Image: The Museum of Art, Kōchi, Kōchi-shi
'Ekin: Told and Retold' will run from 31 October 2026 to 11 January 2027. The exhibition is the first major Ekin exhibition to be held in Kōchi in 14 years.
Ekin was a Tosa painter active at the end of the Edo period who established a distinctive style and excelled at turning narrative performances such as jōruri and kabuki into paintings. Through representative works, the exhibition introduces Ekin’s light, humorous appeal and examines the history of Ekin culture passed down through the storytelling of people in Kōchi.
The shibai-e folding screens are displayed at summer festivals across Kōchi, where they are viewed in the darkness by candlelight or lantern light. The exhibition will unveil Ekin’s comic works ‘Battle of Farting’ and ‘Night Visit,’ which were restored in fiscal 2023. Warai-e are pictures that incorporate comic effects into erotic subjects.
A live jōruri performance will present a scene from one of Ekin’s folding screens, accompanied by a talk about the world of Ekin revealed through speaking.
