Ekin Museum

Kochi Culture: Ekin Museum

Edo-era artist Ekin was a famed court painter before a scandal led to his fall from grace. Undeterred, he reinvented himself as a byobu-e artist, producing bold and slightly risqué screen paintings to the delight of the period’s common folk.

Replicas of his works are now displayed in a museum in Akaoka that calls to mind the midsummer Ekin festival, where the original screens are candle-lit and displayed outside in the town’s narrow streets. Visitors can even carry a paper lantern into the darkened exhibit rooms to feel the festival’s unique atmosphere.