Discover the History of Manga at Special Exhibition "The Journey of Manga from Edo ~Toba-e, Caricatures, Manga~" from Sept. 17 to Nov. 16 in Hibiya, Tokyo!

PRESS RELEASE
Sep. 01, 2016 17:06 PDT

Discover the history of manga at "The Journey of Manga from Edo ~Toba-e, Caricatures, Manga~" exhibition! This exhibition is being held from Saturday, Sept. 17 to Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016 in the special exhibition room on the ground floor of the Hibiya Library & Museum in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.

There are a variety of opinions regarding the origins of Japanese manga, but this exhibition considers the starting point of manga to be the giga (caricatures or cartoons) from the middle of the Edo era, a time when printing culture was flourishing. "The Journey of Manga from Edo ~Toba-e, Caricatures, Manga~" adopts the theory that manga is a kind of mass media beloved by a great number of people.

Starting with Toba-e (humorous paintings based on 12th century works attributed to Toba Sojo), the exhibition follows the history of manga from its beginnings to the present day, a path that goes back around 230 years. Featuring works from the Kyoto International Manga Museum's precious collection, the exhibition includes giga by popular ukiyo-e artists like the Edo superstar Utagawa Kuniyoshi, as well as Kawanabe Kyosai, who was active during the end of the Edo era and the beginning of the Meiji era. Visitors to the exhibition can also enjoy artworks by artists Rakuten Kitazawa and Ippei Okamoto, who were active during the Meiji era and Taisho era, plus a variety of manga from the beginning of the Showa era.

*"Ukiyo wa Yume da, Yume da" by Anonymous - Keiou era (on display in the second part of the exhibition)*

Exhibition Summary
Exhibition Dates: Saturday, Sept. 17 to Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016
*The Hibiya Library & Museum is closed on Monday, Sept. 19 and Monday, Oct. 17.*
Exhibition Details:
・First Part: Saturday, Sept. 17 to Sunday, Oct. 16
・Second Part: Tuesday, Oct. 18 to Wednesday, Nov. 16
*Some artworks will differ from the first to the second part.*
Viewing Times:
・Weekdays: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
・Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
・Sundays and National Holidays: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Final admission 30 minutes before closing)
Location: The ground floor special exhibition room of the Hibiya Library & Museum (Chiyoda-ku Ritsu Hibiya Tosho Bunkakan)
Admission Fee:
・Adults: ¥300
・High School and University Students: ¥200
・Admission is free for Chiyoda-ku residents, junior high school students and younger, and for disability certificate holders plus one companion.*
*Please bring either proof of residence, a student card, or a disability certificate with you.*
Organised by: Hibiya Library & Museum
With Special Cooperation From:
・Kyoto International Manga Museum
・Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center
Supervised by: Isao Shimizu (manga and caricature researcher, research adviser to Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center)

Exhibition Highlights
● From Edo era giga to manga magazines from the early Showa era, the exhibition features around 200 display items in total (including items that will be changed during the exhibition). It's an incredible introduction to the history of Japanese manga from its origins in the Edo era.
● The exhibition introduces artworks by popular ukiyo-e artists like Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Kawanabe Kyosai, and searches for manga-like expressions used in giga images.

*"The Great Battle Between the Fruits and Vegetables and the Fish" by Utagawa Hirokage - 1859 (on display in the second part of the exhibition)*

Set against the background of the 1858 cholera epidemic, this artwork seems to show the fight against the varieties of fish, fruit, and vegetables that are susceptible to contamination by cholera. However, it actually depicts the dispute within the shogunate between the Hitotsubashi group and the Nanki group. "Mikan Dayuu," the fruit general on the right with a head like a mandarin orange (*mikan* in Japanese), represents Iemochi the 14th shogun, while "Shachi Taishi,” the fish general on the left, represents Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

Exhibition Compositions
1. The Birth of Mass Produced Manga as a Product
~The Popularisation of Giga from the Middle of the Edo Era - Giga Books and Giga Ukiyo-e~
1-1. Edo Era Publishing ~The Emergence of "Toba-e" books and the Variety of Giga Styles~
1-2. The Edo Era Superstar, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Caricatures
1-3. The Popular Expressions of Edo Era Giga
1-4. Utagawa Hirokage's "*Edo Meisho Douke Zukushi*" ("Joyful Events in Famous Places in Edo")
1-5. Kawanabe Kyosai's "One Hundred Pictures by Kyosai"

2. The Birth of Professional Manga Artists
~Meiji Era & Taisho Era - The Age of Caricatures and Manga~
2-1. The Last Age of Giga Nishiki-e (Colour Woodblock Prints)
2-2. The Influence of Western Europe and the Magazine Boom
2-3. From the Heyday of Caricature Books to Manga Magazines
2-4. Manga Artists and Manga of the Taisho Era
2-5. Taisho Era Manga Books

3. The Rise of Story Manga
~Early Showa Era & War Time - The Age of Children's Manga~
3-1. Early Showa Era Manga Magazines and the Nonsense Manga Boom
3-2. Pre-War Showa Era Manga Books

Some of the items included in the exhibition may be replaced with alternate artworks.

*"Arigataki Miyo no Kage-e" ("Shadow Pictures of a Benevolent Reign") by Utagawa Kunitoshi - date unknown (on display in the first part of the exhibition)*

Related Events
1. Lecture - "300 Years of Manga History and the History of Speech Bubble Expressions"
Date & Time: Monday, Oct. 10 (a national holiday), from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (doors open at 12:30 p.m.)
Location: The Hibiya Convention Hall on basement level 1 of the Hibiya Library & Museum (Chiyoda-ku Ritsu Hibiya Tosho Bunkakan)
Lecturer: Isao Shimizu (manga and caricature researcher, research adviser to Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center)
Seats Available: 200 (participants accepted in order of application; applications close as soon as all places are filled)
Participation Fee: ¥500
How to Apply:
・By telephone: 03-3502-3340
・By email: college@hibiyal.jp
・Alternatively, please contact the ground floor reception with the name of the event you'd like to attend, your name, and your telephone number.
*Applications open from Saturday, Aug. 20.*

2. Gallery Talk
Date & Time: Saturday, Sept. 17, from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: The ground floor special exhibition room of the Hibiya Library & Museum (Chiyoda-ku Ritsu Hibiya Tosho Bunkakan)
Lecturer: Kayoko Kuramochi (curator of the Kyoto International Manga Museum)
Seats Available: 30
Participation Fee: Free (a ticket for the special exhibition for the same day is also required)
How to Apply: No application required - please come directly to the meeting place.