For three days this autumn, the grand halls of Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto will host an unprecedented fusion of manga and fine art with Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Presented by Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage, the exhibition showcases 18 new art prints – nine lithographs and nine lenticular works – by Hirohiko Araki, creator of the globally celebrated manga.
Marking the artist’s first venture into lithography, the works were produced in collaboration with Itazu Litho Tokyo using the same meticulous, hands-on techniques that once captivated artists like Edgar Degas. Araki’s drawings, depicting iconic characters such as Jotaro Kujo, Dio and Giorno Giovanna, were rendered directly onto metal plates with lithographic pencils and chalk, preserving every rhythmic stroke of his hand.
Complementing these are lenticular prints that bring dynamic scenes from all nine JoJo parts to vivid, three-dimensional life. As viewers move around the works, they appear to shift and animate, mirroring the surreal vitality of Araki’s storytelling.
Set within the sacred architecture of Higashi Honganji, this limited-time exhibition transforms a centuries-old temple into a portal between tradition and pop culture, where manga artistry attains the permanence and reverence of fine art.