man who lived between 28,000 and 27,000 years ago. Even a quick glance at the skulls on display reveals significant differences in the length of the skull, the width of the cheekbones, and the prominence of the brow bones, making this a luxurious opportunity to compare the two in person.

The discovery of La Ferrassie 1, bent over in the ground, is said to have provided evidence that Neanderthals, who were traditionally considered barbaric and culturally inferior to Cro-Magnons, had the practice of burying their dead.

The corridor connecting Chapters 2 and 3 has a video exhibit that explains basic information about the Ice Age, which will be of great interest to beginners, as well as a corner where you can touch fossilized animal hair and teeth. It's fun to trace the unique contours of the teeth of woolly mammoths and aurochs and imagine what they ate and why they were shaped that way.

Chapter 3, "The Japanese Archipelago in the Ice Age," introduces the lives of humans who are believed to have arrived in Japan by approximately 38,000 years ago, and the lives of animals that lived at that time, including the Naumann's elephant, the Yabe giant deer, and the Japanese long-eared tiger ox, the three most extinct animals in Japan.

During the last glacial period, when the climate cooled significantly between 70,000 and 20,000 years ago, the development of ice sheets and glaciers fixed most of the Earth's water, causing sea levels in the Japanese archipelago to drop by more than 60 meters. The Japanese archipelago's appearance was said to be very different from today, with Hokkaido connected to the Eurasian continent and Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu forming a huge island known as Old Honshu Island. With such diverse environments stretching north and south across the Japanese archipelago as a backdrop, modern humans acquired a rich range of regional characteristics.

The comparative exhibit, showcasing the regional characteristics of stone tools from the middle of the Late Paleolithic period on the island of ancient Honshu, features items excavated from sites in Iwate, Osaka, and Kagoshima, but one item that particularly caught our eye was a stone blade excavated from the Suichoen site in Osaka.

In the Setouchi region, a technique called the "Setouchi technique" was developed to mass-produce flakes with strange shapes that spread out like wings from the point of impact when breaking a stone, unlike the stone blades used around the world. From spear tips produced using this Setouchi technique, distinctive stone tools known as "Kokufu-type knife-shaped stone tools" were made. The reason for their emergence is not clear, but it appears to have been a rare technique even on a global scale.

The second venue continued with the exhibit "Glacial-Interglacial Cycles and Vegetation," which included an enlarged model of a cute (?) heart-shaped pollen fossil, making it an exhibition with plenty to see right to the end.

Abareru-kun, a history-loving entertainer who serves as the ambassador for the exhibition, also gave it high praise, saying, "If you look carefully from the entrance to the exit, you'll probably learn as much as 50 hours of science class." "There's nothing to waste! Everything is worth seeing!"

"It would also be great for independent research or learning during summer vacation. The Earth is currently facing various challenges, but I think the animals of the Ice Age who survived such harsh times have something in common with us today," he said enthusiastically, and promoted the audio guide he provided, saying, "If you watch it with my fun narration and explanations, you will learn 100 times more and it will be 100 times easier to understand."

The special exhibition "Ice Age: The World as Seen by Humanity 40,000 Years Ago" will be held until Monday, October 13th (national holiday).

Overview of the special exhibition "Ice Age: The World as Seen by Humanity 40,000 Years Ago"

venue	National Museum of Nature and Science (Ueno Park, Tokyo)
Dates	July 12, 2025 (Sat) – October 13, 2025 (Monday/holiday)
Opening hours	9:00 – 17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
Open at night	The museum will close at 7pm from August 8th (Friday) to 17th (Sunday) and October 10th (Friday) to 13th (Monday, national holiday) (last admission at 6:30pm). *The permanent exhibition will be open until 6:00 PM from August 9th (Sat) to August 15th (Fri). At other times, the permanent exhibition will be open until 5:00 PM (admission until 30 minutes before closing time).
Closed days	September 1st (Monday), 8th (Monday), 16th (Tuesday), 22nd (Monday), 29th (Monday)
ticket	Adults/university students: 2,300 yen, elementary, junior high, and high school students: 600 yen *Free for preschool children. *Free admission for those with a disability certificate and one caregiver. *If you have a student ID or other certificate, please present it when entering the venue. For further details, please check the official website .
Organizer	National Museum of Nature and Science, TBS, TBS Gloudia, Tokyo Shimbun
inquiry	050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Official exhibition website	https://hyogakiten.jp/

*The content of this article is current as of the date of coverage. Please check the official exhibition website for the latest information.

Article provided by: Kokosil Ueno

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Ueno Royal Museum

The "Five Great Ukiyo-e Artists – Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi" exhibition , which brings together masterpieces by the five biggest stars of the golden age of ukiyo-e, has opened at the Ueno Royal Museum (Ueno, Tokyo). The exhibition will run until Sunday, July 6, 2025.

At the gallery talk held prior to the press preview, Noriko Yamamoto, curator at the Kawasaki Ukiyo-e Gallery and author of the exhibition catalogue, took to the stage. She explained the highlights of the exhibition, which we will introduce below along with a look at the exhibition.

Five artists who made their name with ukiyo-e, Japan's most popular art form that reached its golden age during the Tenmei and Kansei periods, are Kitagawa Utamaro, Toshusai Sharaku, Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi . This exhibition will display around 140 pieces, focusing on their masterpieces, which reached the pinnacle of their respective fields, such as portraits of beautiful women, actors, and landscapes, and will convey the distinctive features and appeal of their artistic expression.

Chapter 1: Kitagawa Utamaro: Thoughtful Women

The exhibition is divided into five chapters, each focusing on one artist, and the first to appear is Kitagawa Utamaro .

