すみだ北斎美術館 - Past Special Exhibitions

March 19, 2024(Tue.) - May 26, 2024(Sun.): While he has now earned world-wide acclaim, Hokusai too was once a novice, just getting his start. In his early art works, he has created a large volume of works related to the theater, including music and dance. This exhibition presents works that make us appreciate Hokusai’s deep connections to the theater, including actor prints from his Shunrō period, privately commissioned prints created as invitations to musical and other performances, and his depiction of the “sparrow dance” and its incorporation in many craft objects. Through these many works, please enjoy his vast-ranging oeuvre!

December 14, 2023(Thu.) - February 25, 2024(Sun.): Hokusai's Musha-e are depicted with an awareness of expressing the movement of the figures as printings, even when they are wearing armor. This exhibition introduces some of Hokusai's depictions of people, focusing on his Musha-e. Works depicting real historical samurai figures, from ancient times to the Sengoku period ("Warring States period") as well as swords and armor, will be introduced, bringing us closer to the era of samurai who wielded power in Japanese history. *Musha-e is a type of Japanese ukiyo-e. It is one of the genres of ukiyo-e and represents warriors and samurai from Japanese history and mythology.

September 20, 2023(Wed.) - November 26, 2023(Sun.): This exhibition introduces a variety of "laughter" depicted by Hokusai and his students, such as depictions of smiling faces and humorous expressions.

June 20, 2023(Tue.) - August 27, 2023(Sun.): Hokusai depicted a variety of mountains. This exhibition through Hokusai’s works of mountains, introduce mountain religions, alpine occupations, legends, and tales of the supernatural, as they examine the ties between people and mountains in Japan.

May 23, 2023(Tue.) - June 11, 2023(Sun.): The real-sized high-quality replica of the Hokusai picture scroll, the “Scenery on Both Banks of the Sumida River” with a total length of about 7m, and 15 volumes of full-scale replica books, for example, “Sketches by Hokusai”, will be exhibited. And we present the feature exhibition “Spears Drawn by Hokusai”.

March 14, 2023(Tue.) - May 21, 2023(Sun.): This exhibition provides an opportunity to appreciate the many birds that Hokusai and his students depicted and the avian designs they created. Imagine yourself in a bird park as you experience close at hand these creatures’ beauty and the superb artistry deployed in creating these works.

Past Special Exhibitions