Latest Events in Kyoto Prefecture(May Updated)

This exhibition introduces the world of prints by world-renowned avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama (1929-). Yayoi Kusama made her international debut at the 45th Venice Biennale in 1993 as a representative Japanese artist, but her active involvement in printmaking from an earlier stage of her career was a major driving force behind her current acclaim. In 1979, Yayoi Kusama exhibited her first prints. In contrast to her other works based on themes such as death and suffering after returning from the U.S., her prints are rich in color with vivid motifs. In addition to abstract expressions of her earlier works, motifs such as pumpkins, dresses, grapes, flowers, and butterflies covered in distinct colors and composed of mesh and polka dots are distinctive in her printworks. It is no exaggeration to say that Kusama, whose creative activities are rooted in the proliferation of dots and nets, inevitably encountered printmaking, an art of reproduction.

Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) is an intentionally small art fair focused on collaboration, consisting of two sections: Gallery Collaboration, where a Japanese gallery collaborates with its international counterparts in a shared booth, and Kyoto Convenient, a showcase with a unique connection to Kyoto.

Legend has it that the Kannon of Kiyomizu-dera Temple transforms into a blue dragon and drinks from the waterfalls at night, so this event is held to honor the Yasha Goddess, and to pray for the people who come to worship. The dancing blue dragon parades from Okuno to the cobblestone streets around Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The blue dragon is believed to be one of the four great gods that protect the city of Kyoto. In addition to the blue dragon, there are men dressed in traditional samurai clothes, and the streets are filled with music and spectacular dancing. It's really magical! The Spring Festival is on March 14-15 and April 3. The Fall Festival is September 14-15, starting at 14:00 (2pm).

Kyoto is often imagined as the seat of tradition, culture, and Japanese history—and while all of that is true, it’s also a fun-loving and modern place to visit. No time is this truer than during the Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair! Visit the ancient capital of Kyoto during mid-to-late September to experience this two-day show celebrating everything anime and manga. Held at the Miyako Messe convention center, KYO-MAF is also a show, market, and festival and one of the largest events in Kansai.

Kuroda Jutaro, a prominent figure in the Kyoto Western-style painting scene, was not only a painter but also a prolific writer. His literary works conveyed the trends of European art, particularly those in France, and played a significant role in the acceptance of Western art in Japan. His 1947 publicationKyoto Yoga no Reimeiki(“The Dawn of Kyoto Western-style Painting”) provides a systematic account of the development of Western-style painting in Japan, focusing on Kyoto. With the publication of a revised and expanded edition in 2006, the book remains an essential work for understanding the Kyoto Western-style painting scene today. This Special Display traces the formation of Kyoto’s Western-style painting scene as told by Kuroda, introduced through the Museum Collection. From pioneers such as Tamura Soryu, the establishment of the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting, the formation of the Kansai Bijutsukai, and the arrival of Asai Chu in Kyoto, please enjoy exploring the foundations that shaped the development of Western-style painting in Kyoto.

The November Uprising in Warsaw in 1830 and its failure the following year were the indirect reasons why Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin ended up spending the rest of his life in Paris after leaving his homeland. In 1795, Poland was divided and occupied by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and disappeared from the world map. After this, there were repeated uprisings and rebellions calling for the independence of the homeland, but they had to wait until the end of World War I in 1918 for this to be realized. For these 123 years, the people who had lost their country based their identity on the arts, including literature, music, and painting, as well as culture in a broad sense, including language and religion. And the ancient city of Krakow played an important role as the center of all this.

This special exhibition aims to present the historical treasures of Japanese art in the cultural exploration and exchange between China and foreign countries on the occasion of the 2025 Osaka World Expo. Over the years, more than 200 rare regional artifacts, including paintings, sculptures, sketches and crafts, have been exhibited, spanning more than 1,000 years from pre-Japanese history to the Meiji era, and are a mockery of cross-cultural exchanges in Japanese art.

Ryukoku Museum (about a 12-minute walk from Kyoto Station, in front of Nishi Honganji Temple) will be holding a spring special exhibition, "Otani Expedition: Yoshikawa Koichiro - Search and Perseverance, Exploring the Man" from Saturday, April 19th to Sunday, June 22nd.

In the spring of 2025, 65 years after its opening in Shishigatani, Higashiyama, Kyoto, the museum will reopen with a new look after a year of renovation work. The first commemorative event will feature a carefully selected collection of masterpieces of art and crafts from Japan, China, and Korea from ancient times to the early modern period, focusing on the art pieces handed down by the Sumitomo family, which have always been the core of the museum's activities. These include masterpieces that have been famous since ancient times, excellent pieces that have been discovered to have new value over time, and rare pieces that have the potential to attract attention in the future. Each piece shows a different expression each time you encounter them, sometimes noble, sometimes gentle. This is a rare opportunity to rediscover the depth of the timeless Sumitomo Collection, which touches the hearts of all who see it.

