An Introduction to Enjoying Ukiyo-e: Highlights of Hokusai, Hiroshige and Utamaro, and Ukiyo-e Exhibitions in Tokyo in Autumn/Winter 2026

Ukiyo-e is a popular form of painting that spread mainly in Edo during the Edo period, with woodblock prints as its main medium. In Tokyo in autumn and winter 2026, “Utagawa Hiroshige: Edo’s Best Angles” is on view at the Tokyo National Museum until December 20. At the Ota Memorial Museum of Art, an exhibition built around a night scene by Katsushika Oi also continues until December 6. This article explains how ukiyo-e came about, the main artists and what to look for when viewing actual prints, and introduces exhibitions in Tokyo this autumn and winter.

What is ukiyo-e? Prints made by publishers, artists, carvers and printers

According to the Japanese encyclopedia “Nipponica,” ukiyo-e is a popular form of painting that flourished in the Edo period and is also called Edo-e because it developed mainly in Edo. The word “ukiyo” layers several meanings, such as the present world rather than the afterlife and the everyday world, including romance. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “ukiyo” was originally a Buddhist term for the transience of life; later a homophonous character meaning “floating” was applied, and the word took on the sense of enjoying life.

According to the Tokyo National Museum, in the early Edo period ukiyo-e consisted only of paintings made directly by the artists’ hands. Prints that could be mass-produced then emerged, followed by nishiki-e, multicolored prints with refined carving and printing. According to “Nipponica,” the trigger was the exchange meetings of picture calendars that became popular in Edo in 1765 (Meiwa 2), at which Suzuki Harunobu played a central role.

Ukiyo-e prints were made under the direction of a publisher, combining the skills of an artist, a carver and a printer (“Nipponica”). According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, publishers often doubled as booksellers, chose the subjects and determined the quality of the finished product.

The process works like this. The artist’s drawing on paper is transferred to thin paper and pasted onto a woodblock, and the carver cuts away the parts that will not be printed. The printer applies pigment to the block, lays paper over it and presses from above with a baren to print (Metropolitan Museum of Art). In multicolor printing, registration marks called “kento,” carved into the blocks, were used to align the paper so that many colors could be printed precisely (“Heibonsha World Encyclopedia”).

“Nipponica” names the customs of the pleasure quarters and pictures of beauties, along with kabuki and actor prints, as the two pillars from the beginning. Landscape prints of famous places, conveying local scenery and life, and bird-and-flower prints depicting familiar plants and animals also spread. Warrior prints depicting heroes of Japan and China were popular throughout the period, and there are also caricatures infused with humor and satire (“Heibonsha World Encyclopedia”).

Major artists and representative works: Hokusai, Hiroshige, Utamaro, Sharaku, Kuniyoshi and Oi

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849)

Born in Honjo Warigesui in Edo (“Nipponica”), Hokusai is regarded as a native of what is now Sumida City, home of the Sumida Hokusai Museum. His masterpiece “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” is a series of landscape prints on the theme of Mt. Fuji that was completed at 46 prints with the addition of 10 views known as “Ura-Fuji” (Fuji from the back). The publisher was Nishimuraya Yohachi of Bakurocho in Edo. Hokusai’s life, major works and the museums where you can see them are covered in our guide to Katsushika Hokusai.

Among them, “Under the Wave off Kanagawa” is known for its composition, which places a small Mt. Fuji within the hollow of a great wave. The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates it to around 1830–32 and the British Museum to 1831. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hokusai was known for landscapes using indigo and the imported pigment Prussian blue. Together with “Fine Wind, Clear Morning” and “Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit,” it is counted as one of the series’ “big three” (“Nipponica”).

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)

The Tokyo National Museum introduces him as an ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period who worked on landscapes and bird-and-flower pictures. His three great series are the Hoeido edition of “Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” (Tenpo 4–6, c. 1833–35), “Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido” and “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.” “Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” consists of 55 prints (“Nipponica”) and is thought to have been sold bound as an album after all the prints had been published (the Tokyo National Museum’s “1089 Blog”). Hiroshige’s life, major works and the museums where you can see them are covered in our guide to Utagawa Hiroshige.