Utamaro is known as an artist who was discovered by Edo's most famous producer, Tsutaju (Tsutaya Jusaburo), who is also active in the historical drama "Berabou – Tsutaju Eika no Yumebanashi" currently being broadcast on NHK.

He teamed up with Tsutaju and introduced the "Okubi-e" style, which featured a close-up of the upper body of a person, a style that was used in paintings of actors at the time, to the painting of beautiful women. He became a leading figure in the painting of beautiful women, and took the world by storm with his works that depicted the graceful gestures and thoughts of women.

The exhibition focuses on portraits of beautiful women depicting everyday scenes, such as Five Beauties Competing for Charm: The Flower Wife of Hyogoya, which depicts a courtesan with disheveled hair reading a letter, rather than a woman dressed in elegant attire.

In the "Lessons for Parents" series, which contains morals for women, a "bakuren" (a carefree woman) appears, dressed in sloppy clothes and sipping alcohol. Bijin-ga (portraits of beautiful women) tend to depict the beauties of the time, such as the intelligent and beautiful courtesans who were the object of common people's admiration, or the popular poster girls of the town, but Utamaro, in a sense, used women with the polar opposite attributes as his models without distinction.

Yamamoto commented, "Utamaro's portraits of beautiful women are often depicted as ideal images of women, but he was actually also good at depicting these villainous women."

Utamaro was interested in the lifestyles and customs of women of all kinds, and used them as his subject matter, covering them all: an older sister watching over her younger brother playing at home with a smile, a female diver resting on the beach, a mountain witch nursing her child, etc. He said that a major feature of Utamaro's work is that he presents the charms of such diverse women with a rich expressiveness that allows us to imagine the story behind them, right down to the tip of a finger.

By the way, in the letter illustrated in the aforementioned "Five Beauties Competing for Love, the Flower Wife of Hyogoya," there is a sentence that begins with "I hate to imitate, I don't copy, I am a self-made artist," which gives a glimpse of Utamaro's firm pride as a painter of beautiful women. If you can read cursive writing, please take a look.

Chapter 2: Toshusai Sharaku – The impact of actor paintings

Next up was Toshusai Sharaku , who, like Utamaro, was discovered by Tsutaju and became one of the artists who colored the Golden Age of Ukiyo-e. He produced around 145 nishiki-e prints in the ten months between May 1794 and January of the following year, but then suddenly vanished from the public eye, making him a mysterious figure whose background is largely unknown.

He produced many unique and impactful large-headed portraits of actors, and the period in which he produced them can be divided into four periods according to the performance dates of the plays he covered, allowing for a clear classification of style and specifications. More than half of the Sharaku works on display in this exhibition are large-headed portraits from the particularly popular first period, and it is said to be a very rare opportunity to see so many of his works gathered together in one place.

Yamamoto cited "The Second Generation Arashi Ryuzo's Moneylender Ishibe Kanekichi," one of Sharaku's first works, as a clear example of the appeal of his work.

Arashi Ryuzo II was an actor who specialized in playing villains, and in this painting he is playing the role of a moneylender. Noting the actor's unique realistic depictions, achieved through a keen eye for observation, such as the movement of his eyes as he rolls up his sleeves and makes a spectacular pose, the tense movements of each of his fingers, and the wrinkles around his straight mouth, he said, "In an era when there were no zoom cameras or telescopes, it's amazing how much detail he was able to depict. Sharaku was about trying to accurately capture a single moment of an actor's performance."

In Onoe Matsusuke's Matsushita Sake Brewery , the depiction of the fallen ronin's long, tousled hair and hollow, sunken eyes stands out. By using dark colors throughout the painting, it is not only possible to express the loneliness of poverty, but also to depict the tragic fate of his imminent death.

At the time, other artists idealized actors, but Sharaku placed emphasis on realism and a sense of presence as if watching the stage up close, rather than on beauty, such as by drawing the masculine bone structure of even female actors. His realistic paintings convey an energy not found in other actor paintings, but his excessive pursuit of authenticity drew criticism from the actors themselves and their fans at the time, and it is said that this was the reason why his career was short-lived.

Chapter 3 "Katsushika Hokusai – Raging Blue"

The third person is Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). His name spread throughout Europe during the Japonism movement that occurred in the second half of the 19th century, and he was the only Japanese person to be selected in a recent survey by the American photo magazine LIFE of "The 100 Most Important People in the World Who Have Made the Most Important Achievements in the Last 1,000 Years." It is no exaggeration to say that he is the most famous Japanese painter in the world.

During his 90-year life, Hokusai not only illustrated woodblock prints, but also worked in a wide range of fields, including nishiki-e, surimono prints, and hand-painted illustrations, and continued to paint everything in the universe, not just landscapes, flowers, birds, and people. Just looking at the extraordinary drawing skills of Hokusai's representative picture book , "Hokusai Manga," which is said to contain a total of 4,000 pictures, you can get a sense of the incredible artistic career of a man who devoted himself to painting for over 70 years, eventually calling himself "the crazy artist manji."

Hokusai was in his 70s when he produced his well-known Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, which captures Mount Fuji from various perspectives, but when we look at the works on display from before to after this period, we can see that the colors have become deeper and richer. This is probably due to the change in paint, but these changes, which give us a sense of Hokusai's never-ending spirit of inquiry and ambition, no matter how old he got, are also a highlight.

Among his masterpieces is Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Under the Great Wave off Kanagawa , which boldly captures the moment when the spray of waves rises wildly high into the air in the ocean with the shape of Mount Fuji in the distance.

Using this painting as an example, Yamamoto pointed out that one of the attractions of Hokusai's work is the "visual tricks."

