“Maruyama Okyo: Beyond the Real – A Spatial Revolution” Opens November 28 at the Edo-Tokyo Museum; Daijoji’s “Peacock Room” Recreated

The Edo-Tokyo Museum Renewal Commemorative Special Exhibition “Maruyama Okyo: Beyond the Real – A Spatial Revolution” will be held at the Edo-Tokyo Museum (Ryogoku, Tokyo) from Saturday, November 28, 2026 to Sunday, January 24, 2027. More than 120 works by Okyo trace his career from his early megane-e (optical perspective pictures) to the sliding-door paintings of his late years at Daijoji (Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture). Together with the actual paintings handed down at Daijoji, the spaces of the “Peacock Room,” the “Banana Plant Room” and the “Landscape Room” will be recreated in the galleries. After Tokyo, the exhibition will travel to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts.

The first large-scale retrospective in about 20 years, at the renewed Edo-Tokyo Museum

The Edo-Tokyo Museum reopened after its renewal on March 31, 2026. According to the museum, visitors to the permanent exhibition galleries reached 1 million in about six months, and a commemorative ceremony was held on Wednesday, October 14. In the 1st Floor Special Exhibition Gallery, the renewal commemorative special exhibition “The Toyotomi Brothers” runs until November 8, and the Okyo exhibition is the special exhibition that follows it.

The exhibition’s official website describes it as “the first large-scale retrospective in about 20 years.” It sheds light on both Okyo’s realistic expression based on sketching from life and his decorative, expansive treatment of space, presenting his career from his early years to his late period.

At its core are the 165 sliding-door and wall paintings handed down at Daijoji (known as “Okyo-dera,” or Okyo’s Temple). According to the official website, these paintings compose an entire space as a single world. The official website names “the spatial revolution devised by Okyo” as one of the highlights and explains that the exhibition is structured so that visitors can experience these paintings firsthand.

What can be seen? The five chapters and main works

The exhibition follows Okyo’s career chronologically in five chapters. The main works in each chapter listed on the official website are as follows.

• Chapter 1, “The Birth of Okyo the Painter” (to 1766): “Peep-Box Viewer (Direct-View Type)” and the megane-e “Mingzhou Harbor and Sanjusangendo” (both Kobe City Museum), “Pair of Cranes” (1765, Yakumo Honjin Memorial Foundation)

• Chapter 2, “Meiwa” (1766–72): “River Village in a Sudden Shower” and “View of Autumn Fields at Dawn” (both 1769)

• Chapter 3, “An’ei” (1772–81): Important Art Object “Seasonal Pastimes in Kyoto” handscroll (Tokugawa Art Museum), “White Fox” (1779), “Tiger” (1780, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts)

• Chapter 4, “Tenmei” (1781–89): National Treasure “Pine Trees in Snow” folding screens (Mitsui Memorial Museum), “Morning Glories” (1784), “Ice” folding screen (British Museum), Important Cultural Property “Landscape” sliding doors (1787, Daijoji)

• Chapter 5, “Kansei” (1789–95): Important Cultural Property “Guo Ziyi” sliding doors (Daijoji), Important Cultural Property “Peacocks on a Pine Tree” sliding doors (1795, Daijoji)

As highlights, the official website lists the first public showing of “Morning Glories” and the long-awaited homecoming of “Tiger,” owned by the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in the United Kingdom. The National Treasure “Pine Trees in Snow” folding screens from the Mitsui Memorial Museum will be shown only from November 28 to December 6. The Important Cultural Property “Peacocks on a Pine Tree” sliding doors and Yamato Kakurei’s “Portrait of Maruyama Okyo” will be on view throughout the exhibition. Other works include “Puppies” (1778, Tsuruga Municipal Museum) and “Carp at the Dragon Gate” (1789, Daijoji).

The exhibition is divided into a first period (Saturday, November 28 – Thursday, December 24) and a second period (Saturday, January 2 – Sunday, January 24), with works changed between them. Some exhibits will also be rotated during the run.

Tickets and prices

Admission (tax included) for the special exhibition only is 2,100 yen for adults (1,900 yen in advance), 1,600 yen for those 65 and over (1,400 yen in advance) and 1,300 yen for university and vocational school students (1,100 yen in advance). Combination tickets with the permanent exhibition are 2,740 yen for adults (2,540 yen in advance), 1,920 yen for those 65 and over (1,720 yen in advance) and 1,680 yen for university and vocational school students (1,480 yen in advance). Advance tickets are on sale until 23:59 on Friday, November 27. Group rates for 20 or more people are also available (group tickets are not handled on the online Webket).

Junior high, high school, university and vocational school students must show a student ID, and those 65 and over must show proof of age. Tickets are valid only on the day of viewing, for one person and one entry per ticket.

