LADY GO! AIKO X EDO GIRLS COLLECTION

Hiroshige Museum collaborate with a street artist AIKO for the first time

By Shizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Shizuoka City Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road “ Ishibe: Ohan ” (1852) by Utagawa Toyokuni ⅢShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

EDO Girls meets AIKO

Hiroshige Museum of Art meets a globally well known street artist, AIKO, for the first time collaboration! A collection of works includes AIKO's works and Ukiyo-e featuring women made by Utagawa-style Eshi(Ukiyoe-artist) including Hiroshige, Toyokuni III, and Kuniyoshi. Also, we feature girls' fashion in Edo-period that is often appeared in Tōkaidō and Kabuki-performance. We hope you enjoy the world of Edo “Girls” that are passed down over the generations to today!                                                                        

AIKO "American Dream, Spring" (2018) by AIKOShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

American Dream, Spring by AIKO

A collaboration piece by AIKO and The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing, which carries over the high traditional Japanese woodcut techniques to the present-day.

Shizuoka City Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art Collection 2018

Fifty-three Pairings for the Tōkaidō Road “ Arai ” (1847) by Utagawa Toyokuni ⅢShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

The Tōkaidō Girls

Exhibited pieces include the picture of women who traveled along the Tōkaidō, and those pieces show the items that are famous for each  location along the way. We can see the fashion trends back then and the differences between at Edo (currently Tokyo) and Kyo (currently Kyoto) area. Please enjoy the new Tōkaidō from a girls’ perspective.

Fifty-three Stations by Two Brushes “ Hara ” (1854) by Utagawa Hiroshige, Utagawa Toyokuni IIIShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Fifty-three Stations by Two Brushes “Hara”

A woman in front of a sake barrel with the words of “Fuji no Shirozake (White sake of Fuji)”. She holds a fan with the workds of White sake in Japanese.
The model of this woman may be referenced by a white sake sales lady who is a character from Kabuki performance.

Fifty-three Pairings for the Tōkaidō Road “ Yui ” (1847) by Utagawa KuniyoshiShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Fifty-three Pairings for the Tōkaidō Road
“Yui ”

At Kurasawa which is located between Yui and Okitsu, people say turbos and abalones caught by an Ama (woman diver) are famous for that area. These are written on the Kotoba-gaki (caption) at the top in this image. If you look at it carefully, the Ama is wearing a kimono with a crab image.

Fifty-three Pairings for the Tōkaidō Road “ Fuchū " (1847) by Utagawa HiroshigeShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Fifty-three Pairings for the Tōkaidō Road “ Fuchū ”

Here you can see tea picking ladies, story about Abe tea and the Bashō’s Haiku. Also, the little cuckoo is the sign for the beginning of a tea harvesting season. These ladies are wearing the Kōshi-jima (cross stripes) pattern kimono, and having the Kumonosu-shibori (a spider web) pattern towel.

Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road “ Futagawa: Kofuyu ” (1852) by Utagawa Toyokuni ⅢShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

KABUKI Heroines

We’d like to introduce heroines from Kabuki performances who are related to post-towns along the Tōkaidō and those who are depicted from legend over the generations. The women are admired by the people in the Edo Period.  Let's take a look at those actresses who performed as mysterious and beautiful heroines.

Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road “ Mishima: Osen ” (1852) by Utagawa Toyokuni ⅢShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road
“Mishima: Osen”

Here is the picture of the 5th generation descendant, Mr. Kikunōjo Segawa who act “Osen at Mishima” in the story of “Koidenjyubunbunojintate”. He wears the kanzashi (an ornamental hairpin) that has a cotton-made decoration representing the crest of a Kikunōjo Segawa. The towel and the half collar have chrysanthemum pattern.

Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ / Date: 1852, 3rd month

Fifty-three Stations by Two Brushes “ Ejiri ” (1854) by Utagawa Hiroshige, Utagawa Toyokuni ⅢShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Fifty-three Stations by Two Brushes
“Ejiri ”
Utagawa Hiroshige, Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ / Date: 1854, in August

As you can see a heavenly maiden wearing Hagoromo (a robe of feathers) goes high up into the sky. The scene is from Miho's Hagoromo Densetsu (Swan maiden stories)
Cloud patterns are printed on her Kimono (Japanese traditional dress), and chicken motif is engraved in the crown. By positioning the heavenly maiden higher than Mt.Fuji, it clearly shows that the maiden is ascending to the heaven.

AIKO “The Tale of Mr. Skull and Mermaids” 2015 Cony Art Walls, Cony Island (2015) by AIKOShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

AIKO’S STREET ART TRAVELING

AIKO’s archive installation. You can see not only the actual painting tools, design materials, and stencils she used, but also experience her journey through the images and videos of mural works and towns in each country.  Some of the highlights  include an original unlimited figure that is very attractive to her fans, the guns which were used in the film of "Blade Runner", and the package design which is the reproduction of the original “Blaster”.

The Tale of Mr. Skull and Mermaids

This work is inspired both by “The Skull” from the woodblock painting “Soma no Furudairi (The imperial palace at soma)” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi and “The Wave” from “Kanagawaokinamiura (The Great Wave)” by Katsushika Hokusai. It is about the skull going over the wave and time in order to see Marmaids at Coney island in the present day.
This piece is an homage to “modern street culture” and “pop culture” in the Edo Period.

8530cm x 4270cm, 2015, ©AIKO

AIKO'S STREET ART TRAVELING, Message from the Artist (2018-04-03) by AIKOShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

AIKO'S STREET ART TRAVELING, Canvas Works (2008/2009) by AIKOShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

A Girl with Love

60cm×76cm
Spray paint, mixed media on canvas, 2009

AIKO'S STREET ART TRAVELING, Original Design Product (2012-01/2013) by AIKOShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Lady Butterfly, AIKO’s Original Design Package

A butterfly is AIKO’s long time themes. It is the symbol of transformation. You can see a fascinating woman with butterfly feathers and mask. 3D work is produced by Tomenosuke Syoten.


Sculpture H25,4cm Synthetic resin,2013
Package 31cm x 19cm Diameter paper, 2013

AIKO'S STREET ART TRAVELING, installation scene (2018-04-03) by AIKOShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

An installation by AIKO
Spray cans, Spray backets 2018

AIKO HANAKO'S DANCE (2018) by AIKOShizuoka city Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art

Hanako's Dance

Shirabyoshi Hanako (traditional Japanese dancer) is a beautiful girl who appears in “Kyo Kanokomusume Dojo-Ji (The maiden at Dojo-Temple)” Kabuki performance. She wears an Eboshi (Japanese traditional formal headwear) and dances in order to enter the Dojo-Temple, which is forbidden for women. Aiko is like this lady Hanako, who dances in front of Hokusai's sea and Mt.Fuji. AIKO wants to send a message to the women who can work like dancers oversea.

120cm x 200cm, 2018

Credits: Story

Organizer: Shizuoka City Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art
Designated Manager: NPO Hexaproject
Cooperation: The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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