From Saturday, October 3, 2026 to Sunday, January 17, 2027, the Takatsuki City Nature Museum (Aquapia Akutagawa) in Takatsuki City is holding a special exhibition themed on nature and calligraphy, titled "Expressions of Nature and Form: The 'Shapes' of Calligraphy and Ink" (自然とかたちの表現 書と墨の“かたち”). The exhibition features specimens of living things used as calligraphy tools, along with artworks that express nature.
Calligraphy, introduced from China long ago, is one of the art forms familiar to people in Japan. The tools of calligraphy, such as ink, brushes, inkstones, and paper, are made from a wide range of natural materials including plants, animals, and stones, and have been shaped into tools through human skill.
The exhibition draws on the museum's own collection of biological materials to show how various living things have served as raw materials for calligraphy tools and supported the culture of calligraphy. Actual calligraphy tools are displayed alongside the mammal taxidermy specimens, plant specimens, and other materials they are made from. Examples include the head of a brush made with weasel hair, a brush shaft made from the stem of Japanese knotweed (itadori), washi paper for calligraphy made from the bark fibers of paper mulberry (kozo), and a solid ink stick (pine soot ink, or shoen-boku) made from soot produced by burning the trunk of Japanese red pine (akamatsu).
The exhibition also presents calligraphy and ink-wash paintings created by members of the Takatsuki City Artists Association and students of local art classes on the theme of "words that evoke nature and ink expressions inspired by nature," as well as works by artist Satoshi Komatsubara. A curator at the museum said, "We hope this will be an opportunity for both nature lovers and art lovers to enjoy art from a slightly different perspective than usual."
Exhibition Details
Period: October 3, 2026 (Saturday) to January 17, 2027 (Sunday)
Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Closed: Mondays (if a Monday is a national holiday, the museum is open that day and closed on the following weekday instead)
Venue: Takatsuki City Nature Museum (Aquapia Akutagawa), first-floor special exhibition space and west staircase space (高槻市立自然博物館 あくあぴあ芥川)
Address: 5-59-1 Nanpeidai, Takatsuki City
Access: Take a municipal bus from Stop 5 on the north side of JR Takatsuki Station, bound for "Kansai University / Heian Jogakuin University East" (関西大学・平安女学院大学東行き), and get off at "Nanpeidai Elementary School Front" (南平台小学校前). The museum is right by the stop.
Admission: Free
Related Website: Aquapia Blog (Aquapia Akutagawa website) https://aquapia-akutagawa.blog.jp/
