Past Special Exhibitions

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Exploring with Hokusai! The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Ukiyo-e Prints
Thu, December 11, 2025 - Mon, February 23, 2026
Each brush-drawn painting is a unique work. In contrast, ukiyo-e prints were mass produced and sold commercially. Since people visiting Edo would purchase prints to take home as souvenirs, they circulated widely. Today, ukiyo-e prints, including, of course, Hokusai’s Under the Wave off Kanagawa, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, are known throughout the world. Those mass-produced works have been scattered here and there, giving many people opportunities to see them.
Ukiyo-e prints were also a medium for communicating information. And still are: these prints give us glimpses of the everyday lives of people in Edo. In this exhibition, we focus on ukiyo-e prints, exploring their history, the techniques used, and their themes. Please enjoy the wide-ranging appeal of ukiyo-e prints.
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The Lineage of Hokusai’s Beauties—Rivalry Among Masters
Tue, September 16, 2025 - Mon, November 24, 2025
Today Hokusai is famous for his Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and other landscapes depicting famous places. He was, however, also so well known for bijinga, pictures of beautiful women, that he is mentioned as a bijinga expert in the 1800 novella Taitōkeigo (Courtesans’ Words Through Connoisseurs). In this exhibition, we focus on Hokusai’s roots as a master of bijinga and the evolution of his style in that genre.

Katsukawa Shunshō, his teacher when Hokusai first set foot in the world of ukiyo-e, was also a bijinga master. Kōhen Fūzokutsū (Connoisseurs’ Manners and Customs, Vol. 2), a novella published in 1775, praises him highly, stating, “One painting by Shunshō is worth a thousand pieces of gold.” Hokusai can be positioned within an orthodox lineage of bijinga artists that includes Miyagawa Chōshun, who specialized in brush-drawn paintings, his bijinga characterized by a delicate, graceful style, Chōshun’s student Miyagawa (Katsumiyagawa) Shunsui, and Shunsui’s student, Shunshō.

Hokusai’s style changed greatly throughout his career, with its evolution closely connected to the style of bijinga fashionable at the time. In this exhibition, we explore those changes in Hokusai’s style, plus works by members of the bijinga lineage, from Miyagawa Chōshun to Hokusai and by ukiyo-e artists who were his contemporaries. We will also, we hope, make clear the captivating appeal of his work and its position in the bijinga realm.
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Wow, Hokusai! See, Examine, and Discover Ukiyo-e
Tue, June 24, 2025 - Sun, August 31, 2025
Katsushika Hokusai, one of Japan’s preeminent artists, employed a multitude of devices that make the viewer gasp with astonishment. Noticing one, we wonder what devices he used in other works. Excited, we turn to the next work—eager to learn more about Hokusai and ukiyo-e. The "Wow, Hokusai!" exhibition invites visitors to experience Hokusai’s appeal through the discoveries they find in his works. The process is clear: look at his pictures, examine each work with care, and make new discoveries. Here we introduce the work of Hokusai and his students through simple descriptions that will, we hope, spur your interest in Hokusai and ukiyo-e. Please have a delightful time discovering that “Ah!” moment, that “Wow!” sensation.
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Hokusai and the Producers: From Tsutaya Jūzaburō to Today
Tue, March 18, 2025 - Sun, May 25, 2025
Ukiyo-e, commercial publications, were not be produced by the artist alone. A hanmoto, who was involved from planning to sales, a block carver, and a printer were essential. Among them, the hanmoto was the comprehensive ukiyo-e producer who detected trends, proposed plans to expand sales, and was in charge of hiring the artist and directing the carver and printer. This exhibition explores how the hanmoto produced Hokusai’s work and what works each introduced to the world. It introduces the Edo-period hanmoto Tsutaya Jūzaburō, the Edo media king, who observed Hokusai’s talent early on, Nishimuraya Yohachi, who made the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji a hit, and Eirakuya Tōshirō, who published Sketches by Hokusai, plus the work of contemporary artists inspired by Hokusai, their work published by contemporary studios that continue producing ukiyo-e as traditional woodblock prints. Enjoy the world of those producers, from Tsutaya Jūzaburō in the Edo period to contemporary hanmoto, whose support is the critical underpinning of the ukiyo-e business world.