The Lineage of Hokusai’s Beauties—Rivalry Among Masters

Summary of Exhibition

2025/9/8 09:00

P RESS RELEASE

July 5,2025

The Sumida Hokusai Museum (Sumida City, Tokyo) holds Special Exhibition “The Lineage of Hokusai’s Beauties—Rivalry Among Masters” from September 16 to November 24.

Today Hokusai is famous for his Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and other landscapes depicting famous places. He was, however, also so well known for bijinga, pictures of beautiful women, that he is mentioned as a bijinga expert in the 1800 novella Taitōkeigo (Courtesans’ Words Through Connoisseurs). In this exhibition, we focus on Hokusai’s roots as a master of bijinga and the evolution of his style in that genre.

Katsukawa Shunshō, his teacher when Hokusai first set foot in the world of ukiyo-e, was also a bijinga master. Kōhen Fūzokutsū (Connoisseurs’ Manners and Customs, Vol. 2), a novella published in 1775, praises him highly, stating, “One painting by Shunshō is worth a thousand pieces of gold.” Hokusai can be positioned within an orthodox lineage of bijinga artists that includes Miyagawa Chōshun, who specialized in brush-drawn paintings, his bijinga characterized by a delicate, graceful style, Chōshun’s student Miyagawa (Katsumiyagawa) Shunsui, and Shunsui’s student, Shunshō.

Hokusai’s style changed greatly throughout his career, with its evolution closely connected to the style of bijinga fashionable at the time. In this exhibition, we explore those changes in Hokusai’s style, plus works by members of the bijinga lineage, from Miyagawa Chōshun to Hokusai and by ukiyo-e artists who were his contemporaries. We will also, we hope, make clear the captivating appeal of his work and its position in the bijinga realm.

【Summary of Exhibition】

Title	Special Exhibition “The Lineage of Hokusai’s Beauties—Rivalry Among Masters”
Term	Tuesday, September 16 to Monday, November 24, 2025 　*Some exhibits will be changed during the period.
Term	1st term： September 16 to October 19 2nd term：October 22 to November 24
Closed days	Mondays (except October 13, November 3 and 24), October 14 and November 4 *On October 21, Special Exhibition is closed for preparation of the 2nd term.
Venue	3rd floor and 4th floor Exhibition Room in The Sumida Hokusai Museum
Hours	9:30 am - 5:30 pm (last entry 5:00 pm)
Organizers	Sumida City, The Sumida Hokusai Museum
Admission	Adults ¥1,500, Students (high school and university), 65 and over ¥1,000, Students (middle school) ¥500, Visitors with disabilities ¥500, Children in primary school and younger Free
Website	https://hokusai-museum.jp/hokusaibeautiesEN/
Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/hokusai_museum/

● Visitors can also enter all exhibitions on the same day with the exhibition ticket.

● Identification card is necessary to get a discount ticket.

● Admission for visitors with disabilities is also available for one accompanying person with a visitor with disabilities.

● Please see the latest information about the starting date of ticket sales and the way of purchase for same-day tickets and other discount tickets on our website.

【Main artworks】