In 2013, "washoku" (traditional Japanese cuisine) was registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Ten years have passed since then. The special exhibition "Washoku - Japanese Nature, People's Wisdom" has been touring the country since its debut at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, and is now coming to Kyoto, the home of washoku. Washoku, which is gaining more and more attention around the world, will be introduced from multiple perspectives, including science and history, along with a wide variety of specimens and materials. The exhibition will explore the diverse ingredients nurtured by the diverse nature of the Japanese archipelago, the technologies born from people's wisdom and ingenuity, historical changes, and even the future. We will explore the charms of washoku, which may seem familiar but is surprisingly unknown.

The Izumi Museum has a collection of more than 3,500 pieces, with a core collection of about 500 Chinese bronzes and bronze mirrors. Both in terms of quantity and quality, it is the leader in overseas bronze collections. Therefore, the "Age of Chinese Bronze" held at the Izumi Museum this spring is also worth paying attention to. If you go to visit the Izumi Museum's reopening exhibition, we also recommend that you pay special attention to this bronze exhibition, including the museum's treasure Tiger You, the early Warring States period chime bells, the Qiang bell, the Kui God drum, the owl zun, the taotie pattern square lei, the taotie pattern square yi, the ge you and other important bronze objects in the collection are all on display.

To commemorate this, we will introduce the development of transportation, centered on railroads, in the Keihanshin area around 1970, along with scenes from the Expo held 55 years ago.

Kimono have been used as clothing to adorn people's bodies. Kimono are decorated with designs on the surface, and because they are made from a fixed width of cloth sewn in straight lines, they have a very flat appearance, but the colorful designs they incorporate give them a three-dimensional appearance when worn as clothing. This shift between flat and three-dimensional is interesting, as it is very different from Western clothing, which is designed and produced from the beginning using three-dimensional cutting.

The Kyoto Hozugawa Fireworks Festival is held in Kameoka City, which has been declared a World Alliance Reiwa City, with the aim of praying for permanent world peace and the Reiwa era in Kameoka, and for the repose of those who died in past wars and disasters.

Domoto Insho (1891-1975) entered the Kyoto Municipal Painting School in 1918, and in 1920, he studied at the Seikosha art school established by Nishiyama Suisho. He was active mainly in official exhibitions, winning his first prize at the first Teiten Exhibition for his work Fukakusa, receiving a special prize at the third Teiten Exhibition for his work Chojumarizu, and winning the Imperial Art Academy Prize at the sixth Teiten Exhibition for his work Kegon. He was known for his detailed figurative paintings, but after he turned 60 and traveled to Europe, he shifted to an abstract style, completing abstract paintings with dynamic brush strokes. This exhibition, held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Domoto Insho's death, is a major retrospective that looks back on his career, focusing on his representative works, including those exhibited at official exhibitions, and offers a comprehensive look at this artist who was famous not only in the Kyoto art world but throughout Japan.

Ying Ying takes as her subject matters events and systems in society that are invisible or ungraspable, such as slaughterhouses, oil extraction, the steam cycle, and the wool industry, and attempts to "approach" them through performances using life-size installations. The performances consist of installations made of everyday objects such as wood, cloth, and plastic, and the inadvertent actions of moving these installations, which are interpreted and reconstructed by the artist and presented in the form of a series of abstract mechanisms. The "Approach" series can be said to be a practice in which the artist herself turns her gaze and approaches the "unknowable". This is not only a repetitive act for understanding, but also a reflection of the way we look at the work. The exhibition will show works presented in various ways, including immediate or conceptual understanding, misreading, and misunderstanding.

Kyoto has long been home to numerous textile artists, whose exceptional designs are founded on dyeing and weaving techniques that have been cultivated over many years. Since the modern era, a more innovative approach to dyeing and weaving was sought, as seen in the handwoven brocades of Yamaga Seika and Nakamura Hosei, who express rich textures by weaving together various materials, as well as the fiber art movement that gained popularity from the late 1960s onwards. This exhibition introduces the textile art of Kyoto from the 1930s to the present, incorporating recent acquisitions while focusing on techniques, choices of materials, and distinctive forms of expression. For the first time since the Museum’s renewal, the Collection Room Spring will be held on the second floor of the North Wing. Please enjoy the impressive works in this spacious gallery.

Ishikawa Kyuyo’s calligraphy works, with their overwhelming momentum, delicate expression, and unique presence, have completely broken the long-standing discussion of “Is calligraphy painting or writing?” He reinterpreted the “writing” that was originally placed in painting and gradually blurred its essence. While drawing on the long historical background of East Asia, he captured the essence of the text and showed us what the art of calligraphy is like as a living expression.

