<Exhibition> Visual Magic: Masterpieces from Hokusai Museum, Obuse. Commemorating the 170th Anniversary of Hokusai’s Death. Sumida Hokusai Museum until January 19, 2020.
Keyword: Ukiyo-e / Exhibitions / Katsushika Hokusai / Sumida Hokusai Museum
To commemorate the 170th anniversary of Katsushika Hokusai’s death, the Sumida Hokusai Museum and the Hokusai Museum Obuse have joined together to organize a pair of exchange exhibitions. Hokusai Museum Obuse is located in Obuse in Nagano Prefecture, a place that Hokusai visited during his later years. The theme of the Sumida Hokusai Museum’s exhibition is “Visual Magic”. It probes the astonishing appeal we find in Hokusai’s works when we realize that he does not depict his subjects simply as they are, but manages to add unnatural structural elements, without making the resulting work appear unnatural. This exhibition is thus a rare opportunity to see nearly 120 works from the Hokusai Museum Obuse collection on display in Tokyo. The works on display include brush-drawing paintings from Hokusai’s early to his late periods as well as his iconic Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and other polychrome prints.

Phoenix. Ceiling painting for a festival float (Higashimachi). On display for the whole exhibition period.
Left: Daily Exorcisms – 10th Day of the 10th Month. Hokusai Museum collection. On display 1st Term.
Centre: Daily Exorcisms – 11th Day of the 10th Month. Hokusai Museum collection. On display 2nd Term.
Right: Daily Exorcisms – 13th Day of the 11th Month. Hokusai Museum collection. On display 2nd Term
Salted Salmon and Mice. From the Nikuhitsu Gajō. Hokusai Museum collection. On display 2nd Term.
Visual Magic: Exhibition of Masterpieces from Hokusai Museum, Obuse, Commemorating the 170th Anniversary of Hokusai’s Death.
Venue: Sumida Hokusai Museum, 2-7-2 Kamezawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo. 03-6658-8936
Period: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 – Sunday, January 19, 2020. Some exhibits will change between 1st and 2nd terms of the exhibition. 1st Term: November 19 – December 15, 2019. 2nd Term: December 17, 2019 – January 19, 2020.
Hours: 09:30 – 17:30 (Final admission 17:00)
Closed: Mondays except public holidays; December 29 – January 1; Tuesday, January 14 (but open on Monday, January 13th, a public holiday).
Admission: General – 1,200 yen. Seniors 65+ – 900 yen. High school and university students – 900 yen. Junior high school students 400 yen. No charge for elementary school students and younger.
Official site: https://hokusai-museum.jp/modules/Exhibition/exhibitions/view/742