Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Expect the unexpected. Underdogs and Antiheroes: Japanese Prints from the Moskowitz Collection focuses on the captivating stories and urban legends of individuals living on the fringes of society in early modern Japan. Key subjects in theater, literature, and visual arts reveal antiheroes and underdogs whose virtues are often embodied by their rejection of societal norms, making them misfits and moral exemplars at the same time. The exhibition follows virtuous bandits, tattooed firemen who love to fight, rogues from the kabuki theater, and others.
Highlighting the transformative gift of the Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection to the National Museum of Asian Art, Underdogs and Antiheroes features subjects that are not commonly associated with traditional Japanese print culture but were nevertheless central to the interests of an early modern public. The exhibition explores new visual and thematic ground, further strengthening the museum’s trailblazing role in reconsidering presentations of Asian cultures.
Underdogs and Antiheroes is on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art through January 29, 2023. For more information, visit:
https://asia.si.edu/exhibition/underdogs-and-antiheroes-japanese-prints-from-the-moskowitz-collection/
All works are part of the Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection, gifted to the museum by Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz. This exhibition is made possible by their support. Generous support for this exhibition and the museum's Japanese art program is provided by Mitsubishi Corporation.
Music: Instrument samples used in this recording are from the Sonica Instruments Kabuki and Noh Percussion 96k Master Edition. "Ignition" by Yuhshi MOMOSE. © 2018 Yuhshi MOMOSE and Sonica Inc. All Rights Reserved.
It's our centennial year! Join us and be part of #TheNext100. To learn more about the museum’s centennial celebrations, visit: https://asia.si.edu/centennial
https://asia.si.edu
#SmithsonianAsianArt
Expect the unexpected. Underdogs and Antiheroes: Japanese Prints from the Moskowitz Collection focuses on the captivating stories and urban legends of individuals living on the fringes of society in early modern Japan. Key subjects in theater, literature, and visual arts reveal antiheroes and underdogs whose virtues are often embodied by their rejection of societal norms, making them misfits and moral exemplars at the same time. The exhibition follows virtuous bandits, tattooed firemen who love to fight, rogues from the kabuki theater, and others.
Highlighting the transformative gift of the Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection to the National Museum of Asian Art, Underdogs and Antiheroes features subjects that are not commonly associated with traditional Japanese print culture but were nevertheless central to the interests of an early modern public. The exhibition explores new visual and thematic ground, further strengthening the museum’s trailblazing role in reconsidering presentations of Asian cultures.
Underdogs and Antiheroes is on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art through January 29, 2023. For more information, visit:
https://asia.si.edu/exhibition/underdogs-and-antiheroes-japanese-prints-from-the-moskowitz-collection/
All works are part of the Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection, gifted to the museum by Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz. This exhibition is made possible by their support. Generous support for this exhibition and the museum's Japanese art program is provided by Mitsubishi Corporation.
Music: Instrument samples used in this recording are from the Sonica Instruments Kabuki and Noh Percussion 96k Master Edition. "Ignition" by Yuhshi MOMOSE. © 2018 Yuhshi MOMOSE and Sonica Inc. All Rights Reserved.
It's our centennial year! Join us and be part of #TheNext100. To learn more about the museum’s centennial celebrations, visit: https://asia.si.edu/centennial
https://asia.si.edu
#SmithsonianAsianArt