"It has been pointed out that Hokusai purposely included designs in his works that would guide the viewer's gaze. When people look at this painting, I think their eyes are first drawn to the violently rising waves. The waves in the foreground are triangular, and on closer inspection they correspond to Mount Fuji in the distance. The painting is designed to naturally guide the viewer's gaze from the triangle in the foreground to the triangle in the distance."

Similarly, the intention to guide the viewer's eye is clear in Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, Sazaido Hall of the Gohyakurakan Temple , where various lines from the floorboards, roof, and balustrade of the hall, to the fingertips of the worshippers, converge on Mount Fuji towering in the background. Hokusai, who excelled in Western perspective drawing, also excelled in this work, demonstrating his skill with geometric composition.

Chapter 4: Utagawa Hiroshige – Edo in Rain, Moon and Snow

The next artist, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), initially produced portraits of beautiful women and actors, but his breakthrough series , "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido," firmly established him as a landscape painter.

The series depicts 55 landscapes, including the 53 post towns along the Tokaido road connecting Edo and Kamigata, as well as Nihonbashi and Kyoto's Sanjo Ohashi bridge. It became an explosive hit, fueled by the travel boom caused by Jippensha Ikku's "Tokaido Chu Hizakurige." It is also noteworthy that it was published at roughly the same time as Hokusai's "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" series, which is often compared to Hokusai's masterful landscape painting.

Regarding Hiroshige's landscape paintings, Yamamoto says the following:

"Although they are landscape paintings, they also depict local people, travelers, the customs and customs of travel, and the atmosphere, which creates a sense of charm. They are not just landscape paintings, nor are they just portraits, nor are they just nature, nor are they just people's lives. The beauty of Hiroshige's works is that they are all integrated together."

Both Hiroshige and Hokusai are said to have been avid travelers. Hiroshige made full use of the natural scenery, the climate, and the people who lived there, while Hokusai boldly exaggerated the formative qualities of the things he saw. It is interesting to compare the differences in their perspectives and directions.

Hiroshige was also skilled at painting famous places around Japan, and in his "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" series, a masterpiece from his later years, he even attempted the unusual vertical layout of a landscape painting.

Particularly striking is "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: The Plum Tree Shop at Kameido," in which the plum tree branches are drawn extremely enlarged in the foreground, and the overall view of the plum tree house is captured in the gaps between them, creating a sufficient sense of perspective even in a vertical frame. This type of composition is called a close-up composition, and was a favorite of Hiroshige in his later years.

One of the great features of Hiroshige's work is the way he varies the composition of each work, from taking the same perspective as the traveller, to looking down from a great height like a bird, to deliberately placing the rugged rock face in the center of the picture to express the precipitousness of the cliffs. The unrestrained spatial expression, drawn with imagination as if it were taken by drone, never tires the viewer.

Chapter 5: Utagawa Kuniyoshi – Heroes and Spectacles

Chapter 5 features Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), who was the same age as Utagawa Hiroshige and was active during the late Edo and Meiji periods. The atmosphere of the exhibited works has changed drastically from previous exhibitions, presenting a spectacular, action-packed drama.

Kuniyoshi made his breakthrough with the "Popular Suikoden" series, which combines dynamic character portrayals and beautiful colors in dynamic scenes created with bold brushwork. He created many Japanese heroes and heroines, and broke new ground with his fantastical and exciting warrior paintings and rebellious and humorous caricatures.

One of the 108 Heroes of the Popular Suikoden: Zhang Shun Leaps White on the Rise is renowned as a masterpiece in the series, depicting the scene in which Zhang Shun, the leader of the navy, falls into an enemy trap, is hit by countless arrows and meets a heroic end. The depiction of his glaring expression and each strand of standing hair conveys the menace of someone prepared to die.

As in this work, Kuniyoshi often decorated his characters with flashy tattoos (irezumi), and it is said that these were so impressive that they sparked a tattoo boom in Edo.

The Old Palace of Soma, with its striking giant skull straddling the seam of the paper, is a work based on Santo Kyoden's Yomihon (a long illustrated novel that was popular in the Edo period). The distinctive widescreen triptych (a composition that treats a series of works as one large screen) is a technique that Kuniyoshi was good at.

The painting depicts the appearance of strange creatures in the ruins of Taira no Masakado's Imperial Palace, but in the illustration in the book, which shows countless small skulls, Kuniyoshi has uniquely changed it to a single giant skull. Furthermore, the powerful effect of the triptych shows a glimpse of Kuniyoshi's unique creativity.

Although Kuniyoshi excels at depicting action-packed warriors, he does not always depict spectacular scenes. For example, "Sakata Kintoki, Usui Sadamitsu, Minamoto no Tsugutsuna and Monsters" depicts the scene where Minamoto no Yorimitsu's four heavenly kings are playing a game of Go with monsters plotting evil deeds. The humorous contrast between the pitiful monsters who are easily subdued and the samurai who are playing Go with stern but unaffected expressions will make you chuckle.

Honor: Invincible to the Right, Jingoro to the Left depicts the famous Edo sculptor Jingoro and the sculptures that surround him. However, the scattered trademarks of Kuniyoshi, such as the Hell Transformation Picture Dotera, the Hoto Seal cushion, and the cat that is beside him, show that in fact it is Kuniyoshi himself who appears in the work, likening him to Jingoro.

Yamamoto also points out that the faces of the surrounding sculptures, such as Nio and Guan Yu, are caricatures of actors.

"During the Tenpo Reforms, the entertainment industry was cracked down on and ukiyo-e artists were banned from painting pictures of actors or beautiful women. But the artists continued to create works by any means possible, and Kuniyoshi in particular had an extremely rebellious spirit, so even after the reforms relaxed, he continued to paint Buddhist statues resembling actors, as if to mock the shogunate, and demonstrate what he was capable of. He was a commoner who painted pictures for the common people, yet he rebelled against authority in this way. That was the artist Kuniyoshi."

