How to create a special exhibition
Takahama City Pottery Village
Kawara Museum and Library
"Picture Book Author Yoshikazu Takai Exhibition"

As a comprehensive space production company, NOMURA GROUP not only designs and constructs spaces, but also manages the operation of facilities after they open. The Business Production Headquarters Operation Business Division is responsible for the comprehensive operation and management of entire facilities, including research and curatorial departments, with a focus on cultural facilities such as museums, science museums, and art galleries.
This series of interviews, "How to Create a Special Exhibition," will capture the unique perspectives of the facility's staff, who have a wide range of specialized knowledge, as they plan exhibition themes every day and how they communicate them to visitors.
Previous articles in this series: How to organize a special exhibition Tama Rokuto Science Museum A deep look at living things "Rokuto Insect Encyclopedia"

This is the second in the series, and we visited the Kawara Museum and Library in Takahama City, Pottery Village, Aichi Prefecture.
The participants in the discussion are Ayuko Inoue, chief curator in charge of special exhibitions, and TsumugiSugitani, who is in charge of related events for the special exhibitions and collaboration with the local community and schools.

【curator】
Takahama City Pottery Village Kawara Museum and Library
Ayuko Inoue(front row, right)
Chief Curator in charge of special exhibitions Specialty: Japanese painting, ceramics Research themes: ceramic painting, Inuyama ware

Tsumugi Sugiya(front row, left)
Responsible for the museum's educational outreach, events, and cooperation with local communities and schools

【interviewer】
NOMURA Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd.
Business Production Headquarters, First General Affairs Department, Public-Private Partnership Project Development Division 1, Operation Business Section
Miki Mori(back row center)Planning Director
Hino Natsuka(back row right in photo)
Risa Aoki(back row, left)

*Text: Hiroko Okazaki (nomlog Editorial Department)
*Photography: Yuhi Ito (nomlog Editorial Department)

The only museum and library in Japan with a "tile" theme

Takahama City is the center of Sanshu tile, boasting the largest production of tiles in Japan. In 1995, the former Takahama City Yakimono no Sato Kawara Museum opened as the only museum in Japan with a theme of "tiles."

*The exterior is modeled after the Sengoku ships that once transported roof tiles.

With the transfer of the city library's functions from 2023, the operation of the library facility will also be combined and become the "Takahama City Yakimono no Sato Kawara Museum and Library (hereinafter referred to as the Kawara Museum and Library)." The facility is adjacent to Morimae Park, and the concept is to be a "forest of connections where people and towns grow" through the new discoveries, learning, and interactions of people who gather there, as well as a museum where you can experience art and tile culture up close and personal, and a library that supports daily life.

NOMURA Co., Ltd., Ltd. has been entrusted with the management of the museum since 2008, and the museum's director and general manager, Wakamatsu Fumito, has been in his current position for 13 years, after previously working in account positions in a variety of markets at NOMURA Co., Ltd.
Before the interview, the director himself gave us a tour of the museum.

Permanent Exhibition | 1F Lobby Exhibition "Takahama, Roof Tiles, and Sanshu Roof Tiles"

The lobby in front of the 1st floor entrance and the permanent lobby on the 3rd floor have been transformed into new exhibition spaces since General Manager Wakamatsu took up his post.
There will be a corner introducing the history and culture of Takahama and roof tiles, as well as an exhibition of the works of Takahama's onishi (artisans who make oni tiles). It will serve as an introduction to the art museum and library, and will deepen understanding of the relationship between Takahama city and roof tiles, as well as their history and culture.

In the past, Takahama City and its surrounding area of Mikawa had a lot of clay suitable for roof tiles, so roof tiles began to be made there in the middle of the Edo period, and from the latter half of the Edo period through the Showa period, Takahama City developed as a roof tile town. Currently, about 70% of the roof tiles produced in Japan are produced in Mikawa.

The group also got a glimpse of Takahama's tile culture and history while looking at decorative tiles and oni tiles on the "Oni-michi" walking course on the way from Takahama Port Station to the Kawara Museum and Library, and felt a deep connection between the town and the museum/library, and their connection to tiles.

* Onimichi was selected as one of the "100 New Japanese Walking Paths: Hometown Roads" and "500 Beautiful Japanese Paths You'll Want to Walk."

Permanent Exhibition | 3F Permanent Exhibition "Takahama, Roof Tiles, Sanshu Roof Tiles"

Next, Chief Curator Mr. Inoue guided us to the main permanent exhibition space on the third floor.

Here, precious tiles from both Japan and abroad, including Sanshu tiles, are displayed in chronological order.
We were given an explanation of the history of roof tiles, which originated in China around the 11th century BC, passed through the Korean Peninsula, were introduced to Japan during the Asuka period, and have been made and used up to the present day, along with a valuable collection of roof tiles.