This show is not for the easily offended! It’s comedy at its best, a comedian who is unapologetically honest, woke and hilarious! Wanna see a dirty immigrant tell dirty jokes? If you’re someone who thinks we should question everything about life, love, religion and politics then you’re going to love traveling Romanian comedian Victor Patrascan. Victor's curiosity surpasses his fear. He likes to poke the truth with a stick and see if there's any life left in it. He’s bringing his honest, thought provoking and unapologetic stand up comedy show to Tokyo. Expect a night of English comedy at its best on the most controversial topics of today from Victor Patrascan! You'll hear tasteful jokes about race, gender, the pandemic, religion, identity politics and all the other controversial topics of today. 🎭 STAND-UP COMEDY in ENGLISH 🎭 🔞Age Restriction: 16+ 🎟️ online tickets from ¥2250 / tickets on the door ¥4000 The show will be held entirely in English Victor Patrascan 🇷🇴 • VictorPatrascan.com • @VictorPatrascan Victor Pãtrãşcan is an eccentric stand up comedian and outrageous social commentator from Romania. He’s been on tour consistently for the last 5 years with his self-produced shows all over Europe and Asia. He is now on probably the longest and most extensive self-produced comedy show ever in the world. He honed his craft for joke writing in the London comedy circuit where he lived until 2020. Since then he has lived on the road and has been constantly on tour. In some places, such as Kazakhstan, Kosovo, or in remote fishing villages in Iceland, he was the first comedian to ever perform comedy in English. Victor has told his jokes in Japan, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, Austria, Singapore, Turkiye, Sweden, France, Serbia, Switzerland, Georgia, Finland, Belgium, Iceland, Ukraine, Albania, Malta, Serbia, Spain, Estonia, Italy, Cyprus (both sides), Ireland, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Kosovo, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Norway, Slovakia, very close to the Vatican, Thailand, Georgia, UK, Slovenia, Armenia, Croatia, Poland, Latvia, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, UAE, Denmark, Moldova, Vietnam, Hungary, and even Bulgaria. In 2024 alone, Victor self-produced 298 shows and performed to over 35,000 people on 2 continents, in 48 countries and 114 cities. He also raised over €33,000 for children and pets in Ukraine and for doctors working in Palestine and Lebanon. Victor’s style is distinctly shaped by his peculiar life as a vagabond. Victor weaves this unique experience into his stand up as he has become somewhat of a sponge absorbing the intricacies of European culture and politics. While he jokes about the stereotypes and misconceptions of every country, he also highlights the silliness of our presumed differences in an effort to assert our humanity. Victor is now on tour • for more information, visit VictorPatrascan.com Information Source: the Comedy Nomad | eventbrite

This is the fourth International Performance Art Festival held in Japan. This will be the first time the event is held in Kyoto. Performance art began with the birth of "Happenings" as a new form of expression different from established performance art, and it was established as a new form of expression when the New York Fluxus movement held concerts. This festival aims to explore new performances across genres. Experience the expressions of artists who rely on the chance of accidental events happening on the spot.

The festival is held on the fourth Saturday of July every year in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, and is a tradition of releasing lanterns to honor ancestors from the late Meiji era. Today, it is a spectacular summer festival with the "Peace Prayer Manto Flow," where about 10,000 lanterns float simultaneously down the Yura River, and about 4,000 fireworks are set off. The venue is filled with a lively Ayabe Yosakoi dance adapted from the Kochi Prefecture Yosakoi dance. This is followed by the release of water lanterns at 7:30 p.m. A 40-minute fireworks display begins at 8 p.m., casting a dreamlike atmosphere over the entire Yura River bed.

Yakushigawa Chiharu has developed a distinctive style of abstract painting based on the relationship between “pairs.” In herrubseries, in which she applies handmade pigment to both hands and feet, pairs of two or four colors are arranged opposite one another, leaving traces that evoke her bodily movements. Positioned side by side on a single surface, the colors sometimes appear to encroach upon one another’s territory. Additionally, in her recentknockseries, Yakushigawa paints the surface by knocking on it with paint-covered hands, as if signaling to an unseen counterpart on the opposite side.This exhibition will showcase new works centered around the knock series. When confronted with Yakushigawa’s works, what might we imagine lies beyond the painted surface?

The Mingei movement began through gatherings in Kyoto between philosopher Yanagi Soetsu, and potters Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji. During a research trip to study Mokujiki’s wood-carved Buddhist statues , their discussions deepened, leading to the coining of the term “mingei” (“folk art”) in 1925. To mark the 100th anniversary of the term’s inception, we are holding the special exhibition,The 100th Anniversary of Mingei: Kyoto’s Legacy of Everyday Life,which reveals the relationship between Mingei and Kyoto.

Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings are Buddhist paintings created during the Song and Yuan dynasties in China. Japan has been a devout believer in Buddhism since ancient times, and imported many cultural artifacts from China, which was a leading country in Buddhism. Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings, which were brought to Japan mainly from the late Heian period to the Kamakura period, include many works of extremely high quality that are noteworthy in the history of Chinese painting. These were enshrined in temples and served as models for painters, and have deeply penetrated Japanese culture over a long period of time. This exhibition will collect Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings held in Japan and introduce the characteristics of each one in the context of the place where they were created. Although they are all grouped together under the term "Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings," their aspects are complex and diverse, including the content depicted, the era and region in which they were created, and the people involved. We hope that this exhibition will provide an opportunity to unravel the appeal of Song and Yuan Buddhist paintings and to reexamine the international nature, tolerance, and diversity of Japanese culture that has passed down these paintings.

What exactly is the nature of a child? Adorable and pure. Free yet bearing a sense of fragility. These perceptions of children are, in many ways, discoveries that were made anew in the modern era. The Meiji period saw the establishment of schools, leading to the development of children’s education. By the Taisho period, a distinct children’s culture had been established, including children’s magazines and nursery rhymes, and many cultural figures, such as authors and composers, turned their attention to children. In this climate, many modern painters also began to observe and depict children in their works—as symbols of purity, expressions of youthful vitality, or as beloved family members. Numerous works featuring children are also housed in the Museum Collection. This Special Display, centered on paintings themed around children, will reflect on the “gaze towards children” in the modern era

Samata Kazuki is an unconventional artist who, alongside her artistic practice, is also a professional disc golf player. While participating in the sport as a player, she has used unique strategies to address various issues facing sports, such as sponsorship, society and politics, nationalism, and gender. Furthermore, she expands on these issues to suggest that they are of the same nature as the challenges facing the art world today. Samata’s perspective, gained by illuminating art through the practice of sports, is original and persuasive precisely because of her dual identity as athlete and artist. This is the artist’s first exhibition at an art museum. Examining the Museum from multiple angles through the lens of sport, Samata will deliver a unique viewpoint while posing humorous questions to visitors.

This exhibition showcases the elegant dolls of Maruhei Oki, a doll maker founded in Kyoto during the Meiwa Era in the Edo period, displayed alongside paintings depicting Gosekku (“the five seasonal festivals”) and other seasonal events. Maruhei has a long doll-making tradition rich in exquisite craftsmanship, from costumes through to furnishings, based on the customs of the Imperial Court. Focusing on Hina dolls, which have long been loved by the Imperial household and other important families, and comprising Gosho dolls, Isho dolls, Ichimatsu dolls, and other dolls unique to Maruhei displayed alongside the works of modern painters from the Collection, this exhibition will reflect on the enduring beauty of tradition in Kyoto.

This year, the museum will once again host Japan’s largest comprehensive public exhibition, “Nitten.” Visitors can enjoy approximately 500 works in five categories: Japanese painting, Western painting, sculpture, arts and crafts, and calligraphy, including basic works that tour the country and works related to the local area created by artists in Kyoto and Shiga.

Connecting the world and Kyoto through the art of photography KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2025 is Japan's leading international photography art festival, which will be held from Saturday, April 12th to Sunday, May 11th, 2025 in Kyoto, a city steeped in history and tradition. This year, a diverse range of artists from around the world will gather to share their diverse perspectives and stories through photography. Theme for 2025: "HUMANITY" We will explore "HUMANITY" from both Japanese and Western cultural perspectives, focusing on the essence of who we are as humans, such as love, empathy, and the ability to overcome crises. Fourteen artists and groups from ten countries will participate, and through each exhibition they will question our individual existence and highlight the possibilities for connection and harmony with others. Historical architecture unique to Kyoto × contemporary photography The exhibition will take place in venues that are normally closed to the public and spaces of great cultural value, such as townhouses, temples, sake breweries, and modern architecture in Kyoto City. The unique spatial experience-based photography exhibition, born from the resonance between the artwork and the architecture, is a charm unique to KYOTOGRAPHIE. An art festival that brings photography closer to everyone and that everyone can enjoy During the event, there will not only be a photo exhibition, but also a wide range of experiential events such as artist talks, workshops, and programs for kids. Additionally, the open exhibition "KG+," known as a stepping stone for young photographers, will feature over 150 exhibitions scheduled to be held in various locations throughout Kyoto City. Experience "Connecting the World through Photography" in Kyoto A moving spring arts festival where people and cultures intersect through photography. As you encounter works that connect history and the future, and the individual and society, you will be prompted to reconsider the question, "How should we live?"