As a special ticket, the “Weekday Premium Night Ticket” (3,500 yen, date and time specified), which allows entry on weekday evenings, is on sale. It covers eight days in total, December 1–4 and January 19–22, 2027, from 17:45 to 19:45 each day (last entry 19:15), and is limited to 300 people per day. It comes with a limited-edition bookmark and a mini shikishi board. There is also a campaign giving free senior tickets usable on weekdays to 3,000 people aged 65 and over, chosen by lottery (applications by return-paid postcard must arrive by November 6).

Opening hours, access and related lectures

Opening hours are 9:30–17:30 (until 19:30 on Saturdays; last entry 30 minutes before closing). The museum is closed on Mondays (open on January 4 and 11), from December 25 to January 1, and on January 12. The venue is the 1st Floor Special Exhibition Gallery, a 3-minute walk from the West Exit of Ryogoku Station on the JR Sobu Line and a 1-minute walk from Exits A3 and A4 of Ryogoku Station (Edo-Tokyo Museum-mae) on the Toei Oedo Line.

The audio guide is narrated by Junichi Suwabe, and the version rented at the venue costs 700 yen (tax included). It is also available on the app “Kiku Bijutsu.”

Two related lectures will be held in the museum’s main hall. On Sunday, December 6, Kazutaka Higuchi (Professor, Jumonji University) will give “Maruyama Okyo, Painter of a Spatial Revolution.” On Saturday, December 12, museum curator Mihee Park will give “Approaching the Whole of Okyo’s Art: Highlights of the Exhibition.” Each lecture has a capacity of 350 people and costs 1,000 yen; advance application is required (a lottery will be held if there are many applicants).

Works by Goshun, who painted under Okyo, can be seen in the Suntory Museum of Art’s “Masterpieces of Buson, Goshun and the Tea Ceremony from the Itsuo Art Museum Collection” (until November 8). Exhibitions held in Tokyo this autumn and winter are gathered in our guide to exhibitions in Tokyo. Exhibitions of Japanese art featuring National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties are introduced in our guide to Japanese art exhibitions.

Touring to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts from February 2027

After Tokyo, the exhibition will travel to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (in Tennoji Park, Tennoji-ku, Osaka) from Saturday, February 6 to Sunday, April 4, 2027. Opening hours there are 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30), and the museum is closed on Mondays (open if a national holiday, with the following weekday closed instead). The Osaka showing does not require reservations, and some exhibits will be changed during the run.

It is organized by the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, NHK Osaka Station, NHK Enterprises Kinki and The Yomiuri Shimbun. Admission for the Osaka showing has not been announced. Exhibitions in the Kansai region are introduced in our guide to exhibitions in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hyogo.

Frequently asked questions

Are reservations required?

No advance reservation is required for the Tokyo showing. However, you may have to wait to enter when it is crowded. The Osaka showing does not require reservations either.

Is admission free for high school students and younger?

At the Tokyo showing, preschool children and elementary, junior high and high school students are admitted free. Holders of a disability certificate or similar and their companions (up to two) are also admitted free. The free admission to special exhibitions on Silver Day, the third Wednesday of each month, does not apply to this exhibition (it does apply to the permanent exhibition).

Can I also see the permanent exhibition?

A separate ticket is required for the permanent exhibition. Combination tickets for the special and permanent exhibitions (2,740 yen for adults) are sold at the Edo-Tokyo Museum and on the online Webket.

Overview

Name: Edo-Tokyo Museum Renewal Commemorative Special Exhibition “Maruyama Okyo: Beyond the Real – A Spatial Revolution”
Dates: Saturday, November 28, 2026 – Sunday, January 24, 2027 (first period: Saturday, November 28 – Thursday, December 24; second period: Saturday, January 2 – Sunday, January 24; some works are changed during the run)
Hours: 9:30–17:30 (until 19:30 on Saturdays; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (open on January 4 and 11), December 25 – January 1, January 12
Venue: 1st Floor Special Exhibition Gallery, Edo-Tokyo Museum
Address: 1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Access: 3-minute walk from the West Exit of Ryogoku Station on the JR Sobu Line; 1-minute walk from Exits A3 and A4 of Ryogoku Station (Edo-Tokyo Museum-mae) on the Toei Oedo Line
Admission: Special exhibition only: adults 2,100 yen (advance 1,900 yen), 65 and over 1,600 yen (advance 1,400 yen), university and vocational school students 1,300 yen (advance 1,100 yen). Free for preschool children and elementary, junior high and high school students. No advance reservation required
Organizers: Edo-Tokyo Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), NHK, NHK Promotions, The Yomiuri Shimbun
Sponsor: NISSHA
Tour: Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Saturday, February 6 – Sunday, April 4, 2027
Inquiries: 03-3626-9974 (Edo-Tokyo Museum main number)
Official website: https://okyo2026-27.jp/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Maruyama Okyo, “Wisteria” folding screen (right screen), Nezu Museum (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on an announcement by the Edo-Tokyo Museum (October 19, 2026) and information on the exhibition’s official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team