From April 4 (Sat) to May 31 (Sun), 2026, the third installment of the Shinjuku Kabukicho Shunga Exhibition: WA will present
“A Contest of Allure: Katsushika Hokusai and Keisai Eisen — Kabukicho in Full Bloom.”

Bold, unrestrained, and bewitching.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) wielded his brush with absolute freedom even in shunga.

Decadent and seductive.

Keisai Eisen (1791–1848) admired Hokusai’s style, studied it deeply, and developed a sensuality uniquely his own.
Although Eisen first studied ukiyo-e under Kikukawa Eizan and began his career as a ukiyo-e artist, he later wrote in his book Mumeiō Zuihitsu, he wrote that he “admired Master Hokusai’s style, received instruction in the fundamental principles of painting, and later established his own school,” acknowledging the influence of Hokusai on his work.

Yet while the two artists influenced one another.
Their visions of allure were never the same.

How did they confront the human condition?
How did they depict desire?

This exhibition presents approximately 100 works from the shunga collection of Mitsuru Uragami, representative of Uragami Sōkyūdō. Centered on the shunga of Hokusai and Eisen, the exhibition also introduces works by artists who inherited Hokusai’s artistic lineage.

In addition, Hokusai’s celebrated masterpiece “Tako to Ama” (The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife) from the series “Kinoe no Komatsu” (Pine Seedlings on the First Rat Day) will be featured in a special limited-time display.

Ukiyo-e works evoking the arrival of spring will also be exhibited, bringing together shunga and spring imagery in full seasonal bloom.

Kabukicho is a place where people gather night after night, where countless lives intersect.

A city filled with human warmth, human contradictions, and the unmistakable scent of life—yet one that ultimately affirms the tenderness of being human.

Shunga and Kabukicho.
Edo and Kabukicho.

Even across centuries, the gaze that cherishes humanity remains unchanged.

Hokusai and Eisen breathe once again in Kabukicho.

Now begins the contest of allure between two masters.

Kabukicho, in full bloom.

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Dates

April 4 (Sat) – May 31 (Sun), 2026 (Open daily.)
First Period: April 4 (Sat) – April 30 (Thu)
Second Period: May 1 (Fri) – May 31 (Sun)
(Please note that some works will be rotated during the exhibition period for conservation purposes.)

Special Feature：
Hokusai’s celebrated shunga masterpiece
“Tako to Ama” (The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife)
from the series “Kinoe no Komatsu” (Pine Seedlings on the First Rat Day) will be exhibited.

Exhibition Period ①:
April 4 (Sat) – April 19 (Sun)
Exhibition Period ②:
May 1 (Fri) – May 10 (Sun)

(Due to conservation requirements, the display period is limited.)

Opening Hours：

11:00 – 19:00 (Last admission 18:30)
Final day closes at 17:00 (Last admission 16:30)

Extended Evening Hours：
Every Friday & Saturday:
11:00 – 21:00 (Last admission 20:30)

Venue (Two locations)：

〇1. Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage (Reception and ticket check-in take place here)
Lions Plaza Shinjuku 2F
2-9-18 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0021

Access：
3-minute walk from Shinjuku-sanchome Station (Exit E1)
(Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line / Fukutoshin Line / Toei Shinjuku Line)
8-minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station (North Exit)
(Seibu Shinjuku Line)



〇BOND (Approx. 1-minute walk from the Noh Stage)

Kabukicho Social Building 9F
1-2-15 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Access:
7-minute walk from Higashi-Shinjuku Station (Toei Oedo Line)
9-minute walk from Shinjuku-sanchome Station (Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line)
12-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station (Yamanote Line)

Tickets

Advance Tickets (Until April 3)：
General: ¥1,900
Student: ¥1,300

Same-day Tickets：
General: ¥2,200
Student: ¥1,500
(Student tickets require a valid student ID.)

Visitors with a valid disability certificate and one accompanying person receive free admission.
This exhibition uses date-specific ticketing. Purchase your ticket for a selected date online. No time slot is required; enter at any time during opening hours on the selected date.
If capacity allows, same-day entry without a reservation will be accepted. Please note that visitors with reservations will be given priority.
Re-entry is permitted only on the same day.

■ Age Restriction■
Admission is restricted to visitors aged 18 and over.
Age verification is required at the time of ticket purchase. Visitors may also be asked to present identification (such as a passport, driver's license, or health insurance card) upon entry.

Credits

Organized by: Smappa!Group / Wine Rice Co., Ltd.
Special Cooperation: Uragami Sōkyūdō
Curator: Mitsuru Uragami (Representative, Uragami Sōkyūdō / Executive Board Member, International Ukiyo-e Society)
Academic Advisor: Noriko Itasaka (Professor Emeritus, Senshu University)
Exhibition Cooperation: Minori Kuroda
Venue Composition: Yasutaka Hayashi (Chim↑Pom from Smappa! Group)
First Venue Design: Takaaki Mitsui
First Venue Decoration: KOSHIRO EBATA
Sound Design: Manabu Uchida (Compose / Karesansui Surrounding), Umeo Saito (Sound Design / FLEXTONE)
Second Venue Design: Kenta Nishimura
Partners: The Chain Museum Co., Ltd., Ginza Tsutaya Books, Shinjuku Field Museum, Shunjuku Field Museum, Nihon Bunka Radio, Sebastian Takagi, Naoko Saito, Nekomachi Club
Sponsor: toriko,TST ENTERTAINMENT,pipichan farm
Media Partners: Kyūtōryū Sadō, Aoi Nikki-chō, Shinjuku Ganka Gallery, Tokyo Kawaraban

Staff Credits

Planning: Maki Tezuka (Chairman, Smappa!Group)
Art Direction / Curation: Yasutaka Hayashi (Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group)
Project Manager / Curation: Honya Shan
Project Leader: Shinichi Kato
Planning Cooperation: Koichi Morota (Morota Office)
Public Relations: Hanako Aiyama (OFFICE-Hai), Rui Minamoto（Studio YUGEN）, Smappa!Group
Design: Smappa!Group
Merchandise Production: Kabukicho Information Center
Translation: Kaede Ebina