*Gakyo (Tiled Sutra) | Pottery from the Heian period made from tiles to pass on Buddhist scriptures to future generations. You'll be amazed at how clear the characters are and how easily they can be read.

Sanshu tiles, which have been certified as a "traditional craft" since 2017, are high-quality oni tiles that can only be made by hand, requiring the skill of a craftsman, and Takahama City is home to around 30 to 50 "oni-shi" craftsmen from all over the country.

In the Sanshu tile exhibition corner, you can see handmade sculptural tiles that highlight the skill of the oni-shi, traditional tile making, modern cutting-edge tile making, and the secrets of eco-friendly, economical, safe and secure tiles.

2nd Floor Special Exhibition | "The World of Mari Yamazaki - Living in the World, Painting the World"

On the second floor, which houses the library and special exhibition space, we were guided by curator Kazuko Takeshita, who was in charge of the special exhibition "The World of Mari Yamazaki -- Living in the World, Painting the World," which was taking place during our visit (ending at the end of June).

* Curator Kazuko Takeshita (second from the left in the photo)

This special exhibition was made possible thanks to Takeshita's own network, including Tokyo Zokei University, where Mari Yamazaki is a visiting professor. All members were drawn into the world of the exhibition by Takeshita's love for artists and their works, her extensive knowledge, and her entertaining commentary, as well as the exhibits themselves.

*Reconstruction scale model of the Baths of Caracalla (right) | Produced by Tokyo Zokei University

Ask the curator! Thinking about special exhibitions unique to "Takahama"

The special exhibition space on the 2nd floor will host the "Picture Book Author Yoshikazu Takai Exhibition - Yokai Village and Demon Town" from Saturday, July 27th.
The facility operations team spoke to Ayuko Inoue, the chief curator in charge of this special exhibition, and Tsumugi Sugitani, who is in charge of events, about the background and thoughts behind the exhibition planning.

Hino
Now that the "Takai Yoshikazu Exhibition" has come to fruition, can you tell us how the exhibition came to be planned?

Inoue:
This time, as the exhibition is for the summer vacation period, we chose Takai Yoshikazu's plan from among several candidates as it was something that suited the summer vacation and was unique to the Kawara Museum and Library.
Takai is an author with ties to Takahama City, having designed the city's food education character "Kawa Lucky" and produced a picture book for the city as part of the city's Citizen Charter commemorative project.

The image of Takahama city and roof tiles, which give off a slightly scary and hard impression like "demon tiles," has been transformed into a much more familiar impression through the cute character design and vivid colors.

[Takai Yoshikazu (picture book author, designer)]
In addition to the picture books "Yokai Mura" (Kokudosha) and "Ohanashi Kurokuma" (Kumon Publishing) series, he has also designed many characters, including the binding and illustrations for the "Kaidan Restaurant" series (Doshinsha), "Marble Wanchan" for Meiji Marble Chocolate, and "Sukki" for the beef bowl chain Sukiya. He is currently active as a picture book author and illustrator, having been selected for the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Takahama City Children's Food Education Mascot
Kawa Lucky the Tile Eater (Designed by Yoshikazu Takai)
Takahama's Onigawara spirit loves to eat. His cooking skills are of professional level. Japanese, Western, Chinese, and desserts. His repertoire knows no bounds. He travels around day and night with the motto of "cherish food and eliminate likes and dislikes."

Children's book "Kaidan Restaurant" series / Illustrations by Yoshikazu Takai
Kaidan Restaurant Editorial Committee, Editor in Chief: Miyoko Matsutani

Hino
The Kawara Museum and Library is a rare facility in Japan that combines an art museum and a library, but were there any points in which you were conscious of linking the two when planning the event?

Inoue:
Yes, we have a library, so we hold special exhibitions and select books in collaboration with the library space.

*Mari Yamazaki's World Exhibition | The library will have a selection corner in conjunction with the special exhibition

For this special exhibition, we were conscious of linking the exhibits to picture books. When we thought about what in Yoshikazu Takai's picture books was relevant to summer vacation, we thought it would be easy to link the Yo-Kai characters that appear in the "Yo-Kai Village" series with the display of roof tiles.

Picture book series "Yokaimura" / Written and illustrated by Yoshikazu Takai
©️YOSHIKAZU・TAKAI / KYODA CREATION / KOKUDOSHA
The story is set in a village where cute and unique monsters live together in harmony. This picture book teaches the rules for respecting each other and coexisting.

A summery yokai legend that can be enjoyed even more when paired with the "Kawara" tile

Inoue:
In addition to roof tiles related to demons, such as onigawara tiles, our museum also has many roof tiles from buildings associated with monsters.
For example, the tiles of Himeji Castle. There are monsters living in Himeji Castle too.

forest
Oh, isn't that Okiku?

