Head over to Kanda Shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda ward for this captivating art exhibition by bujin-ga sumi-e artist Masayuki Kojo. Bujin-ga are portraits of samurai warriors, an art form that evolved during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), while sumi-e refers to ink paintings.
Kojo’s oeuvre has been rather eclectic as he is not confined to just depicting Japan’s historical fighters. In the past, he has created portraits of modern-day fictitious characters from Star Wars and One Piece. This 10th anniversary solo exhibition, however, focuses on dynamic portraits of Heian era (794-1185) samurai Taira no Masakado along with other warriors and military commanders of his regime.
Fret not if you can’t make it to the exhibition in person, as you can visit the shrine virtually with the brand new Kanda Myojin CG Space. This online platform runs like a computer game, where you create an avatar to explore the space. In this virtual world, you'll find six of Kojo’s works lined up in front of the shrine’s main hall.
The event takes place daily from 9am to 4pm (last entry 3.45pm).