About Us
History of Sakai Kokodo
The Beginnings of Sakai Kokodo
Sakai Kokodo was founded in 1870 in Kanda Awajicho as a business specializing in the appraisal and reproduction of ukiyo-e art. The founder, Tobei Sakai, is the eighth generation head of a merchant family that has been in business since the Edo period in Matsumoto, Shinshu. His father, the seventh generation head of the family, Yoshiyoshi Sakai, had been friends with famous ukiyo-e artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige from a young age. Even today, the numerous ukiyo-e prints collected since that time are carefully preserved and housed at the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum Foundation.
One of the world's largest collections of ukiyo-e
In modern times, it was the 10th generation Tokichi Sakai who began to seriously appraise, collect, store, organize, research, and exhibit ukiyo-e. Fujiyoshi traveled around the world in search of and collected works that had been siphoned off overseas, and he devoted his life to restoring valuable Japanese culture. As a result, the Sakai Ukiyo-e Collection has attracted attention from experts around the world, and currently the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum holds approximately 100,000 pieces, including previously unpublished works, making it one of the largest collections in the world in terms of both number and quality.
Actively promoting Ukiyo-e culture
Sakai Kokodo delivers the charm of valuable ukiyo-e through a variety of products so that people all over the world can enjoy them more easily. We also participate in ukiyo-e exhibitions both in Japan and overseas, as well as corporate-specific exhibitions, and are actively involved in disseminating culture. Furthermore, we are also involved in activities to preserve Japan's traditional culture for the future, such as participating in local government projects to revitalize local communities and providing opportunities for children to learn about the history and production techniques of ukiyo-e through hands-on experience.
SHOP
Sakai Kokodo operates a store in Nakamise, Asakusa, as the official shop of the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum. They sell postcards and greeting cards featuring popular works such as the well-known "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" by Katsushika Hokusai and "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" by Utagawa Hiroshige.
The store also displays original ukiyo-e prints that were painted 100 to 150 years ago. This is a rare shop where you can see and touch ukiyo-e prints from that time, so if you're a fan of ukiyo-e, be sure to stop by.
Sakai Kokodo
This long-established ukiyo-e shop, founded in 1870, opened in Nakamise, Asakusa in 2007. As Asakusa has a deep connection to ukiyo-e, this shop is loved by people of all ages. Many foreign visitors come to the shop, and it is used by ukiyo-e lovers from all over the world.
| Hours | 10:00-17:00 |
|---|---|
| Holiday | Temporary closure |
| Tell | 03-6680-2606 |
| Access | 1-20-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo |
| Establish | Meiji 3 |