Inoue:
This is Osakabehime, who lives in the castle tower of Himeji Castle. She is a fairly well-known yokai, and is also a character that appears in Yoshikazu Takai's picture book series "Yokai Mura." It is said that if a lord of the castle meets Osakabehime and is pleased by her, the era in which that lord reigns will be prosperous.

This is a monster legend from the Edo period. One night, a young page who heard rumors about Princess Ouna was persuaded by his friends to climb the castle tower as a test of courage, and there he found the princess dressed in a twelve-layered kimono, engrossed in reading a book.
When the page was asked, "Who are you?", he revealed his name and told the truth. The princess, feeling that he had shown courage, gave him the shikoro (neck piece) of the helmet she had been wearing as proof to show to her companions. (There are various theories.)
The page boy was well-liked because he told the truth and didn't lie, but it is said that if he should ever get upset by her, he will be cursed to death.

I thought something like this would be nice, something a little chilling and reminiscent of summer vacation.

forest
It's true that special exhibitions like these, featuring ghost stories and courage challenges, are popular during the summer holidays.

Inoue:
The Yo-Kai Mura series does have some original "yo-kai" created by Yoshikazu Takai, but most of the characters are based on historical monsters that have been recorded in documents dating back to the Edo and Heian periods.
The familiar characters of the Yo-Kai Mura series will be exhibited together with the documents and roof tiles that are the source of the characters. We are currently working on the captions for the exhibit.

● Display of tiles from historical buildings related to yokai + documents + "Yokai Village" characters

* "Swallowtail butterfly crest eaves tile" Himeji Castle, Hyogo (preferred) 16th-17th century Azuchi-Momoyama-Edo period
Himeji Castle had more than 30 lords during the Edo period alone, so there are many different types of roof tiles bearing the family crests of the lords. The swallowtail butterfly crest belongs to the Ikeda clan.

Aoki
How many of these captions do you usually create?

Inoue:
If I were to combine the characters and literature of Yoshikazu Takai this time, I could make 20 or 30, but if I were to combine them with the tiles I have, I think it would be around 10. I am currently looking for literature and images that can be used for the exhibition...
I can't use personally owned documents, so I have to research each one one by one.

Not just for kids! What kind of exhibitions and events can adults enjoy too?

Hino
The event takes place during the summer vacation, but are there any special points or educational elements aimed at children?

Inoue:
As is the case normally, we are not particularly conscious of making the exhibition aimed at children just because it is summer vacation. We are trying to create exhibits and captions that can be enjoyed by everyone, both children and adults, and that will stay in people's minds even after they return home.

If you unravel the stories behind the demons and monsters depicted on these tiles, they are actually connected to "morals." "Ounahime" is a female monster who lives in the castle tower and even the lord of the castle cannot stand up to her...

If you think about it in terms of modern times, it means "wife". The moral behind this is that if you don't take good care of your wife, the house won't run smoothly, as she is the woman at home that men can't look up to.

The same can be said for kappa, a monster created to prevent children from entering rivers alone. We hope that readers will enjoy not only the familiarity of the monster characters, but also the background stories (lessons) that can be glimpsed in the original drawings by Yoshikazu Takai, while also thinking more deeply about them.

Hino
The works of Yoshikazu Takai, who is a monster but also friendly and cute, will be connected to local industry and learning. It is not intrusive, and you will somehow learn the lesson naturally. In this way, it feels like it is loosely connected to the element of educational dissemination.

Aoki
Mr. Sugitani, you are also planning events and workshops related to the special exhibition, right?
There seems to be quite a wide variety of events and workshops this time around; are you in charge of them all by yourself, Sugitani-san?

Sugiya
This is the total number of events that Mr. Inoue and I are in charge of. (There are 12 related events in total for this exhibition.) This time, the project is for the summer vacation, and the period is long, so I have set up more events than usual.
We will hear the theme and purpose of the exhibition from Mr. Inoue and begin planning the event approximately three to five months before the exhibition flyer is published.

forest
This event, "Cool! Reikan Soap", is so much fun!
When planning events, do you come up with all the names as well?

* "Cool! Reikan Soap" is now fully booked.

Sugiya
That's the case with the events I'm in charge of. Since there's a lot of information being released at the same time, I think it's easier to understand if the same person puts it all together, and it also helps highlight the theme and role of each event.

forest
What do you usually keep in mind when planning an event?

Sugiya
As Takahama City is known as a pottery town, we try to create as many opportunities as possible for people to experience pottery.
The pottery class that was held on the second floor was no longer held due to the merger with the library. In particular, we always treasure the "tile making experience event" that was held in conjunction with the special exhibition by Onishi from Takahama City.

forest
Do you ask Takahama Onishi directly for pottery events?

Sugiya
Yes, I usually ask Onishi-san for help as part of our regular interactions. However, in order to hold a wide variety of events, it is necessary to reach out to people I don't know. For this soap event, I searched the internet, and for the Yokai Parade, I sent DMs on social media...
We are gathering information daily and moving forward with our planning.

