Commemorating the 240th Birthday of Utagawa Toyokuni III

Toyokuni III’s Tokaido

Utagawa Toyokuni III was an ukiyo-eshi (painter) famed for his prints of beauties (bijin-ga) and actors (yakusha-e). Along with Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi, he is considered one of the best ukiyo-eshi of the Edo period, and also the most prolific, with more than 10,000 works credited to his name. This exhibition is being held to commemorate his 240th birthday in 2026, and features his Actor Parodies of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido as well as other works.
Actor Parodies of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido depicts kabuki actors in front, with scenes from the Tokaido post-station towns in the background. In addition to the 55 prints covering from Nihonbashi to Kyoto, this immense series includes additional drawings and works featuring aino-shuku (rest-stops between post-station towns) for a total of 140 prints. This exhibition will be divided into two periods and will exhibit the 82 works of this series that the Museum holds in its collection. We hope you will enjoy Toyokuni III’s Tokaido, with its distinctive differences to Hiroshige’s landscapes.