Experience Ukiyo-e Like Never Before: An Immersive Art Experience in Tokyo
Step into the World of Ukiyo-e: Exhibition Highlights
The exhibition unfolds across nine themed areas, each designed to provide a distinct perspective on ukiyo-e. One of the highlights is the Japan Blue room, where indigo hues wash over the space, paying tribute to the deep blues often found in traditional Japanese prints. Visitors can step inside Hokusai's famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa from his Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, as it is reimagined through fluid animations to evoke the movement of ocean tides.
The Waterfall room showcases Hokusai's Waterfalls around the Countries. Mirrored walls and digital projections create the illusion of endless cascading water, enhancing the depth and dynamism of the artwork. This approach not only magnifies the scale of Hokusai's work but also breathes movement into the static woodblock prints.
Celebrating ukiyo-e's portrayal of femininity, the Beautiful room features works by Kitagawa Utamaro. The grace and elegance of the female figures in Utamaro's works are brought to life using vibrant colors, dynamic animations, and music, transporting visitors to the Edo period's (1603-1868) fashion scene. The attention to detail in the fabric patterns, hairstyles, and facial expressions underscores the artistry that made Utamaro a defining figure in ukiyo-e.
The Colorful section explores the four seasons of Japan through the works of Hokusai and Hiroshige. Delicate cherry blossoms in spring, lush greenery in summer, autumn leaves in fiery reds and warm yellows, and serene snow-covered landscapes in the winter are displayed across massive panoramic screens.
For those interested in the playful side of ukiyo-e, the Interest area features humorous asobi-e (playful pictures) and giga (caricatures), showcasing the lighter, more whimsical elements of Edo-period art. This area includes interactive elements where visitors can engage with traditional Japanese games like goldfish scooping and ring toss. The exhibition also delves into the historical side of ukiyo-e, particularly its depictions of Edo period Tokyo. This section highlights how ukiyo-e served as a form of documentation, capturing the daily lives, customs, and urban landscapes of the time.
For samurai enthusiasts, the Heroes section showcases musha-e (warrior paintings) that depict dramatic and intense battles, capturing the energy of these historical scenes.
Discovering the Seasons and Traditional Landscapes
One of the exhibition's most engaging features is a space divided by noren (traditional fabric dividers) that visitors part to reveal different scenes and paintings, akin to peeking behind a traditional Japanese screen. Rather than remaining static, the experience unfolds piece by piece, inviting a sense of discovery. This subtle yet immersive setup encourages visitors to engage with the artwork more intimately and interactively. Each room reveals a new perspective, reinforcing the idea that ukiyo-e is not just about static images but storytelling through layered visuals. The final room, Elegance, ties together ukiyo-e's past and present, exploring its lasting influence on pop culture. Mount Fuji, a recurring motif in ukiyo-e, takes center stage as digital projections transform the famous peak through the four seasons, accompanied by ambient music that shifts with the changing colors.
Bringing Ukiyo-e to Life: The Vision Behind the Exhibition
Bringing these static images to life was no small feat. Higashiyama Takeaki, CEO of HITOHATA Inc., the company behind the exhibition, explains that animating ukiyo-e required meticulous attention to detail to ensure that the visuals remained true to the original print. "It was a challenge to animate ukiyo-e," he admits. "We had to manually stitch together every movement of the characters using a combination of computer graphics and 3D animation, ensuring that it retained the authentic feel of the original artworks."
Much like Tokyo itself, this delicate balance of innovation and tradition is at the core of the exhibition's design. "We wanted to make ukiyo-e more pop," Higashiyama adds, emphasizing the importance of making the experience accessible to modern audiences. "We created this exhibition around different themes to ensure a seamless viewing experience for our audience, allowing them to see the original artworks and experience them in an immersive form."
Selecting Tennozu as the venue was also deliberate, reinforcing the exhibition's connection to Edo Tokyo. As an emerging art district in Tokyo, the area serves as a bridge between historical and contemporary creativity. "As this exhibition is in Tokyo, we want people to see what Edo Tokyo was like and to understand the allure of the city," Higashiyama explains. "Tennozu as an art hub of Tokyo, was the perfect location for our exhibition."
With its overwhelming success in Tokyo, the Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition is already preparing to expand its horizons. "We're very excited that this exhibition will be making its way down to Fukuoka and Taiwan this summer." Higashiyama shares. The recognition has also extended beyond Japan, with the exhibition recently winning the Cool Japan Award, an initiative backed by the national government that promotes Japanese culture on a global scale. "We also have a ton of other projects upcoming that we can't wait to unveil," he hinted enthusiastically, suggesting that this immersive approach to ukiyo-e may be just the beginning of a broader movement to reimagine traditional Japanese art.
This exhibition is a rare opportunity to step inside the world of ukiyo-e. Whether you are experiencing these prints for the first time or rediscovering them from a fresh perspective, the Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition presents a visually stunning and immersive journey through one of Japan's most celebrated artistic traditions.
Movie: Hitohata,Inc.
Higashiyama Takeaki
Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition TOKYO
https://www.ukiyoeimmersiveart.com/tokyo/enPhotos by Fujishima Ryo