Inoue:
I have a regular relationship with Onishi-san, as I make and sell goods related to roof tiles and special exhibitions at the museum shop. I also often meet him when I'm walking around town.

forest
Is this a scene unique to Takahama? (laughs) I don't think the relationship between this museum and Onishi-san was that deep in the past, but because everyone, including Director Wakamatsu, Inoue, and Sugitani, values communication with the local community and Onishi-san on a daily basis, I think it will become a friendly museum and library that values the "uniqueness" of the region.

"Museum for Everyone" connects people and the local community

forest
What kind of exhibitions have you held so far? There have been a wide variety of interesting exhibitions, from those directly related to "Takahama City" and "Kawara" to photo exhibitions and animation.

Inoue:
The name of the museum includes the words "pottery village" and "tile," so we are trying to plan events that are appropriate for Takahama City, the center of Sanshu tile production. Although it is a small facility, we think of themes that can only be done at our museum, and each person in charge of public relations, business, and shops decides on a concept and develops it.

Hino
Are there any projects that Onishi brings in himself?

Inoue:
Yes, I've been asked to do a special exhibition on onigawara tiles.
One such example was the special exhibition "Hand Mirror Books and Onishi Exhibition" held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the city's establishment and the 25th anniversary of the museum's opening. We showed the designs (hand mirror books) from the Edo period in our museum's collection, and asked each onishi to create a new piece for the exhibition.

*50th Anniversary of the City and 25th Anniversary of the Museum's Opening: Exhibition of Handbooks and Demon Masters - Stories of Gods, Auspicious Beasts, and Immortals (held in 2020, now finished)

forest
Being asked by a museum to come up with a theme for a piece is something that would not be possible unless you have a strong relationship with the Onishi on a day-to-day basis.

Inoue:
We believe that increasing the value of roof tiles, which are building materials, as works of art and traditional crafts is itself an important role for the Takahama local art museum. In particular, to become a Takahama "oni-shi" (roof tile maker), one must have special craftsmanship that specializes in oni-gawara tiles. Exhibiting works at the museum will also help increase the value of the oni-shi themselves and their works.

forest
After speaking with the two of them, I got the impression that their style is to multiply each of their strengths to create a synergistic effect. Each person's strength is more than doubled, enhancing the appeal of the special exhibitions, which in turn leads to the appeal of the museum.
In addition, the museum has built strong relationships with the onishi and local community, and not only does it display the historical tiles in its collection, but it also creates and exhibits new works, with the aim of creating projects that make use of the unique character of this place and give back to the local community.

Inoue:
Since there are seven staff members including Director Wakamatsu, we are able to communicate with each other on a regular basis without the need to hold meetings. Once the theme is decided, each member of the team can think independently and move forward.

forest
Aichi is an area with many competing art museums. How do you, as a small team, create exhibitions that will attract visitors to Takahama?

Inoue:
The exhibition packages are more or less set, so we are always conscious of how to link them to tiles in order to differentiate ourselves from other facilities. We may have more freedom in planning exhibitions than other facilities, but we always aim to have an exhibition featuring tiles at least once a year.

Wakamatsu
There is an atmosphere that makes it difficult to hold a special exhibition with no prior connection at an ordinary public art museum. However, our museum is able to realize projects with a high degree of freedom. Our curators can create projects from scratch, bring in interesting exhibits using their own networks and planning skills, and edit the content of traveling exhibitions by linking them to roof tiles and the museum's collection. The abilities of each of our curators and staff, including Mr. Inoue, support our museum. We are able to achieve this with a small but elite team because we have such an excellent team, and I think we are really lucky.

forest
Indeed, you all go beyond the framework of a curator's job and also handle project management as a matter of course, don't you?

As in this case, they were able to expand their imagination and combine the museum's onigawara tiles with Yoshikazu Takai's "Yo-Kai Village" within the limited budget of a small museum, and realize the "Mari Yamazaki World Exhibition" through external networks. This is a result of their enthusiasm, planning ability, and love for their hometown, to "do something interesting, even if it's small."

Curator's recommendation! How to enjoy the "Takai Yoshikazu Exhibition"

Aoki
Finally, could you two tell us how you recommend enjoying the Takai Yoshikazu Exhibition?

Sugiya
This special exhibition will be held over the summer vacation period, for a longer period than usual. There will also be more related events than usual, so we hope that many people will come and participate in both the exhibition and the exhibition.

Inoue:
Yes, we have devised ways to make the exhibits and events enjoyable for both children and adults. How about taking the whole family to see the exhibits, participate in a workshop, and have a collaborative lunch at a restaurant?

forest
We hope that it will become a "museum for everyone" that everyone can enjoy, just like a park where you can spend the whole day.