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The "Five Great Ukiyo-e Artists – Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi" exhibition will run until Sunday, July 6, 2025. One of the exhibition's catchphrases is "Find your favorite!" Even if you are not familiar with ukiyo-e, we encourage you to experience the masterpieces of the five great stars who reached the pinnacle of ukiyo-e at this exhibition and find your favorite artist.

Overview of the "Five Great Ukiyo-e Artists Exhibition – Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi"

Dates	May 27th (Tue) – July 6th (Sun), 2025 *No closing days
Opening hours	10:00-17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
venue	Ueno Royal Museum (1-2 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0007)
ticket	Please visit the official website for details.
Organizer	Ueno Royal Museum / Fuji Television Network
inquiry	050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial, all day/9:00-20:00)
Exhibition official website	https://www.5ukiyoeshi.jp/

*The contents of this article are current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official exhibition website for the latest information.

Article provided by: Kokosil Ueno

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Ueno Royal Museum

A solo exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kyoko Asakura (1925-2016), a representative contemporary figurative sculptor, "100 Years of Kyoko Asakura" was held at the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery from Sunday, May 11, 2025 to Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Admission is free.

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Kyoko Asakura is the second daughter of sculptor Fumio Asakura, who led the Japanese sculpture world from the Meiji period through to the Showa period and is known for his outstanding naturalistic realistic expression.

She studied sculpture at the Asakura School of Sculpture, which was run by her father, and was first selected for the 5th Shinbunten Exhibition in 1942. She received several special selections at the Nitten Exhibition, and in 1952, at the young age of 26, she became the youngest and first female judge, but left the Nitten Exhibition as if to break away from the male-dominated society and various ties. From that point on, she produced many sophisticated, urbane female figures from a freer position, and established her own style. She remained active at the forefront of her field until her later years, passing away in 2016 at the age of 90.

This exhibition will introduce 12 selected pieces from the works donated to Taito Ward by her family after her death, mainly bronze works created after 1970. It was planned to promote the artist's appeal once again on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of her birth. The Ueno Royal Museum Gallery is also the venue where Asakura Kyoko held her last solo exhibition before her death.

According to Yasuko Tobari, a senior researcher at the Asakura Museum of Sculpture (※), who guided us through this exhibition, Kyoko Asakura was extremely particular about the models she used for her work, and sometimes it took her several years to select one. Most of the people who suited her glasses were young foreign or mixed-race women, with small faces, long limbs, and stylish figures.

(*) This is the studio and residence that Fumio Asakura had in Yanaka, Taito Ward, where Kyoko Asakura learned the basics of sculpture from her father. It is now open to the public as a museum.

The "Tski" series, which draws the viewer in with its bold features, features three pieces on display. One full-body figure is in a strange pose, as if dancing, fully expressing the beauty of the statue's well-honed proportions. The sculptor's solid skill can be seen in the symmetrical expression of the muscles, with the taut lower body and relaxed arms, seen in the unique dynamic stance, and the sense of balance that allows the statue to stand on its tiptoes.

The elegant "Hat," featuring a large hat pulled down over the artist's eyes, is one of Kyoko Asakura's favorite pieces. Her facial expression cannot be seen from the front, but the beautiful expression of her hands spread open around her chest adds a charming touch to the piece, and the impression it gives changes depending on the height and angle of your gaze.

According to Tobari, it was from this production onwards that this type of hand expression became an accent in Asakura Kyoko's works.

"The sculptor Tadayoshi Sato has written, 'It's true that hands are quite attention-seeking, and if you let your guard down for even a moment, they will start chattering away and turn into vulgar sculptures.' However, in Kyoko's works, which effectively use the expression of hands as seen in Hat, it feels as though she is creating a time and space that seems to be in dialogue with us as we confront the work."

One piece that particularly caught the eye at the venue was "F" (later renamed "Rest" ), a rare male figure among Asakura Kyoko's works, modeled on singer Akira Fuse. The piece depicts a busy young singer taking a break on a terrace during his free time, and won the 7th Nagano City Outdoor Sculpture Award in 1979. The fact that part of the foot protrudes from the black base is the sculptor's intention to show an image of a relaxed mind.

As an aside, Kyoko Asakura's works are scattered throughout public spaces all over Japan, and this one is also installed in Shiroyama Park in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture. In this idyllic location, where the greenery spreads out, the title "Rest" is perfectly suited to the piece, the figure stretches its toes out from the stone pedestal onto the ground, relaxing and stretching out as if on a picnic, which is likely to give the viewer a sense of mental space.

At the very back of the venue, "Lisa," which was also chosen as the main visual for this exhibition, was on display. It is a sculpture that sublimates a woman's natural standing posture, and Tobari says that its distinctive feature is that it is "flawless" from any angle, 360 degrees.

"In many cases, a work of art has a front, or when you stand facing the work, it is the side that the sculptor wants to show. In Kyoko's case, the pose is fixed no matter what angle you look at the work from. Kyoko's works do not have the weaknesses that humans have. This work makes you realize this. I think this work presents one answer to what sculpture means to Kyoko."

Tobari also asked people to pay attention to the feet of the piece.

Apparently, it takes a great deal of skill to make a sculpture stand on two legs. You often see sculptures where the ground beneath the feet is one with the work. This is called "jiama" and acts as a weight to adjust the center of gravity of the work.

"One sculptor said that it's easier to adjust the balance if you leave some 'room', but this piece doesn't have that. What's amazing about Kyoko-sensei is that she manages to achieve such difficult feats with such ease. This piece was made by creating a plaster mold from a clay prototype, then pouring in bronze to finish it. To make it stand like a human being, and to achieve the shape and balance out of clay, it is essential to study the human body. When you imagine that process, you can see that Kyoko's stylish works are made possible by keen observation and outstanding technical skill."