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?–1806)

An artist of pictures of beauties, he created the “okubi-e” format, which depicts women from the chest up in large close-up (“Nipponica”). Under the up-and-coming publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo (1750–97), he produced series such as “Ten Types in the Physiognomic Study of Women” and “Anthology of Poems: The Love Section.” The Tokyo National Museum notes that Tsutaju is known for launching Utamaro and Sharaku. Utamaro’s life, major works and where to see them are covered in our guide to Kitagawa Utamaro.

Toshusai Sharaku

In the fifth month of 1794 (Kansei 6), he burst onto the ukiyo-e scene by publishing at once 28 large-format, mica-ground prints of actors from Edo’s three major theaters. Then, at the New Year the following year, he suddenly vanished (Tokyo National Museum). In those 10 months (that year had an intercalary 11th month), he left 146 prints. The first batch consisted solely of close-up actor portraits with mica-printed backgrounds. Sharaku’s four periods and the theories about his identity are covered in our guide to Toshusai Sharaku.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861)

A pupil of Utagawa Toyokuni I, he began publishing the series “One of the 108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin” around 1827 (Bunsei 10) (“Nipponica”). He also produced landscapes using Western-style shading, satirical prints and caricatures (“Heibonsha World Encyclopedia”). The Emado at Senso-ji houses about 50 large votive paintings by Kuniyoshi and others, which were shown in a special viewing until Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday) (article on the special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado). At night, projection mapping inspired by the large votive paintings and ukiyo-e was also shown on the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate, free of charge (article on the Senso-ji projection mapping).

Katsushika Oi (dates unknown)

Hokusai’s daughter was herself active as an artist. According to the Ota Memorial Museum of Art, only a little over 10 paintings attributed to Oi have been confirmed worldwide. Her masterpiece, “Night Scene in the Yoshiwara,” brings the night in the pleasure quarter into relief through contrasts of light and shadow.

How to look at the real thing: printing techniques and display changes

Because ukiyo-e are prints produced in large numbers, works with the same design survive in Japan and abroad. The British Museum owns three impressions of “Under the Wave off Kanagawa.” The Tokyo National Museum describes the newly donated Susumu Uchiyama Collection as “well preserved” ukiyo-e. Pay attention to the condition of the paper and colors as well.

Look closely at printing techniques, too. Sharaku’s early actor prints have backgrounds finished with mica (Tokyo National Museum). The imported pigment Prussian blue was used in Hokusai’s landscapes (Metropolitan Museum of Art). It is also worth distinguishing between works printed in the Edo period and reproductions made from blocks recarved in the Meiji period or later.

To protect the works, ukiyo-e exhibitions may keep the lighting low or change works during the run. Tokyo Station Gallery’s “Water Margin” exhibition shows some of Kuniyoshi’s works at reduced light levels to protect them. The Tokyo National Museum’s Hiroshige exhibition changes all of its works across three periods, and the Ota Memorial Museum of Art’s Oi exhibition swaps everything except “Night Scene in the Yoshiwara” between the first and second periods. If there is a work you want to see, check its display period in advance.

Rules inside the museum also vary. The Ota Memorial Museum of Art prohibits taking photos and videos and copying works inside the museum, and asks visitors to refrain from using writing instruments other than pencils.

Major ukiyo-e exhibitions in Tokyo in autumn/winter 2026

Here are the main exhibitions in Tokyo on view or about to open as of October 19, 2026. Many exhibitions change works during their runs, so check each museum’s display periods as well.

Tokyo National Museum: “Utagawa Hiroshige: Edo’s Best Angles” (Ueno)

Commemorating the donation of 1,025 ukiyo-e prints formerly owned by Susumu Uchiyama (1893–1980), this is, according to the museum, the Tokyo National Museum’s first full-scale Hiroshige exhibition. All prints of his three great series are shown across three periods. Period 1, until Sunday, October 25, centers on “Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido.” Period 2, from Tuesday, October 27, focuses on “Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido,” and Period 3, from Wednesday, November 25, on “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.”

The venue also has an ultra-high-definition video corner where visitors can experience the colors of Hiroshige’s works on a large monitor. On the day of the visit, the exhibition ticket also covers the museum’s collection galleries. In Room 20 on the 2nd floor of the Honkan, “Ukiyo-e and Costume: Edo (Ukiyo-e)” shows works by Utagawa Toyohiro, Hiroshige II and III and others until Sunday, October 25. Details are in our article introducing the Hiroshige exhibition.

