Paramita Museum in Komono, Mie Prefecture, will hold the special exhibition "60 Years Since His Death: KAWABATA Ryushi" from Friday, October 2 to Sunday, November 29, 2026. The show marks 60 years since the death of KAWABATA Ryushi, a painter who was active from the Taisho era through the Showa era.
Ryushi is known for his distinctive sense of color and works on an extremely large scale, and the exhibition traces his career through many of his masterpieces.
Exhibition details: https://paramitamuseum.com/plan/next_exhibition.html
The Painter Who Brought a New Wind to Japanese Painting: KAWABATA Ryushi
After switching from Western-style painting to Japanese-style painting, KAWABATA Ryushi went on to create one work after another that did not stay within existing conventions.
Born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1885, he moved to Tokyo as a child and initially worked as a Western-style painter. After encountering classical Japanese art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, during a visit to the United States, he switched to Japanese-style painting in 1914 (Taisho 3). He later founded the independent Japanese-painting group 青龍社 (Seiryusha) himself and kept painting until shortly before his death.
Works of "Kaijo Geijutsu" That Looked Ahead to the Times
Ryushi recognized that the way people appreciate exhibitions was changing. He is known for presenting large-scale works under the ideal of 会場芸術 (kaijo geijutsu, literally "exhibition-hall art").
The exhibition will show a wide range of works, from studies made during his higher elementary school years to pieces submitted to the 青龍展 (Seiryu Exhibition). Works by Ryushi held in Paramita Museum's own collection will be displayed alongside them.
Visitors can explore what kind of Japanese painting Ryushi pursued over the course of his life.
Examples of Works on Display
- 《龍巻》 (1933, 5th Seiryu Exhibition)
- 《草の実》 (1931)
- 《龍子垣》 (1961, 33rd Seiryu Exhibition)
- 《孫悟空》 (1962, 34th Seiryu Exhibition)
- 《百子図》 (1949, 9th 青々会展)
- 《夢》 (1951, 23rd Seiryu Exhibition)
- and others
Related Events
A commemorative lecture and a concert will be held during the exhibition. Both are free to attend, though an admission ticket to the museum is required.
Commemorative Lecture: "The Kaijo Geijutsu of Japanese-Style Painter KAWABATA Ryushi"
- Date and time: Sunday, October 11, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
- Speaker: Takuya Kimura (Deputy Director, Ota Ward Ryushi Memorial Hall)
- Details: https://paramitamuseum.com/event/event.html#e20261011 (Paramita Museum official website)
Paramita Concert: "Colors of Sound – A Moment Woven by Song and Piano"
- Date and time: Sunday, November 1, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
- Performers: 天野彰子 (soprano), 佐野真 (piano)
- Details: https://paramitamuseum.com/event/concert.html#c20261101 (Paramita Museum official website)
Exhibition Information
- Exhibition title: 没後60年 川端龍子 画人生涯筆一管
- Dates: Friday, October 2 to Sunday, November 29, 2026 (open every day during the exhibition period)
- Hours: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (last admission at 5:00 PM)
- Venue: Paramita Museum, 三重県三重郡菰野町大羽根園松ヶ枝町21-6
- Admission: General ¥1,000 (set of 4 tickets ¥3,000), university students ¥800, high school students ¥500, junior high school students and younger free
- Organizer: Paramita Museum, Okada Cultural Foundation
- Special cooperation: Ota Ward Ryushi Memorial Hall
