Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 13 works by Shigeru Aoki in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Shigeru Aoki left, the most famous is Yomotsuhirasaka,Escape from the Land of the Dead (1903), in the collection of the The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo. Close behind it come The Tempyo Era (1904) and Enjoyment (1904). Our catalog holds 13 works by Shigeru Aoki; the gallery has kept the 13 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
The watercolor captures a moment of suspension. A woman, stripped of clothing, hangs in the air with arms outstretched, her body caught between the heavy sand of the beach and the unseen sky. Two angels support her, their hands resting upon her shoulders to guide her upward. The scene is a quiet struggle against gravity, a transition from the terrestrial to the celestial. The light catches the pale skin of…
The Tempyo Era emerges from the brush of Shigeru Aoki, a painter who breathed life into the intersection of Japanese tradition and Western technique. This work, created about 1904, captures a moment of profound stillness and communal gathering. The figures within the frame exist in a state of repose, their forms woven into a dense, horizontal arrangement that pulls the viewer into their intimate, indoor world. Warm ochres and deep…
In "Enjoyment" by Shigeru Aoki, two female figures occupy the center of a vertical frame. They sit in an intimate, seated pose, their forms intertwined. This arrangement focuses the eye on the closeness of their bodies. The subjects are positioned in the foreground, creating a shallow sense of space. They exist within a quiet moment of leisure.
This oil painting, titled The Legendary Prince Yamato Takeru, was executed by Shigeru Aoki around 1906. It depicts the legendary Japanese figure, Prince Yamato Takeru, a semi-legendary prince of the imperial dynasty. The work emerged during a period when Aoki was a central figure in the yōga movement, a movement dedicated to integrating Western oil painting techniques with Japanese traditions.
Paradise Under the Sea, also known by its Japanese title Wadatsumi no Iroko no Miya, is an oil on canvas painting by the Japanese artist Shigeru Aoki. Created in 1907, the work is held within the collection of the Ishibashi Museum of Art. This specific piece is designated as a National Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government.
Shigeru Aoki’s Hot Spring presents a nude female figure positioned slightly off-center to the right within a vertical composition. The subject is situated in a bath or hot spring, captured from an eye-level perspective that establishes an intimate connection with the viewer. Depth is constructed through the deliberate layering of the figure in the foreground against a detailed, patterned background composed of tiles and various vessels.
In "Pray at Dawn" by Shigeru Aoki, a solitary female figure occupies the vertical frame. She is a nude woman shown in profile, kneeling upon the earth. Her body faces toward the right, caught in a moment of quiet devotion. Her hands are clasped together in front of her chest, held in a steady, prayerful gesture. The stillness of her posture anchors the composition against a soft, hazy landscape. Trees…
In this 1910 oil on canvas, a nude female figure is positioned slightly off-center to the right, her body oriented vertically. She reaches upward, creating a sense of movement within the frame. The subject is situated in a setting that suggests a hot spring or bath, characterized by a background of patterned tiles and decorative vessels. The color palette relies on earthy tones, specifically ochre, terracotta, cream, and muted browns.…
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 6 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Shigeru Aoki | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Artizon Museum |
Tokyo | 4 | The Tempyo Era, Paradise Under the Sea, Seascape, Mera |
 The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts |
Tokyo | 1 | Yomotsuhirasaka,Escape from the Land of the Dead |
 Ohara Museum of Art |
Kurashiki | 1 | Enjoyment |
 Tokyo National Museum |
Tokyo | 1 | The Legendary Prince Yamato Takeru |
 Shimane Art Museum |
Matsue | 1 | Dog |
 Fukuoka Art Museum |
Fukuoka | 1 | Sound of Autumn |
Barely a decade, 1903 to 1910, gave the world every dated Shigeru Aoki original in this selection: here it is, year by year.
Pick a year to see its originals.
The watercolor captures a moment of suspension. A woman, stripped of clothing, hangs in the air with arms outstretched, her body caught between the heavy sand of the beach and the unseen sky. Two angels support her, their hands resting upon her shoulders to guide her upward. The scene is a quiet struggle against gravity, a transition from the terrestrial to the celestial. The light catches the pale skin of…
The Tempyo Era emerges from the brush of Shigeru Aoki, a painter who breathed life into the intersection of Japanese tradition and Western technique. This work, created about 1904, captures a moment of profound stillness and communal gathering. The figures within the frame exist in a state of repose, their forms woven into a dense, horizontal arrangement that pulls the viewer into their intimate, indoor world. Warm ochres and deep…
More from 1904
This oil painting, titled The Legendary Prince Yamato Takeru, was executed by Shigeru Aoki around 1906. It depicts the legendary Japanese figure, Prince Yamato Takeru, a semi-legendary prince of the imperial dynasty. The work emerged during a period when Aoki was a central figure in the yōga movement, a movement dedicated to integrating Western oil painting techniques with Japanese traditions.
Paradise Under the Sea, also known by its Japanese title Wadatsumi no Iroko no Miya, is an oil on canvas painting by the Japanese artist Shigeru Aoki. Created in 1907, the work is held within the collection of the Ishibashi Museum of Art. This specific piece is designated as a National Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government.
More from 1907
Shigeru Aoki’s Hot Spring presents a nude female figure positioned slightly off-center to the right within a vertical composition. The subject is situated in a bath or hot spring, captured from an eye-level perspective that establishes an intimate connection with the viewer. Depth is constructed through the deliberate layering of the figure in the foreground against a detailed, patterned background composed of tiles and various vessels.
More from 1910
Yomotsuhirasaka,Escape from the Land of the Dead (1903), The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo. The Tempyo Era (1904) and Enjoyment (1904) come next.
21 years old: Yomotsuhirasaka,Escape from the Land of the Dead dates from 1903, and Shigeru Aoki was born in 1882.
Yomotsuhirasaka,Escape from the Land of the Dead, The Tempyo Era, Enjoyment, The Legendary Prince Yamato Takeru, Paradise Under the Sea, Hot Spring, Pray at Dawn, Hot spring, Seascape, Mera and Boats Mooring under the Moon. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 13 works by Shigeru Aoki, dated from 1903 to 1910.
Mostly in Artizon Museum (Tokyo), The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo) and Ohara Museum of Art (Kurashiki). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1904: 3 of the 13 works on this page were made then, The Tempyo Era among them.
On this page, the earliest is Yomotsuhirasaka,Escape from the Land of the Dead (1903) and the latest Hot Spring (1910).
Woman (6), Nude (3) and Man (2), across the 13 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 5 of the 13 works on this page.
The Tempyo Era, Paradise Under the Sea and Seascape, Mera: the Artizon Museum, Tokyo holds 4 of the works on this page.
