Higashiosaka Citizens Art Center (東大阪市民美術センター) in Higashiosaka, Osaka will hold the special exhibition "Wandering Genius Painter Kiyoshi Yamashita Exhibition" from October 30 (Friday) to December 20 (Sunday), 2026. The show looks at Kiyoshi Yamashita as an artist in his own right, rather than through the image known from films and TV dramas.
Kiyoshi Yamashita was born in Asakusa in 1922 (Taisho 11). At the age of 12, he entered Yawata Gakuen (八幡学園), a care facility in Chiba Prefecture, where his talent blossomed through torn-paper art. He developed this into his own technique of "hari-e" (paper collage). In 1940 (Showa 15), around the age of 18, he left Yawata Gakuen and began wandering around Japan. His finely detailed landscape collages made of tiny torn pieces of paper were created at his mother's home, where he returned from time to time, and at Yawata Gakuen, relying only on the memories of his travels burned into his mind.
Even after his name became known nationwide and solo exhibitions were held around the country, he kept taking on a wide range of genres, including pen drawings, watercolors, oil paintings, and ceramic painting, until his death in 1971 (Showa 46) at the age of 49.
The exhibition presents works from his early years to his later years, including the masterpiece Nagaoka Fireworks (《長岡の花火》). It introduces the painter who lived through the turbulent Showa era and left the words, "If everyone had made only beautiful fireworks instead of bombs, there surely would have been no wars."
Exhibition Details
- Dates: October 30 (Friday) to December 20 (Sunday), 2026
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
- Closed: Every Monday (the Art Center is open on Monday, November 23, a national holiday, and closed on Tuesday, November 24 instead)
- Venue: Higashiosaka Citizens Art Center, Exhibition Rooms 1, 2, and 3 (6-7-22 Yoshida, Higashiosaka, Osaka)
- Cooperation: Kiyoshi Yamashita Works Management Office (山下清作品管理事務所)
- Official website: https://hos-higashiosaka-art.com/
Admission
| Category | Admission | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General | ¥1,000 | |
| Higashiosaka residents aged 65 and over | ¥500 | Proof of address and age required |
| High school students, etc. | ¥500 | Student ID or similar required |
| Junior high school students and younger | Free | Junior high school students must show proof of age |
| Persons with a disability certificate or similar (including one caregiver) | Free | Certificate required |
How to Buy Tickets
- At the Art Center counter: October 23 (Friday) at 9:00 AM to December 20 (Sunday) at 4:30 PM (excluding closed days)
- Online: October 23 (Friday) at 9:00 AM to October 29 (Thursday) at 5:00 PM (ticket sales form)
- Admission fees are the same however you buy tickets.
- Online sales require payment by credit card.
- Refunds and changes are not possible after purchase.
Discounted Combination Ticket
A combination ticket covers three facilities in Hanazono Central Park (花園中央公園), including the Art Center.
| Art Center - Kiyoshi Yamashita Exhibition | Dream 21 - Planetarium | Hitotsunagi Cafe - Soft drink coupon | Combination ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| General regular price ¥1,000 | Regular price ¥600 | Regular price ¥400 | ¥1,400 |
The regular prices for the three facilities add up to ¥2,000.
Where and When to Buy
- Where: Dream 21 office (2-7-21 Matsubaraminami, Higashiosaka) or the Art Center reception (6-7-22 Yoshida, Higashiosaka). Cash only. The ticket is not sold at Hitotsunagi Cafe.
- When: October 30 (Friday) to December 20 (Sunday), during the reception hours of the Art Center and Dream 21. Check each facility's website for closed days and reception hours. Dream 21 website: https://www.dream21-hos.com/
Validity
- Art Center and Dream 21: October 30 (Friday) to December 20 (Sunday), excluding each facility's closed days
- Hitotsunagi Cafe: October 31 (Saturday) to December 20 (Sunday), excluding regular closed days (Mondays and Wednesdays) and temporary closures. Check the cafe's Instagram for business days and hours: https://www.instagram.com/hitotsunagicafe/
- The facilities can be used on different days.
- Refunds and changes are not possible after purchase.
Related Events
Lecture "The Family Talks About Kiyoshi Yamashita"
- Date and time: November 8 (Sunday), 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM (doors open at 1:30 PM)
- Speaker: 山下 浩, representative of Kiyoshi Yamashita Works Management Office and nephew of Kiyoshi Yamashita
- Venue: Higashiosaka Citizens Art Center, Special Room
- Fee: ¥500 (paid at the time of application)
- Registration: Advance registration required, first come, first served, limited to 120 people
- Registration opens: October 23 (Friday) at 9:00 AM
- How to register: Use the online registration form (payment by credit card), or apply in person at the Art Center counter during opening hours, excluding closed days (payment on the spot)
- Fees cannot be refunded for personal reasons.
Workshop "Take on Kiyoshi Yamashita! Make a Collage of a Memorable Landscape"
Following Kiyoshi Yamashita's approach, participants create a hari-e collage of a memorable landscape or a favorite view, relying only on memory.
- Date and time: November 22 (Sunday), Session 1 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Session 2 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- Venue: Higashiosaka Citizens Art Center, meeting room
- Capacity: 10 people per session (up to 4 people per application)
- Eligibility: Open to everyone. Guardians accompanying elementary school students and younger must also apply to take part.
- Fee: ¥500 for materials (tax included)
- How to apply: Use the online application form
- Application deadline: November 13 (Friday)
- If there are more applicants than places, participants will be chosen by lottery.
- Accompanying guardians also take part in the workshop. Attending only to accompany a child is not accepted.
Gallery Talk by a Curator
- Date and time: December 12 (Saturday), 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
- Venue: Higashiosaka Citizens Art Center, Exhibition Rooms 1, 2, and 3
- Fee: Free (exhibition admission required)
- Registration: Not required
Dream 21 Related Event
Planetarium Program "Hanabirium" (ハナビリウム)
The planetarium at Dream 21 in Hanazono Central Park is showing a program that presents fireworks, which Kiyoshi Yamashita also loved, in full-dome video. The discounted combination ticket lets you enjoy it together with the exhibition.
- Content: Fireworks shown in full-dome video
- Period: From October 1 (Thursday), now showing
- Time: 2:15 PM to 3:00 PM (about 20 minutes of star commentary and about 25 minutes of the program)
- Showtimes may change. Check the Dream 21 website for details.
