MOA Museum of Art to Show National Treasure “Red and White Plum Blossoms” Screens: Three National Treasures from January 2027, Followed by All 46 Hokusai Prints

The MOA Museum of Art in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, will hold “Masterpieces Exhibition Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Renovation: National Treasure ‘Red and White Plum Blossoms’” from Saturday, January 9 to Wednesday, February 24, 2027. All three National Treasures in the museum’s collection will be shown at the same time: Ogata Korin’s “Red and White Plum Blossoms” screens, Nonomura Ninsei’s “Tea-Leaf Jar with Wisteria Design in Overglaze Enamels,” and the calligraphy album “Kanbokujo.” It will be followed from Friday, February 26 to Friday, April 2 by “Hokusai Red Fuji & Blue Wave: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” which brings together all 46 prints of Katsushika Hokusai’s “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.” General admission is ¥2,000.

Why now: the 10th anniversary of the renovation and plum season

The MOA Museum of Art marks 10 years since its renovation, supervised by the New Material Research Laboratory, the studio jointly led by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyuki Sakakida. The masterpieces exhibition looks back on representative exhibitions from the past decade while presenting Japanese art selected from the collection assembled by the museum’s founder, Mokichi Okada. It ranges from paintings of the Nara and Heian periods through Momoyama-period art and Edo-period ukiyo-e to contemporary crafts by Living National Treasures.

The collection numbers about 3,500 items, including three National Treasures, 67 Important Cultural Properties and 46 Important Art Objects. The masterpieces exhibition is an opportunity to see all three National Treasures together. The dates are timed to plum blossom season, and the museum recommends combining a visit with the scenery of the adjacent Zuiunkyo plum garden.

Highlights of the masterpieces exhibition: three National Treasures and a decade of exhibitions

Of “Red and White Plum Blossoms” (Edo period, 18th century), the museum explains that Korin learned from the work of Tawaraya Sotatsu. It points to features such as plum blossoms painted without outlining the petals, the arrangement of the buds, the tarashikomi (pooled ink) technique on the trunks, and the brushwork of the water pattern. Ninsei’s “Tea-Leaf Jar with Wisteria Design in Overglaze Enamels” (Edo period, 17th century) is a tea-leaf jar decorated with wisteria in full bloom in red, purple, gold and silver over a white glaze. “Kanbokujo” is a folding album of 311 fragments of classical calligraphy, including writings by emperors and master calligraphers from the Nara to the Muromachi period, mounted on both sides of thick paper.

Beyond the National Treasures, works selected from past exhibitions will be on view.

• Important Cultural Property “Cosmetic Box with Landscape and Figures in Maki-e” (Kamakura period, 14th century): from the 2022 exhibition “Great Maki-e: A Thousand-Year Story of Lacquer and Gold”

• Chojiro, “Black Raku Tea Bowl, Named Ayame” (Momoyama period, 16th century): from the 2017 exhibition “Curated by Sen Sooku: The Beauty of Chanoyu, Selections from the Collection”

• Nonomura Ninsei, Important Cultural Property “Stacking Tea Bowls with Lozenge Design in Overglaze Enamels, Gold and Silver” (Edo period, 17th century): from the 2019 exhibition “Ninsei: Gold and Silver”

• Sakai Hoitsu, Important Art Object “Snow, Moon and Flowers” (1820): from the 2021 exhibition “#Rinpa”

• Kitagawa Utamaro, “Woman Reading a Letter” from the series “Ten Types of Women’s Physiognomy”: from the 2025 exhibition “Through Tsutaju’s Eyes: Utamaro, Sharaku and the Golden Age of Ukiyo-e”

• Utagawa Hiroshige, “Hakone: View of the Lake” from the Hoeido edition of “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido” (1833): from the 2023 exhibition “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido with Transport YouTuber Suit”

• Noboru Fujinuma, “Flower Basket in Bundle Plaiting ‘Sei’” (2007): from the 2022 exhibition “HOMO FABER 12 Stone Garden: Naoto Fukasawa and 12 Living National Treasures”

The Important Cultural Property “Fragment of the Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Cause and Effect” (Nara period, 8th century) will be introduced through enlarged video. As of October 20, the museum’s page did not state the display periods of individual works, including “Red and White Plum Blossoms.”

The Hokusai exhibition that follows: all 46 prints of “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” and high-resolution imagery

Opening on February 26, “Hokusai Red Fuji & Blue Wave: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” brings together all 46 prints of “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” published by Nishimura Eijudo from around 1831 (Tenpo 2). The original 36 prints proved so popular that 10 more were added, bringing the series to 46. The museum also notes the colors achieved with Prussian blue (bero-ai), a synthetic pigment imported from the West. Hokusai’s life, major works and the museums where you can see them are covered in our guide to Katsushika Hokusai.

Using high-resolution digital images shot at 150 megapixels, works from the series such as “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” and “Fine Wind, Clear Morning” will be projected on a large screen. The museum says the magnification, impossible with the naked eye, will reveal even the texture of the paper and the skill of the printing. There will also be displays comparing past and present landscapes through video and images, based on visits to the places depicted, such as “Nihonbashi Bridge in Edo” and today’s Nihonbashi. Other major works listed include “Rainstorm Beneath the Summit,” “Kajikazawa in Kai Province,” “Ejiri in Suruga Province,” “Fujimigahara in Owari Province” and “Mitsui Shop at Surugacho in Edo.”

Tickets, prices and access

Admission is ¥2,000 for adults (¥1,800 for groups of 20 or more) and ¥1,400 for high school and university students (¥1,200 for groups; ID required). Junior high school students and younger are admitted free. Visitors with disabilities, together with up to two companions, are admitted free on presentation of a disability certificate or similar. Senior discounts and discounts for official online tickets ended on March 31, 2025. No timed-entry reservations are needed; only groups arriving by large bus must book in advance.

Opening hours are 9:30–16:30 (last admission 16:00). The museum is closed on Thursdays (open if a national holiday) and on exhibition changeover days. From the bus terminal at JR Atami Station, take a bus bound for “MOA Museum of Art” from stop no. 8 and ride about 7 minutes to the last stop (adults ¥200, children ¥100). A taxi takes about 7 minutes. There is free parking for 200 cars (9:00–17:00). Ukiyo-e exhibitions you can see in Tokyo are introduced in our beginner’s guide to enjoying ukiyo-e.

Overview

Name: Masterpieces Exhibition Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Renovation: National Treasure “Red and White Plum Blossoms” / Hokusai Red Fuji & Blue Wave: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Dates: Masterpieces exhibition: Saturday, January 9 – Wednesday, February 24, 2027 / Hokusai exhibition: Friday, February 26 – Friday, April 2, 2027
Hours: 9:30–16:30 (last admission 16:00)
Closed: Thursdays (open if a national holiday), exhibition changeover days
Venue: MOA Museum of Art
Address: 26-2 Momoyama-cho, Atami, Shizuoka
Admission: Adults ¥2,000; high school and university students ¥1,400; junior high school students and younger free (groups of 20 or more: adults ¥1,800, high school and university students ¥1,200)
Official website: https://www.moaart.or.jp/event/bestcollection2027/ (masterpieces exhibition) / https://www.moaart.or.jp/event/hokusai_red_fuji_and_blue_wave/ (Hokusai exhibition)
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official websites for the latest information.

*Top image: National Treasure, Ogata Korin, “Red and White Plum Blossoms,” Edo period, 18th century, MOA Museum of Art (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on information on the official website of the MOA Museum of Art (as of October 20, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team