Suntory Museum of Art
Exhibitions
Hanabusa Itchō: A Talented Man of Great Refinement Depicts the Floating World ―In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of His Death

Hanabusa Itchō: A Talented Man of Great Refinement Depicts the Floating World
―In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of His Death

September 18 to November 10, 2024

*Download the list of changes in works on display
*There will be an exhibition change during the course of exhibition.

Hanabusa Itchō (1652-1724) was a painter active mainly in Edo around the Genroku era (1688-1704). He initially received academic training from Kanō Yasunobu, Kanō Tan'yū's younger brother. He was also inspired by the work of other artists, including Hishikawa Moronobu, an ukiyo-e artist, and Iwasa Matabei, who developed a style influenced by the Tosa school, to create his innovative genre paintings vividly depicting the lives of the ordinary people of the city. His urban genre paintings were widely appreciated, and his students who admired Itchō’s style formed what became known as the Hanabusa school. Many other artists, including the ukiyo-e painter Utagawa Kunisada, also admired Itchō, and he had a major influence on later generations. In addition to painting, Itchō also studied with the poet Matsuo Bashō and learned to compose haikai verses. His multifaceted abilities were applied in a wide range of fields.
The wild ups and downs of his life also spurred on his popularity. His unique background included being exiled to Miyakejima, a distant island, in 1698, his forty-seventh year. In 1709 he was pardoned when a new shogun took office and was able to return to Edo. The works he created on the island are called Shima Itchō ("Island Itchō") and are particularly highly regarded. After returning to Edo, he replaced Taga Chōko and the other art names he had been using with Hanabusa Itchō.
The year 2024 is the 300th anniversary of Itchō's death. To commemorate that anniversary, our museum is holding the largest Itchō retrospective thus far. Fresh work from his early period, valuable Shima Itchō works from his years in exile, paintings from his late period, after returning to Edo: through superb works from Japan and abroad, we explore the oeuvre of this talented man of great refinement, Hanabusa Itchō, and his fascinating character.

Works from the exhibition

Period

September 18 to November 10, 2024

*Download the list of changes in works on display
*There will be an exhibition change during the course of exhibition.

Hours

10:00-18:00　*Friday 10:00-20:00

*Open until 20:00 on November 9
*Open until 22:00 on September 27 and 28 due to "Roppongi Art Night"
*Last admission: 30 minutes before closing

Closed

Tuesdays

*Open until 18:00 on November 5

Admission

Adult	General ¥1,700	Advance ¥1,500
University and High School Student	General ¥1,000	Advance ¥800

Elementary, junior high school students and under are free.
*With a certificate of disability, the admission fee of a disabled person and a care-giver will be waived.
*Advance tickets will be available on the website from July 3 to September 17.

Discount

◇100 Yen Discount
•For presenting a ticket to a thematic exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo, or Mori Art Museum
•For parties of 20 or more

*Only one discount per person

Audio Guide

¥600

English audio guide available

Organized by

Suntory Museum of Art, NHK, NHK Promotions Inc., The Asahi Shimbun

Hanabusa Itchō: A Talented Man of Great Refinement Depicts the Floating World―In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of His Death

SUNTORY MUSEUM of ART

Hanabusa Itchō: A Talented Man of Great Refinement Depicts the Floating World
―In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of His Death