During the Edo period (1603-1868), there were painters that deserved to be called “kisai,” or extraordinary genius, who broke the conventional common practices of painting and challenged to achieve daring and brand-new expressions nationwide. Besides the artists who have been drawing people’s attention in recent years by their radical, intense and individualistic expression, such as Itō Jakuchū, Nagasawa Rosetsu, Soga Shōhaku and Utagawa Kuniyoshi, those who have been considered the main stream artists in the history of Edo painting, such as Tawaraya Sōtatsu, Ogata Kōrin and Maruyama Ōkyo, also struggled to create something innovative in their expression.
This exhibition introduces 35 masters of painting from all regions of Japan – from Hokkaidō in the north to Kyūshū in the south – and explores the best of their unique creations. This is a special expression suitable for the year of 2020, when Tokyo attracts worldwide attention.
※As part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Edo Tokyo Museum will suspend or cancel (all) museum-organized exhibitions and other events from February 29 (Sat.) until May 6 (Wed.), 2020.