Shojo Manga Infinity Opens October 28 at the National Art Center, Tokyo, with Moto Hagio, Ryoko Yamagishi and Waki Yamato

“Shojo Manga Infinity: Moto Hagio × Ryoko Yamagishi × Waki Yamato” opened at the National Art Center, Tokyo (Roppongi, Tokyo) on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. It runs until Monday, February 8, 2027, and is held by the museum to commemorate its 20th anniversary. Tracing the three artists’ work from their early careers to the present, it plans to display more than 800 original drawings in black and white and in color. According to the museum, it is the first large-scale shojo manga exhibition held at a national art museum.

Highlights of Shojo Manga Infinity

All three artists debuted in the late 1960s. The exhibition traces careers spanning about 60 years.

The first highlight the museum lists is the “infinite” nature of shojo manga. The exhibition surveys themes such as inner turmoil and relationships with others, women’s independence and diverse forms of sexuality, and perspectives on history and culture. It also covers the evolution of techniques such as layered page layouts. The word “infinity” is meant to express these many layers of appeal.

The texture unique to original drawings is another highlight. The museum describes the delicate lines and compositions left on the manuscripts, and the colors of the illustrations that adorned magazine covers and title pages, as things that “cannot be fully reproduced in print.” Color works are rotated between the first period (October 28 – December 14) and the second period (December 16 – February 8, 2027).

Main works on display

The main works by the three artists introduced on the museum’s page are as follows.

• Moto Hagio: “The Poe Clan,” “The Poe Clan: Dream of Spring,” “The Heart of Thomas,” “They Were Eleven!” and “Mesh”

• Ryoko Yamagishi: “Arabesque,” “Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun,” “The Fairy King” and “Terpsichora / Maihime”

• Waki Yamato: “Haikara-san ga Toru,” “Yokohama Monogatari,” “Asaki Yume Mishi” and “Ishtar no Musume: Ono no Otsu-den”

Each color original has its own display period. In the first period, works such as the title page of “Arabesque” from the July 1972 issue of Ribon are shown. In the second period, items such as the Valentine card for “The Poe Clan” included as a supplement in issue No. 10 of Weekly Shojo Comic in 1976 appear. If there is a particular piece you want to see, check its display period on the official website.

The careers of the three artists

Moto Hagio was born in 1949 and debuted in 1969 with “Lulu and Mimi.” Besides “The Poe Clan” (1972–76), a series centered on the vampire Edgar, and “The Heart of Thomas” (1974), she has created many science fiction works. In 2006 she received the 27th Japan SF Grand Prize for “Barbara Ikai,” and in 2019 she was named a Person of Cultural Merit. In 2022 she was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame.

Ryoko Yamagishi was born in 1947. She debuted in 1969 and published the ballet manga “Arabesque” (1971–75). “Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun” (1980–84), which depicts Prince Shotoku in his youth, won the 7th Kodansha Manga Award in fiscal 1983. She took up ballet manga again with “Terpsichora / Maihime” (2000–10), which won the Grand Prize of the 11th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in fiscal 2007.

Waki Yamato was born in 1948. She debuted in 1966, and “Haikara-san ga Toru” (1975–77), set in the Taisho era, won the shojo category of the 1st Kodansha Manga Award. “Asaki Yume Mishi” (1979–93), her manga adaptation of The Tale of Genji, was featured in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019.

Tickets and how to avoid crowds

Advance tickets cost 2,000 yen for adults, 800 yen for university students and 300 yen for high school students, and are sold online until 23:59 on Tuesday, October 27. Same-day tickets cost 2,200 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for university students and 500 yen for high school students. They are sold online from 0:00 on Wednesday, October 28 and, from the same day, at the museum’s ticket counter (entrance to Special Exhibition Gallery 2E). Admission is free for junior high school students and younger, and for holders of a disability certificate or similar and one companion.

The audio guide is narrated by Hikaru Yuzuka, who has brought to life the worlds of works such as “The Poe Clan” and “Haikara-san ga Toru” on the Takarazuka Revue stage. It costs 700 yen and is sold at the venue entrance. Advance tickets with an audio guide voucher (2,600 yen for adults) are also sold through e-tix until 23:59 on Tuesday, October 27.

Students at Campus Members schools pay 800 yen, and faculty and staff 2,000 yen. Showing a ticket for another special or open-call exhibition being held at the museum gets you 100 yen off. Tickets (stubs accepted) for exhibitions at the Suntory Museum of Art and the Mori Art Museum (covered by the ATRo discount) also qualify. The museum is also holding “The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Renaissance” until December 13.

Opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00, until 20:00 every Friday and Saturday (last entry 30 minutes before closing). The museum is closed every Tuesday, on Wednesday, November 4, and for the New Year holidays from Monday, December 28 to Tuesday, January 5, 2027. It is open on Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday) and Tuesday, December 8. The museum’s page does not mention timed-entry reservations (as of October 19).

Editor’s perspective

Ahead of the opening, in January 2026 the museum held lectures in London and Paris by Rei Yoshimura, the researcher in charge. The significance of this exhibition lies in a national art museum taking up shojo manga, which has also been introduced repeatedly abroad, head-on and on the scale of more than 800 original drawings.

As for the classic behind “Asaki Yume Mishi,” the Tokyo National Museum will open the special exhibition “The Tale of Genji: The Radiance of the Court” on Tuesday, January 19, 2027. This autumn and winter’s exhibitions are summarized in our guide to autumn and winter exhibitions in Tokyo. Exhibitions on anime, manga and games are introduced in our 2026–2027 guide to anime, manga and game exhibitions.

Overview

Name: Shojo Manga Infinity: Moto Hagio × Ryoko Yamagishi × Waki Yamato
Dates: Wednesday, October 28, 2026 – Monday, February 8, 2027 (first period: October 28 – December 14; second period: December 16 – February 8, 2027; color works are rotated)
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 every Friday and Saturday; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Every Tuesday; Wednesday, November 4; Monday, December 28 – Tuesday, January 5, 2027 (open on Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday) and Tuesday, December 8)
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo, Special Exhibition Gallery 2E
Address: 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: Directly connected to Exit 6 of Nogizaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line; about a 4–5 minute walk from Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and the Toei Oedo Line
Admission: Same day: adults 2,200 yen, university students 1,000 yen, high school students 500 yen. Advance (online, until 23:59 on Tuesday, October 27): adults 2,000 yen, university students 800 yen, high school students 300 yen. Free for junior high school students and younger, among others
Organizer: The National Art Center, Tokyo
Co-organizer: The Mainichi Newspapers
Inquiries: 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Official website: https://www.nact.jp/exhibition_special/2026/shojomanga/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: From a press release by The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd.

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on information from the official websites of the National Art Center, Tokyo and the exhibition (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team