The “Shunga (Haruga) KITA!” Exhibition

The World Was Amazed First!
Special Exhibition of Hidden Masterpieces, Including Hokusai’s “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife”

The “Shunga (Haruga) KITA!” Executive Committee is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition, Shunga (Haruga) KITA!, to be held at the Kumaya Art Museum (Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Director: Iori Eguchi, 11th head of the Kumaya family) from March 28 (Friday) to June 29 (Sunday), 2025.

Shunga, often described as “laughter paintings” (a term reflecting their blend of humor and sexuality) during the Edo period, were immensely popular among people ranging from commoners to daimyos. These works, created by renowned Edo period artists like Katsushika Hokusai and Kitagawa Utamaro, are also highly valued for their artistic significance. In recent years, they have been re-evaluated internationally, praised for their liberating and open-minded portrayal of Japanese aesthetics. The genre has attracted a younger and more diverse audience, with significant exhibitions like the British Museum’s Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art (2013–2014), which drew 90,000 visitors, and Japan’s first shunga exhibition at the Eisei Bunko Museum in 2015, attracting 210,000 visitors in just three months.

For this event, we will present approximately 100 masterpieces of shunga under the guidance of Mitsuru Uragami (head of Uragami Sōkyūdō), a key figure in the British Museum and Eisei Bunko Museum shunga exhibitions. The exhibition will immerse visitors in the vibrant world of sex, life, and humor from Hagi City, the historical home of the Uragami family. Additionally, collaborative projects with local businesses and organizations (e.g., product development, walking tours) will highlight the art’s potential to revitalize communities. Join us on a journey to rediscover Japan’s unique aesthetic sensibilities, gentle intellect, and profound meaning of life from Hagi, the birthplace of Japan’s modernization.

Exhibition Details

Dates: March 28 (Friday) to June 29 (Sunday), 2025
– Part One: March 28 (Friday) to May 11 (Sunday), 2025
– Part Two: May 16 (Friday) to June 29 (Sunday), 2025

Venue: Kumaya Art Museum / Important Cultural Property Kumaya Residence, 47 Imauonotanamachi, Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Admission Fee: General Admission ¥2,000 (including tour of Kumaya Residence)

Age Restriction: Entry prohibited for visitors under 18 years old (age verification required)

Pre-event: “The World Was Amazed First!” Exploring the Fascination of Shunga

Date: February 11 (Holiday, Tuesday), 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Venue: Kumaya Art Museum / Kumaya Residence
Speakers: Mitsuru Uragami & Aki Ishigami (Dr. Ishigami is a pioneer in academic shunga research.)
Admission Fee: ¥2,000 (reservation required)
Registration: harugakita.shunga2025@gmail.com

>>For more details, please visit the Kumaya Art Museum website: https://kumaya.art.