ART | Tickets Giveaway: 5 Pairs (10 People)! "It Began with Kuniyoshi: The Legacy of Edo Spirit"

ART | Tickets for 5 Pairs (10 People) Up for Grabs!

A Comprehensive Look at Japanese Painting Over the Past Century

Kuniyoshi: The Legacy of Edo Spirit

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a ukiyo-e artist who emerged during the late Edo period when commoner culture flourished, was hailed as "Kuniyoshi of Edo" and left behind an immense body of work. The exhibition "Kuniyoshi: The Legacy of Edo Spirit" explores how Kuniyoshi's innovative artistic style, brimming with a modern sensibility, was inherited and evolved by artists through their works and materials spanning Japanese paintings, oil paintings, watercolors, prints, and publications from the late Edo to early Showa periods. The exhibition will be held at the Yokohama Museum of Art from November 3 (Sat, holiday) to January 14, 2013 (Mon, holiday).

Text by MATSUDA Natsuki (OPENERS)

An Artist Who Brought Courage and Laughter with His Humorous Works

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was one of the leading ukiyo-e artists of the late Edo period, renowned for his innovative design skills, fantastical ideas, and precise draftsmanship, which resulted in a wide array of captivating works. His art continues to draw attention not only from ukiyo-e enthusiasts but also from contemporary designers and younger generations. In 2009, the exhibition "Kuniyoshi From the Arthur R. Miller Collection" was held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, followed by a showing in New York the next year, earning international acclaim. This exhibition traces the appeal of Kuniyoshi, often called "Edo's graphic designer" for his overwhelming power and unique world, and how his innovative style, infused with a modern sensibility, was inherited and developed by painters in his lineage, featuring approximately 250 works.

Kuniyoshi, a disciple of Utagawa Toyokuni, was a leading figure in the ukiyo-e world of the late Edo period, alongside his senior fellow disciple Utagawa Kunisada. His reputation has grown in recent years due to his diverse range of subjects and styles, including majestic and unconventional warrior prints, beautiful women, kabuki actors, witty and satirical caricatures, and landscapes incorporating Western techniques.

This piece depicts the anecdote, recorded in "Kokon Chomonju" and other texts, of Okane, a courtesan from Omi Province known for her immense strength, who subdued a runaway horse by stepping on its reins. Kuniyoshi's use of background depiction and shading, inspired by Western copperplate prints, brings a mysterious balance to the composition. Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Ichiyusai), "The Strong Woman of Omi Province, Okane," circa Tenpo 2-3 (1831-32), horizontal oban, multicolor woodblock print. On display during the first period only.

From the first generation of Kuniyoshi's disciples, there emerged not only ukiyo-e artists such as Yoshikazu Utagawa, Yoshiku Ochiai, and Yoshitora Utagawa, but also exceptional talents like Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, Kyosai Kawanabe, and Horyu Goseda, who established a school with his Western-style expressions. Notably, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka's disciples included Toshikata Mizuno for historical paintings and Kiyokata Kaburagi for narrative and genre paintings. Kiyokata's own students, such as Shinsui Ito and Shimei Terajima, formed a major lineage within Japanese painting. Furthermore, Kaburagi's disciples, including Hashui Kawase and Shiro Kasamatsu, participated in the Shin-hanga (new prints) movement led by publisher Shōzaburō Watanabe, pioneering new possibilities in woodblock prints from the Taisho to Showa eras.

This exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of Japanese painting over approximately 100 years, from the late Edo to the early Showa periods, focusing on Kuniyoshi and his artistic lineage. It features around 250 works by approximately 50 artists (including 54 by Kuniyoshi, 28 by Yoshitoshi, and 18 by Kiyokata).
Additionally, a monumental ema (votive tablet) by Kuniyoshi, rarely displayed outside its original location at Asakusa-ji Temple's Ema-do Hall, will be exhibited. The exhibition also includes Yokohama-specific displays, such as Yokohama ukiyo-e and works by the Goseda family, who were associated with Yokohama and explored Western-style oil painting. Approximately 70 pieces from the Yokohama Museum of Art's collection will also be showcased across the four sections.

The era in which Kuniyoshi lived was a turbulent time marked by successive famines and earthquakes, eerily similar to Japan today. Kuniyoshi's ukiyo-e, created with rebellious spirit and ingenious ideas, offered courage and laughter to the common people of Edo. This exhibition, which allows visitors to fully appreciate Kuniyoshi's artistry, is undoubtedly a valuable opportunity to invigorate contemporary Japan.

Exhibition Structure and Featured Artists
Chapter 1: Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Artists of the Late Edo and Meiji Periods
(Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Yoshitora Utagawa, Yoshitsuna Utagawa, Fujito Utagawa, Yoshiku Ochiai, and others)
Chapter 2: Utagawa Kuniyoshi and the Lineage of Modern Japanese Painting
(Kyosai Kawanabe, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, Toshikata Mizuno, Kiyokata Kaburagi, Hideo Hirazaki, and others)
Chapter 3: Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Western-Style Expressions: Horyu Goseda and His School
(Horyu Goseda, Yoshimatsu Goseda, Yuko Watanabe, and others)
Chapter 4: Artists of the Kyodo-kai and the Shin-hanga Movement
(Kiyokata Kaburagi, Shimei Terajima, Shinsui Ito, Hashui Kawase, Shiro Kasamatsu, and others)

Kuniyoshi: The Legacy of Edo Spirit
Dates: November 3 (Sat, holiday) – January 14, 2013 (Mon, holiday)
*Exhibition periods vary
*First Period: November 3 (Sat, holiday) – December 5 (Wed)
*Second Period: December 7 (Fri) – January 14, 2013 (Mon, holiday)
Closed: Thursdays, December 29 (Sat) – January 3, 2013 (Thu)
Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (*Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: Adults ¥1200, Students (High School/University) ¥800, Junior High School Students ¥400, Elementary School Students and younger free
Venue: Yokohama Museum of Art
3-4-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-8105, Japan
Tel. 045-221-0300
http://www.yaf.or.jp/yma/
*On November 3, to commemorate the museum's anniversary and the 100th special exhibition, admission to this exhibition will be free for that day only.

Tickets for 5 Pairs (10 People) Up for Grabs!
If you wish to enter, please apply via the form below.
Period: October 19 (Fri) – October 29 (Mon) Deadline: 10:00 AM

Applications are now closed.
Thank you for your many applications.

*Winners will be notified via email. Winners must reply to the email, keeping the subject line intact and including all necessary information. Please note that failure to reply by the deadline will result in disqualification.