Taibao City: The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum is set to present the iconic woodblock print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai in an upcoming exhibition. This exhibition, beginning at the end of May, will spotlight Japanese art treasures, with the masterpiece on loan from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum.

According to Focus Taiwan, the woodblock print will be displayed for a month, from May 30 to June 29, as part of the museum's three-month exhibition titled "The Beauty of the Floating World in Edo." Chu Lung-hsing, an associate researcher and curator at the museum, describes how the print captures towering waves surrounding fishing boats, with Mount Fuji in the background. This artwork is noted for its representation of harmony between movement and stillness and is one of the most recognizable images in Japanese art.

The cultural significance of "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," created between 1831 and 1833, is underscored by its selection as the main image for a new 1,000-yen banknote issued by the Bank of Japan in 2024, as noted by Chu.

The new exhibition will delve into the urban life of the Edo period, featuring 218 works such as folding screens, hand scrolls, prints, and illustrated books. These artworks are sourced from prestigious Japanese institutions like the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, and others.

The exhibition is organized into four sections: "River Prosperity," "Urban Times," "Travel Fun," and "Cross-cultural Exchange." Works will be rotated between May 30 and August 31 to provide fresh experiences for visitors, according to Chu.

The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, located in Taibao City in Chiayi County, offers regular admission at NT$150 for visitors of all nationalities, as stated on the museum's website.