Looking at the work as a whole, it is surprising that although it has been a while since it was created, the female figures do not feel dated at all. One of the reasons why it has achieved timelessness as a work of art is the fashion, which is simple and makes the most of the beauty of the body. With her fingers in her jeans pockets and a dignified expression, she is not trying to be too cool. The natural and free female figure seems to overlap with the figure of Kyoko Asakura, who struggled away from her father's protection in the still male-dominated art world.

Finally, Tobari offered the following opinion on the appeal of Asakura Kyoko's work:

"Fumio Asakura's works tend to be installed at a high position, so many of them are viewed by looking up. Kyoko's works, in contrast, are often installed at the same height as the viewer. The space and the work become one, creating a sense of ease and closeness, as if we are blending into the work. I think this is a big attraction, and that is why his works are still installed in outdoor public spaces and are familiar to people."

Kyoko Asakura's sculptures are like a kind of refreshing agent, bringing a breath of fresh air to the cityscape. Even if you missed this exhibition, we encourage you to seek out Kyoko Asakura's works, many of which are scattered around Tokyo, and experience their lively atmosphere and universal beauty.

The Asakura Museum of Sculpture is set to hold a special exhibition entitled "ASAKURA Kyoko: 100 Years Since Birth" from Saturday, September 13th to Sunday, December 14th, 2025. This will be the first time that the museum will exhibit a sculptural space created by father and daughter Asakura Fumio and Kyoko. For more details, please see the Asakura Museum of Sculpture's official website .

[Reference] Articles about past exhibitions are available.
Special exhibition commemorating 60 years since the death of Asakura Fumio: "Wonderful Cat Life: Asakura Fumio and Cats, and Sometimes Dogs"
(Duration: Saturday, September 14, 2024 to Tuesday, December 24, 2024)

Overview of the "100th Anniversary of the Birth of Kyoko Asakura Exhibition"

Asakura Museum of Sculpture (7-18-10 Yanaka, Taito-ku)

*The content of this article is from the time of the interview.

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Tokyo National Museum

Tsutaya Juzaburo (1750-97), also known as “Tsutajyu,” was a prominent publisher in the Edo period. A special exhibition titled “Tsutaya Juzaburo: A Turbulent Figure in the Content Business” is currently being held at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo, in conjunction with the 2025 taiga drama “Berabou – Tsutajyu Eika no Yumebanashi,” which will feature Tsutajyu as the main character. The exhibition will run until Sunday, June 15, 2025.

*Some of the works on display will be changed during the exhibition.
First half of the exhibition: April 22 (Tue) – May 18 (Sun)
Late exhibition: May 20th (Tuesday) – June 15th (Sunday)

Tsutaya Juzaburo, the Edo media mogul who discovered Utamaro and Sharaku

Tsutae was born in Yoshiwara, a brothel officially recognized by the shogunate, in 1750. He started out as a rental bookstore, and as a publisher he expanded his network to include samurai, wealthy townspeople, popular actors, comic book writers, and artists, developing a media mix and bringing about various innovations in the publishing industry of Edo.

While keeping up with the times, he produced many best-selling works, including kibyoshi, sharebon, kyokabon, and ukiyo-e, and is also known for producing ukiyo-e artists Kitagawa Utamaro and Toshusai Sharaku, who are now considered world-renowned Japanese artists.

Through a total of approximately 250 works from the first and second half of the exhibition, this exhibition follows the activities of Tsutae, a man of great influence at the time, and allows visitors to experience the values and artistry he created.

Chapter 1: “The Innovation of Yoshiwara Hosomi, Sharebon, and Yellow Cover Books”

The exhibition is divided into three chapters plus an appendix. At the entrance to Chapter 1, visitors are greeted by Yoshiwara Daimon, which was the only entrance to the Yoshiwara red-light district.

This is the actual set used in the filming of the historical drama “Berabou,” and it is said that ukiyo-e prints by Utagawa Toyoharu, Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Hiroshige, and others were referenced in the production. Beyond the gate is a space that imitates Yoshiwara’s main street, “Nakano-cho,” where rows of cherry blossoms and night lights create a spring atmosphere.

Chapter 1 displays Yoshiwara guidebook “Yoshiwara Saimin,” which was the starting point of Tsutae’s career as a publisher.

Originally published by a different publisher, Yoshiwara Saimin had many problems that had caused it to lose credibility, including its inability to keep up with the rapid changes in Yoshiwara information.
In comparison, the first reprint of Tsuta’s Yoshiwara Saimin, “Rigid Flowers,” not only updated the information to the latest by utilizing the information network of people who had grown up in Yoshiwara, but also improved the layout by placing the brothels lined up on both sides of the street facing each other at the top and bottom of the paper, allowing people to walk around the town while holding it in their hands. In addition, costs were reduced by consolidating information from two pages onto one page, attracting many customers to Yoshiwara, which was in decline.

Tsutaju continued to pursue what people enjoyed throughout its publishing activities, and it is clear that it was already thoroughly consumer-oriented at this point.

The exhibition allows visitors to compare the changes between the old and new versions of “Yoshiwara Saimin,” and also highlights the various attempts made to increase the publication’s commercial value, such as having the preface written by Sankyoden, one of the most popular comic writers of the time.

Tsutajyo’s first independently produced publication was Hitome Senbon (1774), a chronicle of courtesans’ reputations in which courtesans were likened to flower arranging. Tsutajyo also planned the nishiki-e book Seirou Bijin Gosizikagami (1776), which depicts courtesans from each brothel busily practicing the koto, painting, calligraphy, flower arranging, and other arts and parlor entertainment throughout the year, and was jointly drawn by the popular artists Kitao Shigemasa and Katsukawa Shunsho.

