Rare Hokusai Screens From a US Museum Come to Japan, Digitized
Japan – November 08, 2026 -- Visitors in Japan can now see Hokusai folding screens that normally never leave Washington, DC, in a Digital × Hokusai exhibition organized by NTT East that uses high-resolution digital replicas and immersive projection.
A will keeps the originals in Washington
Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919) made his fortune in the US railway industry. Through his friendship with the painter James McNeill Whistler, he developed a deep interest in Asian art. His Hokusai paintings are said to be the finest collection in the world.
After his death, the collection went to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1923 the National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) opened as the first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. Under Freer's will, his works can be shown only at the NMAA, so chances to see them are limited.