Opening in 1876, the centenary of the United States Declaration of Independence, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is one of the most historic art museums in the USA. The Museum is known for its world-class collection of over 100,000 works of Japanese art. In particular, the roughly 50,000 ukiyo-e prints and close to 600 swords are known to be among the highest caliber in the world, both in quantity and quality.
Drawing from the MFA’s collection of ukiyo-e prints, this exhibition features 118 outstanding musha-e prints for the first time in Japan, alongside 27 tsuba sword mountings with the same imagery as the prints. Musha-e depicts heroes from military chronicles such as the Heike monogatari and other warrior legends. The exhibition brings together a number of ukiyo-e artists, from Hishikawa Moronobu, who is regarded as the founder of ukiyo-e prints, to Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi of the Meiji period.
In addition, 20 famous swords from the mid-Heian period to the late Edo period, produced by master swordsmiths from Yamashiro, Yamato, Hōki and Bizen regions, are also presented in the exhibition. Please enjoy the beauty of iron that fascinated people in the West and the stories of heroes, alongside swords from collections in Japan including National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, which are on display exclusively at the Shizuoka venue.

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