Special Exhibition:
LOVE　Japanese Paintings of Adorable Things
―Kaburaki Kiyokata’s Romance, Okumura Togyu’s Love of Animals―

6 December (Sat.) 2025 – 15 February (Sun.) 2026
(Closed on 13 Jan, from 29 Dec to 2 Jan, and on Mondays, except for 12 Jan.)

Hours: 10 am - 5 pm (Last admission at 4:30 pm)

Admission Fees:
Adults: 1,400 yen; University and high school students: 1,100 yen; middle school and younger children: free of charge;
Disability ID holders and one accompanying person: 1,200 yen each
Winter Student Discount: University and high school students: 1,100 yen → 500 yen
* Discount for those who are wearing kimono: Discount of 200 yen for adults
▶Exhibition Online Ticket Sales　(11/28 Fri.12:00～)

Organized by: Yamatane Museum of Art and the Asahi Shimbun.

Highlights of the Exhibition

Kaburaki Kiyokata, Light Snow. Color on Silk, 1917; Fukutomi Taro Collection

Ikeda Terukata, Onatsu’s Frenzy. Color on Silk, 1914; Fukutomi Taro Collection

Kitano Tsumetomi, Michiyuki (a reminiscing poetical exchange between lovers before double suicide). Color on Silk, 1913; Fukutomi Taro Collection

Okumura Togyū, Rabbit. Color on Silk, c.1947; Yamatane Museum of Art

Hayami Gyoshū, Peach Blossoms. Color on Gold Ground on Paper, 1923; Yamatane Museum of Art

Kobayashi Kokei, Scenes from the Legend of Kiyohime: Sleeping Quarters. Color on Paper, 1930; Yamatane Museum of Art

Kawasaki Shōko, Dreaming of Home. Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1986; Yamatane Museum of Art

Ogura Yuki, Reminiscence. Color on Silver-Leafed Paper, 1968; Yamatane Museum of Art

Kawai Gyokudō, Cormorant Fishing. Color on Silk, 1895; Yamatane Museum of Art

*Approximately 60 works in total are to be displayed.

Exhibition Overview

We are surrounded by love in many forms: the burning passion between lovers, the affection shared by family members, including parents and children or spouses, the love for one’s hometown, and the tender affection we feel toward familiar animals. Oshi-katsu—supporting one’s favorite artist, performer, or character—is a term we often hear now and can also be seen as a form of love. This winter, the Yamatane Museum of Art will hold a special exhibition focused on modern and contemporary Japanese paintings inspired by the theme of “LOVE.”

When we speak of love as a theme in art, what first comes to mind is romantic love. In his celebrated work Light Snow (Fukutomi Taro Collection Archive), Kaburaki Kiyokata, drawing in-spiration from Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s play Courier for Hell, depicts its tragic love story with refined dignity. From the perspective of familial love, notable works include Hayami Gyoshū’s Peach Blossoms, painted to commemorate his beloved daughter’s first Girls’ Festival, together with other exquisite pieces that overflow with deep affection between parent and child.

In Dreaming of Home, a work that conveys profound love of his native place, Kawasaki Shōko depicts a child dreaming of home. This exhibition also features numerous paintings that express artists’ love of animals. Okumura Togyū said that he enjoyed painting living creatures “because they are pleasing to the eye.” Here we present Togyū’s Rabbit and many other paintings that express their warm affection.

During the winter season—filled with events like Christmas, New Year’s, and Valen-tine’s Day that bring us closer to our loved ones—enjoy these masterpieces depicting “LOVE” vividly imagined by artists in their own diverse ways.

*All works are from the Yamatane Museum of Art collection unless otherwise noted.
*Approximately 60 works in total are to be displayed.