Both of these works are believed to have been funded by the courtesans depicted, their patrons, and brothel owners, and these “silver-earning” works, which were produced without putting a strain on Tsutae’s own pockets, became one of Tsutae’s main business models.

Tsutae demonstrated his excellent skills as a publisher, and built up financial strength through reliable, standard products such as the exclusive publication of the original version of the Joruri puppet theatre called Tomimotobushi, which was popular in Edo, and the production of a large number of Oraimono, elementary textbooks used at temple schools and other institutions.

At the same time, the company employed popular writers and illustrators and began publishing popular fiction in the form of kibyōshi and sharebon. Examples of this include “Mitoku Ichinoseidō Kisanji’s ‘Midori Ichitaimu’ (1781), which made Tsutajyū’s name known in the world of gisaku, and ” Hakoiri Musume Omenya Ningyo’ (1791), a parody by Sankyōden that depicts the sequel to “Urashima Tarō” and was produced during the publishing restrictions imposed by the Kansei Reforms.

Chapter 2: The Rise of Kyoka – Tsuta Tomaru and His Relationships with Cultural Figures

Chapter 2 focuses on Tsutae’s relationship with kyoka (a type of short poem that parodies waka poetry and incorporates satire and irony into social conditions), which was all the rage in Edo, particularly during the Tenmei period (1781-89).

The culture of composing kyoka poems celebrating Edo began as a pastime for the educated samurai class. With the Kansei Reforms, the culture spread to people of all walks of life, including townspeople, actors, and artists, and Tsutaju also entered the scene as a kyoka poet under the name Tsuta Tomaru. While he was active in the literary arts, he also found a way to thrive as a publisher, compiling kyoka poems that had been read and discarded into publications. While interacting with leading cultural figures of the time such as Ota Nanpo, Karagoromo Kitsushu, and Shura Sugae, he led the boom from Yoshiwara, the source of trends.

Furthermore, Tsutaju pioneered a new genre, kyoka ehon, which added pictures to the previously text-only world of kyoka books, and published them exclusively. Among the kyoka ehon, the silver-finished works, which were funded by wealthy kyoka poets who wanted to make a name for themselves, were gorgeous, with multi-color printing and techniques such as mica printing and air printing, making them worthy of being called works of art.

The highlight of this chapter is the kyoka picture book illustrated by Kitagawa Utamaro, whose talent was discovered by Tsutae and who was hired almost exclusively by Tsutae. Utamaro’s kyoka picture book trilogy, “Gahon Mushi Sen” (1788), “Shiohi no Tsuto” (1789), and “Hundred and Thousand Birds Kyoka-awase” (1790), have themes of insects, shellfish, and birds, respectively, and you can feel the high precision of Utamaro’s sketches and keen observational eye.

Also on display here is the pillow picture (shunga) book “Utamakura” (1788), which is said to have been created by Utamaro during his lifetime. According to Masato Matsushima (Tokyo National Museum’s head of curatorial planning), who is in charge of planning this exhibition, this is the first time that a pillow picture has been exhibited in the museum’s history of over 150 years since its founding.

Among the 12 wide-format nishiki-e prints depicting the intricate interactions between men and women at a teahouse, including scenes of pandemonium and negotiation, the painting “The Second Floor of the Teahouse” is considered particularly beautiful. (The image is a partial view.)
It is a depiction of a secret love, and although the woman is seen from behind and her expression cannot be seen, her affection for the man is apparent from the way she strokes his cheek, while the man’s right eye, peeking out from under the woman’s topknot, appears calm and sober; the intertwined intentions of the man and woman and the realism of that moment are nothing short of stunning.

Regarding this painting, Matsushima commented, “It is not clear what Utamaro was thinking when he painted this, but depending on the viewer, they can imagine different emotions between the two men. This shows how multi-layered and deep the painting is.”

Chapter 3: “Discovering Ukiyo-e Artists: Utamaro, Sharaku, and Eishosai Choki”

The third chapter follows Tsutaju’s activities in publishing, from the latter half of his career, when he branched out into ukiyo-e printmaking during the Kansei period (1789-1801). Including works published by other publishers such as Nishimuraya Yohachi and Wakasaya Yoichi, the exhibition brings together masterpieces representing the ukiyo-e world of the late 18th century, known as the Golden Age of ukiyo-e.

Tsutaju discovered famous artists such as Kitagawa Utamaro, Toshusai Sharaku, and Eishosai Choki, and planned and published ukiyo-e that made the most of their appeal. At the time, various publishers were introducing new approaches to ukiyo-e, but what characterizes Tsutaju’s works is that they incorporated the “large neck” composition, which boldly closes up the face of a person, which was used in actor paintings, into the bijin-ga (portraits of beautiful women), which generally featured full-body portraits.

Utamaro, a leading figure in the painting of beautiful women, teamed up with Tsutaju, and his “large-head painting” technique, in which he paid close attention to the facial expressions and gestures of the subjects, and his expressions that conveyed even their emotions, became popular. In addition, while the painting of beautiful women had previously focused on courtesans, he also began to produce works with ordinary women as the subject.

For example, “Three Famous Beauties” (1793) depicts three popular poster girls from the Kansei period: Okita, Takashima Ohisa, and Tomimoto Toyohina of Naniwaya. At first glance, they all appear to have the same face, but if you look closely, you’ll see that they are caricatures that capture subtle individuality in the eyebrows, corners of the eyes, noses, and contours.

Since portraits of beautiful women generally depicted the ideal face and body shape of each era, this attempt to bring realism into a world of fantasy was, in a sense, extremely groundbreaking.

