The exhibition "Our Kuniyoshi, My Kunisada from the Collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts" is running through June 5th at Bunkamura The Museum in Shibuya, Tokyo.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, boasts a collection of 450,000 works, and is known for its outstanding art from all over the world, from ancient times to modern times, ranging from ancient and European art to Asia, Oceania, and Africa, the Americas, and the present day. Its collection of Japanese art, including Buddhist paintings, picture scrolls, ukiyo-e prints, and swords, is particularly renowned for its quality and quantity.
This is the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Utagawa Kunisada since the museum opened in 1876. This exhibition showcases 170 pieces, totaling approximately 350 prints, by Kuniyoshi and Kunisada, two popular ukiyo-e artists from the late Edo period, selected from the museum's overwhelming collection of over 14,000 prints in its outstanding Japanese art collection. This exhibition is an extremely rare opportunity, as once loaned, the works cannot be displayed publicly for five years, according to museum regulations.

The exhibition displays a number of masterpieces on a similar theme, allowing visitors to see how these two genius artists, with their contrasting styles - Kuniyoshi, known for his dynamic warrior paintings and bold compositions, and Kunisada, who took the world by storm with his stylish portraits of beautiful women and meticulous detail - worked together to create a unique and inventive work. Furthermore, to help visitors understand the works more easily, the titles of each chapter are given modern, pop furigana readings, likening them to the performances of kabuki, the greatest form of entertainment at the time, such as Act 1, Chapter 1: "Skull & Tattoo Cool Guy," Act 1, Chapter 2: "Monster Hunter & Hero," and Act 2, Chapter 6: "Modern Edo Women in Style (Edgar's Collection)."

The exhibition will also feature a unique type of nishiki-e known as "ai-zuri," which uses shades of Prussian blue, a chemical pigment imported from the West at the time, and a touch of crimson, as well as "kirazuri," which uses mica powder on a plain background to create a luxurious look, showcasing the diverse color expressions of ukiyo-e artists.

In addition, kabuki actor Nakamura Shichinosuke will serve as the exhibition's official supporter and audio guide navigator. The theme song will be "Ups and Downs," a song written specifically for the exhibition by Matsumoto Takahiro of B'z.


【Event Information】
Our Kuniyoshi, My Kunisada: Collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Venue: Bunkamura The Museum
Address: 2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Dates: March 19th to June 5th
Hours: 10:00-19:00 (last admission at 18:30)
*Until 21:00 every Friday and Saturday (last admission at 20:30)
Admission: 1,500 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for university and high school students, 700 yen for junior high and elementary school students
Closed: Open every day during the exhibition period