Meet one of Japan’s foremost political caricaturist


Kyosai lived in a complicated time. The end of the Edo era and the modernisation efforts of the new Meiji government not only brought a sudden end to feudal institutions but also fueled the rapid introduction of Western customs. Kyosai expressed his complex feelings toward modernisation through sarcastic paintings, poking fun at the new Meiji initiatives’ incompatibility with traditional Japanese lifestyles. He was imprisoned for his flippant portrayals of the political elites.
Yet, what lies behind Kyosai’s sarcasm is not outright opposition to the Meiji government, but a longing for the traditional culture of Edo era. Visitors should not miss his playful depictions of everyday life in feudal Japan and more serious portraits of deities and nature, both rooted in his decades of training under the renowned Kano School of Japanese traditional painting that was patronised by the Edo shoguns.