Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2011

Before the glitzy new Kabuki-za reopens in 2013, Japanese art fanatics have the chance to view many works that decorated its inner precincts between its 1889 opening and 2010 closing. The period spans the years following Japan’s Meiji Restoration to the present, a time when the country was grappling with Western art while trying to find a new role for Japanese painting or nihonga. Works by nihonga artists such as Shoen Uemura as well as those by Western-style painters like Asai Chu are on show along with historical material like letters by General MacArthur, who was instrumental in the post-war rebuilding of the Kabuki-za.

Yamatane Museum, until Nov 6 (listing)