Dates: Tuesday, September 29 – Sunday, December 20, 2026 (Period 1 until Sunday, October 25; Period 2 from Tuesday, October 27 to Monday, November 23, a national holiday; Period 3 from Wednesday, November 25 to Sunday, December 20)
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sunday, November 1, Monday, November 2 and Sunday, November 22; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (open on Monday, November 2 and Monday, November 23, a national holiday), Tuesday, November 24, Tuesday, December 15
Venue: Tokyo National Museum, Honkan, Room A
Address: 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Adults 1,500 yen, university students 500 yen. Free for high school students and younger, those under 18, those aged 70 and over and others. No advance reservation required
Official website: https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=2759

Ota Memorial Museum of Art: “Katsushika Oi’s ‘Night Scene in the Yoshiwara’ and the Lineage of Night Scenes” (Harajuku)

The exhibition shows Oi’s “Night Scene in the Yoshiwara” for the first time in three years and traces the lineage of night scenes in ukiyo-e. The first period features Hiroshige’s “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Night View of Saruwaka-machi,” and the second period Hiroshige’s “Famous Places in the Eastern Capital: Evening Moon at Ryogoku” and Kobayashi Kiyochika’s “View of Ryogoku Bridge in Enlightened Tokyo,” among others. Night-scene prints made for overseas markets in the late Meiji period are also introduced.

The highlights are described in detail in our article introducing the Oi exhibition. From Saturday, December 12 to Sunday, January 17, 2027, the museum holds its next exhibition, “Ukiyo-e Artists You Don’t Know.”

Dates: Tuesday, October 6 – Sunday, December 6, 2026 (first period until Tuesday, November 3, a national holiday; second period from Saturday, November 7)
Hours: 10:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00)
Closed: October 19 and 26; November 2, 4–6, 9, 16, 24 and 30
Venue: Ota Memorial Museum of Art
Address: 1-10-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Adults 1,200 yen, university and high school students 800 yen, free for junior high school students (age 15) and younger (cash only; 200 yen off on second and subsequent visits during the exhibition with a ticket stub)
Official website: https://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/katsushikaoi2026/

[Ended] Tokyo Station Gallery: “Water Margin” (Tokyo Station)

On the theme of the Chinese wuxia novel “Water Margin,” the exhibition presents, in five chapters, everything from calligraphy, painting and ceramics to ukiyo-e, contemporary art, manga and TV drama. All 74 known prints of Kuniyoshi’s “One of the 108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin” are on display. Kyokutei Bakin’s “New Illustrated Edition of the Water Margin” (illustrated by Katsushika Hokusai) and works by Kazuo Shiraga and Takao Saito are also exhibited.

Dates: Saturday, September 19 – Sunday, November 8, 2026
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (open on November 2)
Venue: Tokyo Station Gallery (in front of the Marunouchi North Exit ticket gates of JR Tokyo Station)
Address: 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Adults 1,600 yen, high school and university students 1,100 yen, free for junior high school students and younger
Official website: https://www.ejrcf.or.jp/gallery/exhibition/202609_suikoden.html

The Sumida Hokusai Museum: “10th Anniversary Special Exhibition: The Best of The Sumida Hokusai Museum – The Scroll of Views Along Both Banks of the Sumida River and Other Masterpieces” (Sumida City)

A special exhibition marking the museum’s 10th anniversary, with some works changed in the second period from Wednesday, October 21. According to the museum, the 7-meter-long “Scroll of Views Along Both Banks of the Sumida River” is the longest surviving work by Hokusai and has returned to Sumida, Hokusai’s hometown, for the first time in about 100 years. From Wednesday, December 16, the museum holds an exhibition tracing the connections between Hokusai, the Sumida area and men of letters (until Sunday, February 28, 2027), titled “10th Anniversary: Hokusai Crossover – Gathering in Sumida Across the Ages.”

