Kaga Iryokuen (加賀依緑園), a cultural tourism facility operated by Rinascente Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture; representative: 東海林 寿典) in the heart of Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is presenting a series of monthly solo exhibitions by local artists.
From Wednesday, August 19 through Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the facility presents CHIKA YOSHIGAI EXHIBITION-Various Forms-, the first solo exhibition by Kutani ware artist Chika Yoshigai, who is based in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The show brings together roughly 120 works — sake vessels, tableware, wheel-thrown pieces, and interior objects — decorated with underglaze blue (sometsuke) and overglaze enamel (uwae) featuring motifs the artist favors: pigs, sea creatures, the wind and thunder gods (Fūjin and Raijin), and fishermen patterns.
Following that, from Saturday, September 19 through Monday, October 19, 2026, the facility presents the Chihiro Fujisaki Exhibition, featuring ceramic artist Chihiro Fujisaki, who is based in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The show centers on vessels finished with the artist's own glazes, alongside decorative plates, flower vases, and tableware depicting plants and small animals — around 200 pieces in total. Visitors are invited to freely imagine the meaning behind each piece's shape, use, and design, as though solving a riddle.
The two exhibitions showcase the distinct expressions of Kutani ware and ceramic art side by side in the historic setting of Yamanaka Onsen.
CHIKA YOSHIGAI EXHIBITION-Various Forms- — August 19 to September 16, 2026
Kaga Iryokuen presents CHIKA YOSHIGAI EXHIBITION-Various Forms-, a solo exhibition by Kutani ware artist Chika Yoshigai, who is based in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The show features roughly 120 works, including sake vessels and other pieces decorated with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel, wheel-thrown works, and interior objects. This marks Yoshigai's first-ever solo exhibition.
Artist's presence: Announced via Instagram.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chikayoshigai/
Artist statement
"I took my four favorite motifs — pigs, sea creatures, the wind and thunder gods, and fishermen patterns — and worked them freely and playfully into a variety of items and forms. I made every piece of clay myself from scratch, so combined with the motifs and designs of the underglaze and overglaze painting, each piece has its own character — warm, and a little bit funny. I'd love for people to take their time and pick the works up in person. I've only just graduated from the Kutani Pottery Training Center and still have a lot to learn, but I put a lot of feeling into making these, so I hope you'll enjoy them with a warm eye."
— Chika Yoshigai
Artist profile — Chika Yoshigai (吉貝 知佳)
- Born in Osaka; raised in Taiwan
- Based in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Graduate of California State University, Fullerton
- After returning to Japan, earned a sommelier certification and worked for many years in sales at a wine and spirits importer
- 2026: Graduated from the research course at the Kutani Pottery Training Center
Chihiro Fujisaki Exhibition — September 19 to October 19, 2026
From September 19, Kaga Iryokuen presents the Chihiro Fujisaki Exhibition, featuring ceramic artist Chihiro Fujisaki, who is based in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The show centers on tableware such as bowls and plates finished with the artist's own glazes, alongside decorative plates and flower vases, with roughly 200 pieces on view.
Artist's presence: Announced via Instagram.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoyo.ceramic/
Artist statement
"I mainly shape my pieces on the wheel and finish them with my own glazes to make tableware and other everyday tools. I find the appeal in forms that were born out of necessity — and in the fact that, on their own, they aren't complete.
In recent years I've been trying my hand at vessels with painted designs. I like classical motifs, so I borrow the composition and arrangement of arabesque (karakusa) patterns and other traditional styles. My motifs tend to be what you might call weeds — rather than one specific plant, I want to depict a scene where many different plants are growing vividly, with small animals and insects hidden among them.
With tableware, the size and shape already suggest an answer of sorts — what it's meant to hold — but the process of getting there is left open to the imagination, which struck me as a bit like a riddle, so I used that idea for this exhibition's title.
How many animals are hidden in the painting? — that's one riddle, but I also think part of the pleasure of looking at painted vessels is that, throughout history, they have been given as gifts carrying celebratory messages known only to the giver and receiver, sometimes hiding something like a code. I'm preparing all kinds of riddles, so I hope you'll enjoy them in a relaxed way."
— Chihiro Fujisaki
Artist profile — Chihiro Fujisaki (藤﨑 千尋)
- 1992: Born in Kumamoto Prefecture
- 2011: Graduated from Kumamoto Prefectural Daini High School, Art Department
- 2015: Graduated from Kanazawa College of Art, Department of Crafts (Ceramics)
- Worked in Kutani ware production at a kiln in Ishikawa Prefecture
- 2018: Became independent under the studio name Yoyo
- 2019: Completed the practical (modeling) course at the Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Pottery Training Center
- 2020: Worked as temporary staff in the instruction division at the Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Pottery Training Center
- Currently based in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture
Venue Information (Both Exhibitions)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Venue | Kaga Iryokuen |
| Address | 87-1 Yamanaka Onsen Minamicho Ro, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Phone | 0761-71-2683 |
| Hours | 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM |
| Closed | Thursdays |
| Admission | General ¥600; Groups of 20 or more ¥490 per person (one free admission per exhibition DM presented) |
| Parking | 山中温泉菊の湯駐車場、またはこおろぎ橋駐車広場 |
| Official website | https://kagairyokuen.jp/ |
| https://www.instagram.com/kaga_iryokuen |
August and September Events at Kaga Iryokuen
In addition to the exhibitions, Kaga Iryokuen is presenting a series of seasonal experiences through August and September as the season shifts from summer to autumn — concerts within the historic building, a special café pairing the garden with Japanese and Chinese tea, a "Kimono Week" offering discounted admission to visitors in traditional dress, and hands-on mini bonsai and solid perfume workshops.
