Imagine watching Hokusai's iconic Great Wave crash before your eyes, or seeing Sharaku's kabuki actors perform as if stepping off the stage. Edo-period woodblock prints, once frozen in time, are now coming alive through cutting-edge digital technology. This is your chance to experience the essence of Japanese art in a way never before possible.

What is "Moving Ukiyo-e Exhibition OSAKA"?

From January 17 to March 14, 2026, the "Moving Ukiyo-e Exhibition OSAKA" is being held at the Event Lab in Knowledge Capital, Grand Front Osaka North Building. This exhibition is an immersive digital art museum that has traveled internationally to Nagoya, Milan (Italy), Kagoshima, Tokyo, Taipei, and Fukuoka, attracting over 350,000 visitors.

The exhibition has received the Excellence Award in the Project Category at the "CJPF Award 2025" hosted by the Cool Japan Public-Private Partnership Platform (Secretariat: Cabinet Office Intellectual Property Strategy Promotion Office), making it an officially recognized Japanese cultural promotion project.

Over 300 Masterpieces Come Alive with 3DCG

The venue showcases over 300 works by world-renowned ukiyo-e masters including Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, Toshusai Sharaku, and Utagawa Kunisada. Unlike traditional museum exhibitions, this show uses 3DCG animation and projection mapping to bring static woodblock prints to dynamic life.

The Osaka venue features seven three-dimensional projection spaces, each offering a unique thematic experience of the ukiyo-e world. Over 40 projectors work together to create complex dimensional spaces where visitors feel as if they've stepped inside the artwork itself.

Katsushika Hokusai: The "Old Man Mad About Painting"

One of the exhibition's highlights is the work of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Hokusai was a master artist of the Edo period who created over 34,000 works during his 88-year lifetime. In 1999, he was the only Japanese person included in Life magazine's list of "The 100 Most Important People of the Last Millennium."

Among his masterpieces, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" from the "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" series is one of the most recognized Japanese artworks worldwide. Van Gogh praised it enthusiastically in letters to his brother, and composer Debussy drew inspiration from it for his orchestral work "La Mer." In July 2024, the image was featured on the back of Japan's new 1,000 yen note, demonstrating its enduring cultural significance.

At this exhibition, you can experience Hokusai's great wave breaking and spraying before your very eyes. The wave expression that Hokusai perfected at over 70 years of age has been given new life through the latest digital technology.

Toshusai Sharaku: Ukiyo-e's Greatest Mystery

Another must-see artist is Toshusai Sharaku. Sharaku burst onto the ukiyo-e scene in May 1794, produced approximately 145 works in just 10 months, and then vanished without a trace, becoming known as the "mysterious artist" of ukiyo-e history.

Sharaku's most distinctive feature was his "okubi-e" (large-head pictures) of kabuki actors, which boldly exaggerated their features, hooked noses, wrinkles, protruding jaws, to capture their individual personalities. This revolutionary style was controversial at the time. German art researcher Julius Kurth reportedly ranked Sharaku alongside Rembrandt and Velázquez as one of the world's three greatest portrait painters.

Sharaku's true identity remained a mystery for centuries, but recent research suggests he may have been Saito Jurobei, a Noh actor employed by the Tokushima Domain. In the 2025 NHK Taiga drama "Berabou," which focuses on publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo who discovered and promoted Sharaku, this mysterious artist plays a key role in the storyline.

Osaka-Exclusive Exhibition Content

The Osaka venue features unique exhibition commentary not available at other locations. Visitors can learn about the history of ukiyo-e in Osaka and the relationship between Kamigata (Osaka-Kyoto) culture and woodblock prints, offering cultural depth beyond the digital art experience.

In addition to digital displays, the exhibition includes precious original ukiyo-e prints from the Edo period and reproductions, allowing visitors to compare the original works with their digital interpretations.

Venue Information & Tickets

Exhibition Period: January 17 (Sat) - March 14 (Sat), 2026 Hours: 10:00-20:00 (Last entry 19:30) *Open daily during the exhibition period Venue: Grand Front Osaka North Building, Knowledge Capital Event Lab Address: 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka Access: 3-minute walk from JR Osaka Station, 3-minute walk from Osaka Metro Midosuji Line Umeda Station

Ticket Prices:

  • Adult: ¥2,300 (day-of) / ¥2,000 (advance)
  • Student (High school/University/Vocational): ¥1,600 (day-of) / ¥1,300 (advance)
  • Child (Ages 4 to Junior High): ¥1,000 (day-of) / ¥800 (advance)
  • Ages 3 and under: Free

Photography and video recording are permitted throughout the venue, and social media posting is encouraged. Dive into the fantastical world of ukiyo-e and capture those "Instagram-worthy" moments!

Ukiyo-e was born as popular entertainment for Edo-period commoners, sold for just a few hundred yen per print. Today, these works are housed in museums worldwide and can fetch prices in the millions. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to experience the allure of ukiyo-e with your whole body through cutting-edge technology.

Does your country have similar initiatives that reinterpret traditional art through digital technology? We'd love to hear about examples or your thoughts on the fusion of classical art like paintings and sculptures with technology in your country!

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