Dates: Tuesday, September 15 – Monday, November 23, 2026 (national holiday) (second period from Wednesday, October 21)
Hours: 9:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00)
Closed: Mondays (open on Monday, November 23, a national holiday), Tuesday, October 20
Venue: The Sumida Hokusai Museum
Address: 2-7-2 Kamezawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Adults 1,500 yen, high school and university students 1,000 yen, 65 and over 1,000 yen, junior high school students 500 yen, free for elementary school students and younger
Official website: https://hokusai-museum.jp/modules/Exhibition/exhibitions/view/5021

Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts: “Playing in the Ukiyo: Ever-Laughing Ukiyo-e and the Whirlpool of the Late Edo and Meiji Periods” (Machida)

The exhibition brings together caricatures by Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi, catfish prints, measles prints and satirical prints of the late Edo period. Including Meiji-era kaika-e and Kobayashi Kiyochika’s ponchi-e cartoons, it traces the course of “play” in the ukiyo, at once a world of sorrow and a floating world, through about 250 works across the first and second periods.

Dates: Saturday, September 12 – Monday, November 23, 2026 (national holiday) (second period from Thursday, October 15)
Hours: 10:00–17:00 on weekdays, 10:00–17:30 on weekends and holidays (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (open on Monday, November 23, a national holiday)
Venue: Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, Special Exhibition Galleries 1 and 2
Address: 4-28-1 Haramachida, Machida, Tokyo
Admission: Adults 1,000 yen, university and high school students 500 yen, free for junior high school students and younger
Official website: https://hanga-museum.jp/exhibition/index/2026-631

*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official websites for the latest information.

Attempts to set ukiyo-e in motion digitally

Alongside displays of actual works, attempts to experience ukiyo-e through video are increasing. In 2025, the Tokyo National Museum held “Immersive Theater: New Japonisme – From Jomon to Ukiyo-e and Anime.” The current Hiroshige exhibition also has an ultra-high-definition video corner.

Frequently asked questions

Why do several museums own the same ukiyo-e?

Because most ukiyo-e are prints, and many sheets were printed from the same blocks. The Tokyo National Museum explains that printmaking made mass production possible. The British Museum owns three impressions of “Under the Wave off Kanagawa.”

How many times should I visit an exhibition with display changes?

It is safest to decide based on the display periods of the works you want to see. The Hiroshige exhibition changes all of its works across three periods, and the Oi exhibition swaps everything except “Night Scene in the Yoshiwara” between the first and second periods. At the Ota Memorial Museum of Art, showing a ticket stub on second and subsequent visits during the exhibition gives 200 yen off.

Do ukiyo-e exhibitions require reservations?

Of the exhibitions introduced in this article, the Tokyo National Museum’s Hiroshige exhibition requires no advance reservation, and the Ota Memorial Museum of Art does not use timed reservations either. Note that the Ota Memorial Museum of Art accepts cash only.

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

For Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s life, major works and where to see them, see Who Was Utagawa Kuniyoshi?

*Top image: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Bonito,” from “Cats Forming Characters,” c. 1842, British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum (from a press release by the press office of “The British Museum Collection of Japanese Art” exhibition)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements by each organizer and facility (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” (the projection mapping on Senso-ji’s Main Hall and Hozomon Gate and the special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado), introduced in this article, is an event planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

*Disclosure: The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU” and the “Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA,” introduced in this article, are an event and a facility planned, produced and presented by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE, together with TV Aichi (About us).

Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU (Gifu City Museum of History)

The “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU” has been running at the Gifu City Museum of History since Friday, November 6 (until January 11, 2027). It draws on more than 300 works by Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Utamaro, Sharaku, Kunisada and others, recreating the world of ukiyo-e in three-dimensional video spaces with 3DCG animation and projection mapping. Edo-period ukiyo-e and reproductions are displayed between the spaces, along with easy-to-understand explanations for children.

Dates: Friday, November 6, 2026 – Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday)
Hours: 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (open on Monday, November 23), Tuesday, November 24, Monday, December 28 – Monday, January 4
Venue: Gifu City Museum of History, 1F Special Exhibition Room
Admission: Adults (high school students and older) 1,500 yen (1,300 yen in advance), elementary and junior high school students 700 yen (500 yen in advance), free for preschool children
Organizer: Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU Executive Committee
Official website: https://www.ukiyoeimmersiveart.com/gifu

In spring 2027, the same series plans to open its first permanent venue, the “Ukiyoe Immersive Art Museum GINZA,” in Ginza. In addition to video spaces built on eight concepts, it will have a gallery that exhibits and sells actual ukiyo-e. Details are in our article on the Ginza museum. Getting to know ukiyo-e through video and then comparing them with the real thing at a museum is one way to enjoy them.