Exhibition/event has ended.
Parody Pictures of the Late Edo Period—Toyokuni Ⅲ・Hiroshige・Kuniyoshi
Ota Memorial Museum of Art
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Artists
Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Hiroshige
Ukiyo-e prints portraying beautiful women, kabuki actors, and landscapes often featured hidden riddles that included alternate meanings and associations. These riddles, which were inserted into the pictures by ukiyo-e artists and publishers of the Edo era, included waka (31-syllable poems) and haikai (17 syllable poems). Themes of the riddles included literature, Japanese history, kabuki plays, and the geography, manners, and customs of the provinces. Therefore, a broad knowledge was required to truly understand the meaning of the prints.
In the late Edo period, a special technique called “parody pictures” used by artists such as Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Utagawa Hiroshige became popular. Intended for intellectuals, parody pictures involved associating the components of a picture with different images, similar to a word association game. By reading into the hidden meanings of the prints, we can glimpse the intellectual atmosphere that Edo people enjoyed. This exhibition is an opportunity to learn about the complex world of ukiyo-e through parody pictures.
[Related Events]
Curator Slideshows
Curators discuss highlights of the exhibition
Dates: 12/4 (Wed), 12/14 (Sat), 12/18 (Wed) from 14:00 (40 min. each)
Free with admission ticket, reservations not required.
[Image: Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ “Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road: Miya, Kabuki Actor, Ichikawa Danjūrō Ⅷ as Kagekiyo”]
In the late Edo period, a special technique called “parody pictures” used by artists such as Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Utagawa Hiroshige became popular. Intended for intellectuals, parody pictures involved associating the components of a picture with different images, similar to a word association game. By reading into the hidden meanings of the prints, we can glimpse the intellectual atmosphere that Edo people enjoyed. This exhibition is an opportunity to learn about the complex world of ukiyo-e through parody pictures.
[Related Events]
Curator Slideshows
Curators discuss highlights of the exhibition
Dates: 12/4 (Wed), 12/14 (Sat), 12/18 (Wed) from 14:00 (40 min. each)
Free with admission ticket, reservations not required.
[Image: Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ “Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road: Miya, Kabuki Actor, Ichikawa Danjūrō Ⅷ as Kagekiyo”]
Schedule | Nov 30 (Sat) 2013-Dec 20 (Fri) 2013 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ￥700, University & High School Students ￥500, Junior High School Students & Younger Free | ||||
| Venue | Ota Memorial Museum of Art http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/eng  | ||||
| Location | 1-10-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 | ||||
| Access | 1 minute walk from exit 5 at Meijijingu-mae Station on the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines, 3 minute walk from the Omotesando exit of Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote line. | ||||
| Phone | 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial) | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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