Expo: Nihonga in Profusion
Hokusai, Taikan and Suiseki. Japanese Art of World's Fairs from the Late Edo Period Onwards
Great Tengu (Long-nosed goblin) (1839) by Katsushika HokusaiOriginal Source: Fukuda Art Museum, Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
World Expo
World Expo's showcase each country’s science, technology, and culture.
Japan used them to gain international recognition by displaying both traditional and modern artworks, including those by Hokusai and contemporary painters.(Exhibition term: Jul. 19 2025 - Sep. 28, 2025)
Great Tengu (Long-nosed goblin) by Katsushika Hokusai
Japan first took part in a World Expo at the 1867 Paris Expo, during the Edo period. It won the Grand Prix for works including paintings by Hokusai. This exhibition opens with a rare hand-painted Hokusai, not a print: a long-nosed tengu fleeing from a giant spider in midair.
Mt.Fuji － LeftOriginal Source: Fukuda Art Museum, Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
Mount Fuji by Yokoyama Taikan
Yokoyama Taikan explored various techniques of drawing in search of new styles of Japanese paining. In this painting, the snow-capped Mt. Fuji rises above the endless sea of clouds. Taikan took full advantage of the wide screen to paint this grand scene.
Fierce Tiger by Ōhashi Suiseki （reference work)
Ohashi Suiseki (1865–1945) was largely self-taught, yet became renowned for his lifelike tiger paintings, called “the Tiger Painter.” He won back-to-back gold medals at the Paris Expo (1900) and St. Louis World's Fair (1904). This exhibition presented many of his rare works.
Kittens by Ōhashi Suiseki
In Chinese, "cat" sounds like "seventy," so cats symbolize longevity in Eastern art. Suiseki, later known for tigers, first gained notice with cat drawings. Inspired by these, someone urged him to paint tigers. In old age, Suiseki returned to cats, pouring prayers into each work.
Golden Lion by Takeuchi Seihō
Few painters traveled with their works, but Seihō attended the 1900 Paris Expo. He was disappointed by his bronze, while Suiseki won gold for his tiger painting. In response, Seihō began painting big cats in a lighter, more refined style than Suiseki and gained fame.
Karujo's Grief of Parting by Uemura Shōen
Uemura Shōen is Japan’s most renowned female painter, known for her graceful and pure portraits of women. At just 18, she exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and won second prize, later earning a bronze medal in Paris (1900) and a silver in St. Louis (1904).
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