A special exhibition devoted to the enduring beauty of flowers in Japanese painting will be presented at the Yamatane Museum of Art in Shibuya, Tokyo, from February 28 to May 10, 2026. Titled Flowers flower 華 2026, the exhibition examines how flowers have been depicted as essential motifs expressing the passage of time, the changing seasons, and the sensibilities of individual artists.
Flowers, which transform their appearance with each season, have long captivated viewers and have remained a central subject in painting for centuries. This exhibition brings together approximately fifty works from the museum’s collection, spanning spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Encountered as a whole, the exhibition offers an experience akin to refined indoor flower viewing, allowing visitors to appreciate blossoms in full bloom through the language of art.
Key works include Yokoyama Taikan’s Spring Morning, portraying mountain cherry blossoms bathed in the soft glow of early sunlight, and Yamaguchi Hōshun’s Clear After the Rainy Season, in which hydrangeas shimmer with lingering moisture after rainfall. Sakai Hōitsu’s Chrysanthemums and Small Birds stands out for its decorative brilliance and lively color, while Hayami Gyoshū’s Red Plum and White Plum reveals a striking harmony through the contrast of crimson and white blossoms. Together, these paintings demonstrate how artists have captured the character of flowers blooming throughout the year.
The exhibition further emphasizes the diversity of artistic approaches to floral subjects. Kawabata Ryūshi’s peonies are rendered with gentle colors and softly rounded forms, conveying elegance and volume, while Araki Jūho’s Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons fills the canvas with vivid hues, expressing the vitality of nature through bold composition. Differences in brushwork, color, and structure highlight how each artist’s individual vision brings out distinct qualities of floral beauty.
In addition to realistic depictions, the exhibition includes works featuring legendary and imagined flowers, expanding the scope of floral representation beyond the natural world. Through these varied expressions, the exhibition invites viewers to rediscover flowers not merely as decorative subjects, but as powerful vehicles of artistic imagination and emotional resonance.
Exhibition Details
Title: Flowers flower 華 2026
Venue: Yamatane Museum of Art
Address: 3-12-36 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Exhibition Period: February 28 to May 10, 2026
Opening Hours: 10:00–17:00, last admission at 16:30
Closed: Mondays, except May 4, which will be open
Number of Works: Approximately 50 works, all from the Yamatane Museum of Art collection
Admission:
Adults 1,400 yen, advance tickets 1,200 yen
University and high school students 500 yen
Junior high school students and younger free with an accompanying adult
Visitors with a disability certificate or Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Health Handbook and one accompanying person 1,200 yen, advance tickets 1,000 yen
Exhibited works and exhibition dates are subject to change.
For inquiries: Yamatane Museum of Art, telephone 050-5541-8600.