An exhibition of Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s works is currently being held at the Kyocera Museum of Art. On August 30, we went to see it while Shiozawa was taking a break from his work.

Artists such as Iwasa Matabei, Soga Shōhaku, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi remind me of *Lineage of Eccentrics: Matabei to Kuniyoshi*, a book by art critic Tsuji Norio that I have reread many times. Published around 1970, the book reevaluated painters who had previously been overlooked and regarded as heretical in the history of modern painting, characterizing them as eccentric and fantastical.

I recall that, within our modern, standardized education system across Japan, being eccentric was never looked upon favorably in mainstream society.

I am once again in awe of the whimsical creativity in Kuniyoshi’s works, which artfully pack movement and intensity into every corner of the canvas.

When I think about how people in the Edo period admired these eccentric expressions, were amazed by them, empathized with them, and laughed with excitement, I realize that the Japanese must have been quite sensitive, and I feel that Japan is a fascinating country.

It’s a real treat to be able to see an exhibition of this scale—220 works—all at once. What’s more, the exhibition space was quite elaborately decorated, and the final segment, which featured a moving video interpretation of Kuniyoshi’s works, was particularly fascinating.

Kuniyoshi’s warrior paintings are imbued with a rock ‘n’ roll spirit and represent a world that is the exact opposite of minimalism.

Now that it’s become so popular, could it be that the Japanese are rediscovering some of the rich sensibilities of the Edo period?

Once again, today’s exhibition gave us a fresh boost of energy.