“Utagawa Hiroshige: Edo’s Best Angles” at the Tokyo National Museum Until December 20, Showing Every Print of His Three Great Series over Three Periods

At the Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park, Tokyo), the special exhibition “Utagawa Hiroshige: Edo’s Best Angles,” commemorating the donation of the Susumu Uchiyama Collection, is on until Sunday, December 20. Opened on Tuesday, September 29, it commemorates the museum’s receipt of 1,025 ukiyo-e prints formerly owned by Susumu Uchiyama (1893–1980). Centering on the three great series “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido,” “Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido” and “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo,” it presents landscapes and bird-and-flower prints over three periods. All works are changed for each period; the first period ran until Sunday, October 25, the second runs from Tuesday, October 27, to Monday, November 23 (national holiday), and the third from Wednesday, November 25, to Sunday, December 20.

Highlights of the Hiroshige exhibition

According to the museum, this is the Tokyo National Museum’s first full-scale Utagawa Hiroshige exhibition. The three great series are assigned to the three periods, with “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido” in the first, “Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido” in the second and “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” in the third, so that every print is shown over the course of the exhibition. The museum describes this opportunity to show every print in the series as “unprecedented in Japan and abroad.” Hiroshige’s life, major works and the museums where you can see them are covered in our guide to Utagawa Hiroshige.

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was an ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period who created landscapes evoking the changing seasons and vividly colored bird-and-flower prints. The venue also has an ultra-high-definition video corner showing the colors of Hiroshige’s works on large monitors.

Masterpieces of each period and changes of display

The museum names the following three works as the masterpieces of each period (all by Utagawa Hiroshige).

• First period (September 29 – October 25): “Nihonbashi: Morning View” from “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido” (c. 1833–35)

• Second period (October 27 – November 23): “Seba” from “Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido” (c. 1836–37)

• Third period (November 25 – December 20): “Asakusa Ricefields and Torinomachi Festival” from “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” (November 1857)

The list of works is published on the Tokyo National Museum Repository, and no paper copies are distributed. The museum advises those who need it to download or print it before visiting.

The catalogue “Utagawa Hiroshige: Edo’s Best Angles – The Susumu Uchiyama Collection” (Tokyo Bijutsu, 5,940 yen) is available at the museum shops and at bookstores nationwide. Purchases at the museum shops on the first floor of the Honkan, at the Main Gate Plaza and on the first floor of the Toyokan come with a venue-exclusive clear card.

Background of the Susumu Uchiyama Collection

Susumu Uchiyama was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. While running a trading company, he built a collection of ukiyo-e centered on Utagawa Hiroshige. His first step in forming the collection reportedly came when, as a student, he acquired a Hiroshige print depicting his hometown port of Ejiri in Shimizu.

Serious collecting began after he saw ukiyo-e exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the British Museum. He preferred views of famous places to pictures of beautiful women or actor prints, collecting in particular Hiroshige’s quiet, lyrical works. He documented the collection in “Hakucho Sanso Ukiyo-e Kansho” (privately published, 1958) and introduced it in publications such as “Ukiyo-e Taikei.” He was involved in founding the Japan Ukiyo-e Society (now the International Ukiyo-e Society) and established within it the Uchiyama Susumu Beiju Commemorative Ukiyo-e Encouragement Prize.

Tickets, and how to avoid crowds

Admission is 1,500 yen for adults and 500 yen for university students (same-day tickets only). High school students and younger, those under 18, those aged 70 and over, and people with disabilities plus one caregiver are admitted free on presentation of proof of age or a disability certificate. Students of Campus Members schools are admitted free by showing a student ID at the Main Gate ticket office. The exhibition ticket also gives access to the TNM Collection exhibitions (regular exhibitions) on the day of the visit.

Sales of advance tickets and the “value set of three tickets” ended on Monday, September 28. Same-day tickets are handled by the online ticket service asoview!, where same-day adult tickets are 100 yen off. During the exhibition, there is also a repeater discount of 100 yen off a same-day adult ticket on presentation of a used ticket for the exhibition (once only, not combinable with other discounts). Since the works change for each period, it can be used for second and subsequent visits.

Advance reservations are not required, but visitors may have to wait to enter when it is crowded. Opening hours are 9:30 to 17:00, and until 20:00 every Friday and Saturday and on Sunday, November 1, Monday, November 2 and Sunday, November 22 (last admission 30 minutes before closing). The museum is closed on Mondays, Tuesday, November 24 and Tuesday, December 15, but open on Monday, November 2 and Monday, November 23 (national holiday).

During the same period, the special exhibition “Daitokuji: Japan’s Unrivaled Zen Temple” is also on at the Heiseikan until December 6. It requires separate admission.

Editor’s perspective

The starting point of this exhibition is a collection of 1,025 prints built by a single collector. Collecting that began with a single print acquired as a student became the foundation of the Tokyo National Museum’s first full-scale Hiroshige exhibition. If you are interested in Hiroshige’s night scenes, “Katsushika Oi’s ‘Night Scene in the Yoshiwara’ and the Lineage of Night Scenes” at the Ota Memorial Museum of Art is also worth a look. How to look at ukiyo-e is introduced in our introduction to enjoying ukiyo-e. Japanese art exhibitions are summarized in our guide to Japanese art exhibitions.

Overview

Name: Special Exhibition Commemorating the Donation of the Susumu Uchiyama Collection: “Utagawa Hiroshige: Edo’s Best Angles”
Dates: Tuesday, September 29 – Sunday, December 20, 2026 (first period: Tuesday, September 29 – Sunday, October 25; second period: Tuesday, October 27 – Monday, November 23 (national holiday); third period: Wednesday, November 25 – Sunday, December 20. All works change for each period)
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (until 20:00 every Friday and Saturday and on Sunday, November 1, Monday, November 2 and Sunday, November 22; last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays, Tuesday, November 24 and Tuesday, December 15 (open on Monday, November 2 and Monday, November 23 (national holiday))
Venue: Tokyo National Museum, Honkan Room A
Address: 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Access: 10-minute walk from the Park Exit of JR Ueno Station or the South Exit of Uguisudani Station; 15-minute walk from Ueno Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hibiya Lines, Nezu Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line and Keisei Ueno Station
Admission: Adults 1,500 yen, university students 500 yen (same-day tickets only). Free for high school students and younger, those under 18, those aged 70 and over, and people with disabilities plus one caregiver. No advance reservation required
Organizer: Tokyo National Museum
Inquiries: 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Official website: https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=2759
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

For an overview of the best-known prints, see 12 Famous Ukiyo-e Prints: From Hokusai’s “Great Wave” to Sharaku and Kuniyoshi.

*Top image: View of the exhibition venue (from a press release by Toshin Partners Co., Ltd.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on information on the official website of the Tokyo National Museum (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team