Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum · Tokyo · –

Key facts

GUAN makes in-depth guides to time-limited special exhibitions: each selected work has commentary and audio in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese and English, and every key fact cites its source.

Dates
Jul 25 to Oct 18, 2026
Venue
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum · Ueno · Tokyo
Opening hours
9:30–17:30
Closed
Mondays and Oct 13; open Aug 10, Sep 21, and Oct 12.
Admission
Adult ¥2,300
GUAN guide
12 selected works with text and audio in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and English; free
Highlights
Twelve highlights from the official 201-work checklist: Red Fuji, Sharaku and collecting, a mural tracing and reunited doors, Ōkyo and a Japanese–British collaboration, then Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi prints.

Twelve highlights from the official 201-work checklist: Red Fuji, Sharaku and collecting, a mural tracing and reunited doors, Ōkyo and a Japanese–British collaboration, then Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi prints.

In-depth audio guide

Features: Edo in Focus: a twelve-work guide to changing distance

Plan your visit

Opening hours
9:30–17:30 Opening moves to 9:15 from Sep 29 through Oct 18. Until 20:00 on Fridays; last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Closed
Mondays and Oct 13; open Aug 10, Sep 21, and Oct 12.
Closed during the exhibition
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Admission
  • Adult ¥2,300
Reservation
Date-specific tickets are available; check the official site for inventory and same-day operation.

Information verified · Check the official site for same-day updates

Works (12)

  1. 14. Clear day with a southern breeze (Red Fuji), from Thirty-six views of Mt Fuji Katsushika Hokusai · Colour woodblock print, horizontal ōban, nishiki-e · Late Edo period · c. 1830–1833 · British Museum — Let Fuji fill your view, then separate the mountain’s shape from the light described by its colours.
  2. 15. Actor Arashi Ryūzō II as the moneylender Ishibe Kinkichi Tōshūsai Sharaku · Colour woodblock print, ōban, nishiki-e · Late Edo period · 1794, fifth month, Miyako theatre · British Museum — This face belongs to an actor and to a character: separate the two names before looking.
  3. 24. Tracing of a painting from wall no. 9 in the kondō of Hōryū-ji temple Sakurai Kōun · Hanging scroll; ink and colour on paper · Meiji era · May 1880 · British Museum — This is an 1880 tracing that preserves evidence of a mural, rather than a wall removed from the temple.
  4. 28. Birds and flowers of autumn and winter Kanō Sōgen Shigenobu · Four sliding-door panels; ink, colour, gold and silver on paper · Late Momoyama to early Edo period · Early 17th century · British Museum — Read the four doors together: seasons cross their joins, while their later history divided their fronts from their backs.
  5. 42. The demon queller Shōki (Zhong Kui) and two demons Shibata Zeshin · Hanging scroll; ink, colour and gold on silk · Late Edo to early Meiji period · 1865–1870 · British Museum — Shift your gaze from Shōki and the two demons to the edges, bringing the mounting into your attention.
  6. 47. Birds and flowers Maruyama Ōkyo · Pair of hanging scrolls; ink, colour and gold on silk · Edo period · 1764–1772 · British Museum — Move between the pair and watch birds, flowers, and seasons balance each other.
  7. 50. Mother tiger carrying three cubs across a river Maruyama Ōkyo · Six-panel screen; ink, colour and gold leaf on paper · Edo period · 1781–1782 · British Museum — Count the three cubs, then trace the banks and solve how the mother can ferry them safely.
  8. 61. Fireflies Prince George (later George V) and Kubota Beisen · Hanging scroll; ink and light colour on paper · Meiji era · 5 November 1881 · British Museum — One person made ink dots; another added wings. Read this painting through the sequence of collaboration.
  9. 65. A courtesan reading a letter Kitagawa Utamaro · Hanging scroll; ink and colour on paper · Edo period · c. 1804–1806 · British Museum — Use the front-tied sash, bare feet, and illegible letter to read a private moment within a public role.
  10. 146. Under the wave off Kanagawa (‘the Great Wave’), from the series Thirty-six views of Mt Fuji Katsushika Hokusai · Colour woodblock print, horizontal ōban · Edo period · c. 1831 · British Museum — Find the small Fuji, then see three boats and claw-like spray drive the eye into depth.
  11. 182. The plum garden at Kameido, from the series One hundred famous views of Edo Utagawa Hiroshige · Colour woodblock print, ōban · Edo period · November 1857 · British Museum — Look through the close plum trunk toward visitors, garden, and the graded morning sky.
  12. 191. Princess Takiyasha and the skeleton spectre Utagawa Kuniyoshi · Colour woodblock print, ōban triptych · Edo period · 1845–1846 · British Museum — Move from Takiyasha chanting at left to the warriors, then let the giant skeleton span all three sheets.

Questions

Is there an audio guide for Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum?

Yes. GUAN selected 12 works from the exhibition, each with text and audio in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and English. All of it is free.

How much is admission to Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum?

Adult ¥2,300.

When is Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum on?

Jul 25 to Oct 18, 2026.

What are the opening hours of Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum?

Open 9:30–17:30. Opening moves to 9:15 from Sep 29 through Oct 18. Until 20:00 on Fridays; last admission 30 minutes before closing. Closed: Mondays and Oct 13; open Aug 10, Sep 21, and Oct 12.

Official website

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