Exhibition/event has ended.
"Pictorial Quizzes in Edo" Exhibition
Tobacco & Salt Museum
Finished
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Hanji-e (hanjiru = to decipher, e = picture) is a type of pictorial puzzle. Each part of the pictures should be "read" correctly first, then connected to each other to form an answer totally different from the depicted objects. Originating from a type of word play, hanji-e had fads from Kinsei (late sixteenth century) to Edo period, gradually evolving into a stylized pictorial puzzle, and became hugely popular in late Edo period (latter half of nineteenth century). One example of hanji-e consists of two pictures, an elephant and the upper body of Kintaro, a boy hero from Japanese folktale. Elephant is "zou" in Japanese, and the upper half of Kintaro should be read as "kin". Then you connect these two sounds to reach the answer of the puzzle, "zou-kin", or wiping cloth. Woodcut prints of hanji-e puzzles were affordable and a popular pastime among the folks in Edo Japan.
Back in 1999, the Tobacco and Salt Museum hosted the first special exhibition of hanji-e prints. This was the first occasion for the hanji-e prints to be exhibited exclusively with the intention to introduce the less known variety of ukiyo-e to the public. The exhibition was highly praised and hanji-e started to appear more often in books and TV, gaining wider recognition.
Now with many new pieces to the collection, the exhibition is larger in scale and planned to be full of fun. Most of the puzzles are perhaps difficult even for fluent Japanese speakers due to the oldness of the content, but if you are able to decipher some, you will surely fall in love with hanji-e and its most frivolous sense of humor.
Back in 1999, the Tobacco and Salt Museum hosted the first special exhibition of hanji-e prints. This was the first occasion for the hanji-e prints to be exhibited exclusively with the intention to introduce the less known variety of ukiyo-e to the public. The exhibition was highly praised and hanji-e started to appear more often in books and TV, gaining wider recognition.
Now with many new pieces to the collection, the exhibition is larger in scale and planned to be full of fun. Most of the puzzles are perhaps difficult even for fluent Japanese speakers due to the oldness of the content, but if you are able to decipher some, you will surely fall in love with hanji-e and its most frivolous sense of humor.
Schedule | Sep 15 (Sat) 2012-Nov 4 (Sun) 2012 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults and University Students ¥300; High School, Junior High and Elementary School Students, Seniors 65 & Over ¥100. Special Exhibition Fees may be charged separately. | ||||
| Venue | Tobacco & Salt Museum https://www.tabashio.jp/en/index.html  | ||||
| Location | 1-16-3 Yokokawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0003 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from Tokyo Skytree Station on the Tobu Skytree line. 10 minute walk from exit A2 at Honjo-azumabashi Station on the Toei Asakusa line. 12 minute walk from Oshiage (Skytree) Station on the Hanzomon, Toei Asakusa, Keisei or Tobu Skytree line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3622-8801 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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