At the end of the third chapter, Sharaku Toshusai is featured prominently. Sharaku is one of Japan’s leading ukiyo-e artists, but in fact, his career lasted only about 10 months. He is a mysterious figure who appeared in Edo like a comet and disappeared without a trace, leaving behind over 140 works.

He was a star discovered by Tsutajyo in his attempt to monopolise actor prints, and all of his famous works were published by Tsutajyo. To achieve success with his large-headed actor prints following on from Utamaro’s portraits of beautiful women, Tsutajyo made a spectacular debut with a single publication of 28 gorgeous large-format nishikie prints printed on black mica, covering the entire repertoire of theatrical performances.

One of these pieces is Edobei of Otani Oniji III (1794), which everyone has probably seen at least once. It depicts a scene from Koi Nyobo Somebun Tezuna, in which Edobei is about to attack Yakko Ippei to steal his money, and the distinctive pose of his hands captures the moment he is about to take off his jacket. Combined with the tragic expression of the paired piece, Yakko Ippei of Ichikawa Otokozo I (1794), it creates an extremely tense atmosphere that matches the dark background of the black mica print.

Sharaku’s style of painting is generally said to be deformed, but in fact it can be said to be characterized by an advanced level of realism, as he mercilessly exposes facial features, not only depicting wrinkles and nasolabial folds that the actors themselves would want to hide, but also the rugged bone structure of even his female characters.

At the time, other artists portrayed actors in a glamorized manner. It is easy to imagine that Tsutae had foreseen that this kind of realistic depiction would become a new trend, but many Kabuki fans dream of the roles their favorite actors will play. Sharaku’s paintings, which were too realistic, were unpopular not only with fans but also with the actors themselves, and they never became popular.

Regardless of the outcome, these nishiki-e prints, which reflect the inner thoughts of people living today, represent a milestone in the expression of people by the publisher Tsutaju, and in ukiyo-e.

Appendix: “The City of Edo during the Tenmei and Kansei Periods”

Edo in the second half of the 18th century, when Tsutaju established his bookstore and publishing company, Koshodo, was a time of economic and cultural growth, developing into a fascinating city worthy of being called Great Edo.

In the appendix, the art team behind the historical drama “Berabou” recreated the streets of Nihonbashi at the time. In addition to CG images showing the four seasons in Nihonbashi, the exhibition also features props and setting materials used in the drama, explaining how Edo culture was incorporated into the story.

Please note that you may only photograph the badge, but you may not actually enter the building.

This exhibition was designed to evoke the atmosphere of Edo as much as possible. Publications by Tsutaju appear every week in the drama, and many of the originals are on display at the venue, so those who are avid viewers of the drama may find many new discoveries.

Summary of the special exhibition “Tsutaya Juzaburo: A Driving Force in the Content Business”

*The contents of this article are current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official exhibition website for the latest information.

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Taito City Museum

The Shitamachi Museum was opened in 1980 to convey the culture and traditions of the good old Tokyo downtown area to future generations, and has entertained many visitors, including foreign visitors to Japan. It was closed in the spring of 2023 for major renovations due to the aging of the facility, but has now reopened under the new name Shitamachi Museum .

*For information on the previous state of the Shitamachi Museum, click here⇒
https://www.culture.city.taito.lg.jp/ja/reports/29750

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With this large-scale renovation, the exhibition area, which was previously only on the first and second floors, has been expanded to the third floor. New nursing rooms and barrier-free toilets have also been installed, making the facility enjoyable for even more people.

The exhibition room on the first floor recreates the streets of downtown Tokyo in the 1950s. The model is a corner of a lantern shop that operated on Kanasugi Street in Sakamoto (now Negishi 3-chome) , Taito Ward, which escaped damage from the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Tokyo Air Raids and where many old streets and buildings remained until recently. You can actually enter the life-size tenement house and experience the lifestyle and atmosphere of those times.

The recreated exhibit before the renovation was modeled after the Taisho era, but according to museum researcher Kondo Takeshi, they decided to completely revamp the content to mark the first major renovation in over 40 years since the museum opened.

“The reason we decided to set the exhibition in the 1950s, 60 to 70 years ago, was because we wanted to encourage people who were there at the time to come and see the exhibit with their families and have conversations like, ‘Oh, so this tool was used like this,'” says Kondo.

In addition, Kanasugi-dori Street had many remaining research materials such as drawings, and Mr. Igarashi, the owner of the Igarashi Lantern Shop, which is the core of the exhibition, was still alive and able to provide various forms of cooperation, which was a deciding factor for the model.
(Although the building has been rebuilt, the Igarashi Lantern Shop is still in business.)

In the 1950s and 60s, the quality of life in the downtown area was improving due to the redevelopment of districts and streets after the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the period of high economic growth during the postwar reconstruction. On the large screen installed in the exhibition area, a retro-style animation video is being shown that depicts Kanasugi-dori Street during that period.

In the video, a main street is lined with “Omote-nagaya” (front row houses) housing shops, restaurants, beauty salons and more, and while trams and cars run along the road, there are also vegetable carts and ramen stalls. The video conveys that old-fashioned lifestyles continue to thrive amid the waves of a new era, and deliberately no background music is used, instead emphasizing environmental sounds such as the sound of trams running and birds chirping to create a sense of realism.

Even as infrastructure such as electricity and gas was developed, lanterns remained an essential item in downtown areas, where many festivals were held. The Igarashi Lantern Shop, which has been in business since the end of the Edo period, has a display that recreates the workshop where lanterns were assembled and inscribed. On display are round festival lanterns, anvils and hammers for fixing the top and bottom of the lanterns, and paintbrushes for inscribing and coloring.

These items, such as household items and furniture, were basically donated by the ward’s residents, so they show signs of wear and tear. You can touch them, and get a feel for their texture and weight, which is one of the museum’s attractions. (Please handle them with care when touching them.)

