Report on "Water Margin" at Tokyo Station Gallery: Images of Heroes Spreading from Chinese Story to Japanese and Chinese Art
Tokyo Station Gallery hosts "Water Margin" exhibition, showcasing images of 108 heroes through Chinese and Japanese art.Summary
The exhibition "Water Margin" focusing on the Chinese classic novel is held at Tokyo Station Gallery from September 19 to November 8, 2025. It originated as a 90th-anniversary exhibition at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts and traveled to Tokyo. The novel, written in the Ming dynasty, tells of 108 heroes led by Song Jiang who gather at Liangshan Marsh to rebel against corrupt power. The exhibition consists of five chapters: Chapter 1 features ukiyo-e by Utagawa Kuniyoshi; Chapters 2 and 3 focus on Chinese art from the Northern Song to Qing dynasties; Chapters 4 and 5 explore Japanese art from the Edo period to contemporary times, tracing the evolution of the heroes' imagery across time and borders. Mariko Hatta of the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, who organized the exhibition, stated at a press preview that she wanted to provide an opportunity to see Chinese art, especially paintings and ceramics, which are rarely exhibited in Japan.
(Source：Tokyo Art Beat)