Toyohara Kunichika

The year 2025 marks the 190th anniversary of the birth of Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900), an ukiyo-e artist of the Bakumatsu (final years the Tokugawa shogunate) and Meiji era. With his vivid yakusha-e (ukiyo-e pictures depicting kabuki actors), Kunichika prevailed for many years as the foremost artist of his generation. After earning acclaim for his bijinga (ukiyo-e pictures depicting female beauty), Kunichika became a rival of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Yoshitoshi’s protégé Yōshū Chikanobu. Kunichika has been hailed as deemed the most prolific ukiyo-e artist of the Meiji period.

Kunichika was also known for embodying the openhearted, jovial qualities associated with people born and bred in the capital Edo. Many colorful episodes occurred throughout in his life: He got into a drunken brawl with Kawanabe Kyōsai, and the fight was broken up by Yōshū Chikanobu; after falling out with Ichikawa Danjūrō XI, he drew Ichikawa with protruding eyes; he was the second person to be declared bankrupt in Tokyo; and he moved house 117 times, of which he wisecracked that he could never best Hokusai in painting but that he could best him in moving house.

A number of Toyohara Kunichika exhibitions have already been held in Japan, but these exhibitions generally limited their scope to his yakusha-e pieces. This exhibition differs from these. Drawing from the latest scholarly findings, it presents the largest ever retrospective on Kunichika’s works, with a 210-strong selection that avoids focusing excessively on any particular genre or time period. As well as showcasing his signature yakusha-e prints, the selection also includes his bijinga, which represented another of his artistic avenues. It also includes his nikuhitsu-ga (ukiyo-e pictures that were paintings rather than woodblock prints) and the genres he dabbled during his early years as a painter, namely musha-e (ukiyo-e pictures depicting warriors) and landscapes. We hope this varied selection offers new insights into Toyohara Kunichika.

Admission

Adult	1200円
University and High school students	800円
Junior High School Students and below (under 15 years old)	FREE

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