(1) Kaga Iryokuen Concert
On Saturday, August 29 and Saturday, September 26, Kaga Iryokuen will hold a concert, a special program in which visitors can enjoy live music resonating through the historic building and surrounding garden.
Event details
- Dates: Saturday, August 29 and Saturday, September 26, 2026
- Admission: Free
- Details will be announced via the official Instagram account.
(2) Special Café: "Enjoying the Garden and Tea"
Over three days — Tuesday, September 1; Wednesday, September 2; and Friday, September 18 — Kaga Iryokuen will hold a special café event, "Enjoying the Garden and Tea," offering Japanese and Chinese tea alongside garden views, with staff-guided tea commentary and specially selected sweets. Solo visitors are also welcome.
Event details
- Dates: Tuesday, September 1; Wednesday, September 2; and Friday, September 18, 2026
- Reservations required by Wednesday, August 26
(3) Kimono Week
From Sunday, September 6 through Saturday, September 12, Kaga Iryokuen will hold "Kimono Week." Visitors who arrive in traditional Japanese dress (wafuku) receive half-price admission (general admission reduced from ¥600 to ¥300) and can stroll the historic building and garden in kimono.
Event details
- Dates: Sunday, September 6 to Saturday, September 12, 2026
- Benefit: Half-price admission for visitors in traditional Japanese dress (general admission ¥600 → ¥300)
(4) Special Experience: Mini Bonsai
On Wednesday, September 23 and Friday, September 25, Kaga Iryokuen will hold a mini bonsai workshop, in which participants combine moss and small trees to create a miniature natural landscape inside a small pot. Afterward, guests can relax over tea.
Event details
- Dates: Wednesday, September 23 and Friday, September 25, 2026
- Reservations required by Sunday, September 20
(5) Special Experience: Solid Perfume Making
On Sunday, September 27, Kaga Iryokuen will hold a solid perfume-making workshop, where participants create their own custom scent while taking in the garden view. First-timers and solo participants are welcome, and the finished perfume can be taken home.
Event details
- Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
- Reservations required by Wednesday, September 23
About Kaga Iryokuen
Kaga Iryokuen sits at the center of Yamanaka Onsen in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Housed in a historic building dating to the Meiji era, it opened as a cultural tourism facility in April 2024. The building formerly served as an annex of the long-established inn "Yoshinoya," hosting distinguished guests including Emperor Showa and former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, and was the setting for historic meetings.
Large-scale restoration work carried out from 2021 revived the structure as a modern cultural tourism hub while preserving the character of its traditional Japanese architecture. Inside, the facility displays traditional Japanese techniques such as gold leather paper (kin-karakami) and Inami woodcarving, along with valuable historical items including tableware used by Emperor Showa. Craft works by local artists are also available for purchase, making it a space where tradition and contemporary sensibility meet.
The grounds also include a garden, a tea room, and a lounge serving matcha and Japanese sweets. Access has improved with the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga, drawing renewed attention to the Kaga/Yamanaka Onsen area as a travel destination.
Highlights of the Facility
- Lounge: Displays records of Emperor Showa's stays and items connected to visiting literary figures
- Garden: A stroll garden carrying on the aesthetics of the Enshu school (supervised by Yuri Ugaya)
- Exhibition room: Introduces the history and technique of gold leather paper (kin-karakami)
- Kiku-no-Ma and Kiri-no-Ma: Formal modern Wa-yo rooms adorned with gold leather paper
- Goten (Imperial Visit Room): A formal space featuring Inami woodcarving and inlay decoration
- Kagetsu Wing: A wing where novelists including Yasunari Kawabata are recorded to have stayed and written (partial remains)
- Tōsen Wing and Tea Room: A space modeled after the tea room "Yūin," with craft exhibitions and sales by gallery "Enishira" (縁煌)
Facility Information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Kaga Iryokuen |
| Address | 87-1 Yamanaka Onsen Minamicho Ro, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Phone | 0761-71-2683 |
| Hours | 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM |
| Closed | Thursdays |
| Admission | General ¥600; Groups of 20 or more ¥490 per person (one free admission per exhibition DM presented) |
| Parking | 山中温泉菊の湯駐車場、またはこおろぎ橋駐車広場 |
| Official website | https://kagairyokuen.jp/ |
| https://www.instagram.com/kaga_iryokuen |