Behind the workshop is the living space and kitchen, and if you exit the kitchen through a back door into the alley, you will find a “back alley” across the street. In addition to the craftsmen and office workers who commuted from home to their workplace, the back alley was home to peddlers such as street kamishibai storytellers, and the exhibition recreates the residence of a kamishibai storyteller.

Glass jars and wooden boxes for storing cheap sweets are placed on the step up to the entrance. Kamishibai performers made a living by selling cheap sweets to the children who came to watch the kamishibai shows, but on rainy days when the show couldn’t be performed, children would sometimes come to the house looking for cheap sweets.

If you look closely at the exhibits, you’ll notice that, like the everyday scenes depicted in the animation, old and new things coexist together, such as “while there’s a gas stove in the kitchen, there’s also a charcoal grill in use.” Kondo says he was particularly particular about recreating the transitional period. When elementary school students visit on social studies field trips, he says he sometimes has them learn in a game-like way, asking them, “What did we use to cook before the gas stove was invented? Let’s find something that has the same function!”

The second floor area is a permanent exhibition room where you can learn about the history and culture of the downtown area, centered around Taito Ward, from the Meiji period through to the 1950s.

In the introductory exhibit just inside the building, two types of videos are shown on the screen: a video tracing the history of Taito Ward in the style of a sugoroku game, and a video introducing the everyday items that supported the lives of our ancestors. In addition, on the stage in front of the screen, actual items of the everyday items featured in the video are arranged by category: “clothing,” “food,” “housing,” “commerce (merchants),” and “occupations (craftsmen).”

“Initially, the idea for the introductory exhibit was to select and exhibit just one of the collection materials that symbolizes Shitamachi Museum. However, even as a curator, it is difficult to clearly define the concept of ‘shitamachi’, and it is impossible to express it with just one material. So, as one way of showing it, we placed a chabudai (a traditional dining table), which was the center of family gatherings, in the center, and displayed the items in an arrangement that spread out around it. We decided that the atmosphere that is created when the items are lined up is what we call ‘shitamachi.'” (Kondo)

The exhibition features a wide range of items, from tools that children today may already know, such as dining tables and beckoning cats, to items that have completely disappeared in the Reiwa era, such as glass fly traps and money boxes used by merchants to deposit sales proceeds. It’s interesting to look at these unknown tools and imagine how they could be used.

Continuing on, the exhibits are divided into sections: “1. Culture and life in the downtown area since the Edo period,” “2. The Great Kanto Earthquake and reconstruction,” “3. Life during wartime,” “4. Starting over from the ruins,” “5. Towards rapid economic growth,” and “6. Life connected to our Taito ward.” They look back on how the townscape, lifestyles, and more have changed due to the major changes of each era.

The “automatic telephone” (later a public telephone) that previously greeted visitors at the entrance to the facility also appeared in the area as a symbol of the transition of the downtown area. The first automatic telephones in Japan were installed in 1900, at Ueno and Shinbashi stations.

It’s easy to miss, but there are various documents hidden in the drawers, so be sure to check them out. For example, Taito Ward was the first area in Japan to have a subway (the current Ginza Line) in 1927, and the “Ueno-Asakusa Section Construction Overview” is a booklet that summarizes the construction of the subway at that time. The current Ginza Line runs from Asakusa to Ueno, turns west at Shinbashi, and goes to Shibuya, but the document states that the original route was planned to go from Shinbashi to Onarimon and then to Shinagawa, which was very interesting.

The newly opened third floor area houses a special exhibition room and a downtown information corner.

The special exhibition room changes exhibits three times a year, roughly every four months, and the first special exhibition has the theme of “What kind of town is a downtown?” It explores what a downtown is, from the establishment of Tokyo’s downtown (Taito Ward was not included in the downtown area when it was first established), to the history of its expansion, and the occupations and temperaments of the people who lived there.

The adjacent Shitamachi Information Corner has a touch-screen terminal called “Shitamachi Material Search” that allows visitors to find out more about the materials stored in the museum.

If you are interested in or don’t understand anything in the reproduction exhibits on the first floor or the introductory exhibits on the second floor, you can rest assured that you will come here. You can also view data on materials that are not on display, which may be helpful for your studies or research.
(It depends on how busy it is, but if you have any questions about the materials, the curators will be happy to explain them to you.)

You can also try out old toys and everyday items such as kendama, menko, Matsukaze tops, abacus, and scales, and the benches can be used as a rest area. From the large windows, you can get a full view of Shinobazu Pond, making it a great spot to enjoy the seasonal changes of cherry blossoms, lotus flowers, and autumn leaves.

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The Shitamachi Museum is a place where people of all ages, from children to the elderly, can make various discoveries and enjoy themselves. It has undergone a major transformation and has made a new start, but Kondo says that one thing it has inherited from the days of the Shitamachi Museum is the fact that visitors can hear real stories of their experiences from nowhere .

“The exhibits act as a catalyst for visitors to get excited as they recall their memories of the time, saying, ‘Oh, that happened!’ Or grandparents pass on knowledge gained from their own experiences to their grandchildren, and other visitors who hear this nod in agreement… We see scenes like this every day. You naturally hear valuable information that is not found in documents and can only be obtained from people who have actually experienced it. I think that is the greatest attraction of the main building,” says Kondo.

It’s a perfect location for a quick visit after a stroll around Shinobazu Pond, so why not stop by? Just like before the renovation, events such as street picture-story shows and traditional craft demonstrations will also be held, so please check the official website for details such as the schedule.

Overview of the Shitamachi Museum

*The contents of this article are current as of the time of coverage. Please check the official website for the latest information.

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