The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum will host a groundbreaking exhibition next year featuring approximately 200 Japanese art masterpieces primarily from the British Museum's collection. The exhibition, titled "Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum," will run from July 25 to October 18, 2026, at the museum located in Tokyo's Ueno district in Taito Ward.

The showcase will include traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints by renowned artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Kitagawa Utamaro, alongside an extraordinary collection of fusuma-e paintings created on sliding door panels. These works represent some of the finest examples of Japanese art from the Edo period, offering visitors a rare opportunity to view pieces that have been housed in international collections for over a century.

The exhibition's centerpiece will be a historic reunion of four fusuma-e painting sets that have been separated across three countries for approximately 150 years. These remarkable works include "Shunkei Kacho" (flowers and birds in the spring) and "Meisho Fuzoku" (famous sites and people around there), currently held by the Miyakoshi family in Nakadomai, Aomori Prefecture. The British Museum will contribute "Shuto Kacho" (flowers and birds in the autumn and winter), while the Seattle Art Museum will provide "Kinkishoga" (four Chinese scholars playing the zither and go, as well as practicing calligraphy and appreciating a painting).

These fusuma-e paintings, each consisting of a set of four panels, were created by artists from the prestigious Kano school during the late 16th to early 17th centuries. Historical records indicate that these works originally decorated the same building at Tanzan Shrine in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, before being dispersed to different locations around the world through various historical circumstances.

Yoshiya Yamashita, a former researcher at the Kyoto National Museum, expressed excitement about this unprecedented reunion. "We will be able to witness a reunion, like bringing together siblings long separated in London, Seattle and Aomori," Yamashita commented, emphasizing the cultural and historical significance of seeing these related works displayed together for the first time in generations.

The exhibition represents a significant cultural exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom, highlighting the global appreciation for Japanese artistic traditions. The collaboration demonstrates how international museum partnerships can bring together scattered cultural treasures, allowing contemporary audiences to experience these works as they were originally intended to be viewed.

Following its run in Tokyo, the exhibition will travel to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, where it will be displayed from October 31, 2026, to January 31, 2027. This extended tour will provide art enthusiasts across Japan with multiple opportunities to witness this rare collection of reunited masterpieces and gain deeper insights into Japan's rich artistic heritage.