A new exhibition spotlighting Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Kuniyoshi, two of the most influential ukiyo-e artists of the late Edo period, will open in Tokyo this fall.
“Kunisada & Kuniyoshi: Shunga Exhibition WA in Shinjuku Kabukicho” runs from October 3 to November 29 at the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage, marking the fourth installment of the Shinjuku Kabukicho Shunga Exhibition WA series, which launched in 2025.
The exhibition brings together a curated selection of shunga (Japanese erotic woodblock prints) by the two masters, alongside works from across their broader oeuvres, including actor prints (yakusha-e), bijin-ga (portraits of beautiful women), and warrior prints (musha-e). Together, the works offer a rare opportunity to compare two artists whose contrasting styles dominated the ukiyo-e world in the final decades of the Edo period.
Curated by Mitsuru Uragami, president of Sokyudo Gallery and a standing board member of the International Ukiyo-e Society, the exhibition will feature works in a variety of traditional print formats, from illustrated books to oban, chuban, and mameban prints.
Kunisada & Kuniyoshi: Shunga Exhibition WA in Shinjuku Kabukicho
Dates: October 3 – November 29, 2026 (58 days)
Venue: Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage
Lions Plaza Shinjuku 2F, 2-9-18 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan
Organized by: Smappa!Group / Wine Rice Inc.
Special Cooperation: Sokyudo Gallery
Curator: Mitsuru Uragami (President, Sokyudo Gallery; Standing Board Member, International Ukiyo-e Society)
