Art exhibition in Kyoto
Maruyama Okyo and Ito Jakuchu at Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum
The first exhibition phase presents works by Maruyama Okyo and Ito Jakuchu. The artworks on display vary by exhibition period.
- Dates
- Oct 17 (Sat) – Feb 14 (Sun)
- Hours
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Venue
- Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum
- Nearest station
- Imadegawa
- Admission
- Adults ¥1,000; university and high school students ¥800; junior high school students ¥500; elementary school children free when accompanied by a guardian
About this event
Okyo Maruyama's Great Waterfall measures more than 3.6 metres in height, conveying the overwhelming force of falling water. His celebrated Seven Misfortunes and Seven Fortunes explores human suffering and happiness, while Peonies and Peacock reveals his extraordinary powers of observation and colour. By contrast, Ito Jakuchu's fifty-panel paintings for the great reception hall at Rokuonji demonstrate his mastery of ink. Using techniques that exploit the natural spreading of ink, Jakuchu gives birds and plants remarkable vitality. This exhibition brings together two leading figures of 18th-century Kyoto painting.
Highlights
- Okyo's Seven Misfortunes and Seven Fortunes
- Great Waterfall, measuring more than 3.6 metres
- Jakuchu's fifty ink-painted panels from Rokuonji
- Jakuchu's distinctive ink-spreading technique
- The intricate colour of Peonies and Peacock
- Good for
- For visitors interested in Japanese painting, nature in art and Edo-period Kyoto.
Good to know before you go
- Peonies and Peacock is displayed in the first half of Phase I; Great Waterfall in the second half.
- The November 29 lecture is limited to the first 80 participants and requires a museum admission ticket.
- Elementary school children must be accompanied by a guardian to enter free.
- The official website offers English, Simplified Chinese and Korean.
Pochikichi's story cornerHow did Okyo and Jakuchu see nature differently?
Maruyama Okyo and Ito Jakuchu were two leading painters in 18th-century Kyoto. Both depicted animals and plants, yet their artistic approaches were strikingly different. Okyo placed particular emphasis on careful observation and realistic representation.
His Peonies and Peacock captures the bird's plumage in intricate colour, while Great Waterfall conveys the immense power of rushing water. In Seven Misfortunes and Seven Fortunes, he turned his attention to the contrasting experiences of human suffering and happiness.
Jakuchu's paintings for the great reception hall at Rokuonji, better known as Kinkakuji, form a remarkable fifty-panel ensemble. Unlike his brilliantly coloured works, these paintings rely on ink. By allowing ink to spread and pool in carefully controlled ways, he created a sense of depth and life.
Realism and decoration, colour and ink: the two painters transformed similar natural subjects into very different worlds. Look closely at how each artist renders feathers, plants and water.
Sources: Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum — Official Exhibition Information (Japanese)
FAQ
- What is Maruyama Okyo and Ito Jakuchu at Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum?
- Okyo Maruyama's Great Waterfall measures more than 3.6 metres in height, conveying the overwhelming force of falling water. His celebrated Seven Misfortunes and Seven Fortunes explores human suffering and happiness, while Peonies and Peacock reveals his extraordinary powers of observation and colour. By contrast, Ito Jakuchu's fifty-panel paintings for the great reception hall at Rokuonji demonstrate his mastery of ink. Using techniques that exploit the natural spreading of ink, Jakuchu gives birds and plants remarkable vitality. This exhibition brings together two leading figures of 18th-century Kyoto painting.
- When is Maruyama Okyo and Ito Jakuchu at Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum?
- From Oct 17 (Sat) to Feb 14 (Sun), 2027.
- What are the opening hours?
- 10:00 – 17:00
- How much does it cost?
- Adults ¥1,000; university and high school students ¥800; junior high school students ¥500; elementary school children free when accompanied by a guardian
- Where is it and what is the nearest station?
- Shokokuji Jotenkaku Museum. The nearest station is Imadegawa.