Moto Hagio Exhibition Opens December 19 at the Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art, with More Than 200 Original Drawings of Europe-Set Manga Including “The Poe Clan”

At the Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art (Oyamazaki Town, Otokuni District, Kyoto Prefecture), “Moto Hagio Exhibition: Longing for Europe,” commemorating the museum’s 30th anniversary, will be held from Saturday, December 19, 2026, to Sunday, April 11, 2027. Focusing on manga artist Moto Hagio’s works set in Europe, such as “The Poe Clan” and “The Heart of Thomas,” it displays more than 200 original drawings and other items. Admission is ¥1,500 for adults, and the concurrent Monet exhibition can be seen with the same ticket.

Why Moto Hagio at the Oyamazaki Villa? Study in Britain and a 100-year-old Western-style house

According to the museum, Hagio was influenced by the foreign children’s literature and films she loved from an early age. She visited Europe on her first trip abroad in 1972, and the following year, 1973, studied in Britain for about six months. She has traveled there many times since. The museum says these experiences had a major influence on her work, and the exhibition centers on original art from works set in Britain, Germany, France, Italy and elsewhere.

The venue, the Oyamazaki Villa, was built from the Taisho era into the early Showa era by Kansai businessman Shotaro Kaga. It is a Western-style house more than 100 years old, modeled on the English Tudor Gothic style. It opened in April 1996 as the “Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art” and was renamed in July 2023. At its 30th anniversary, the museum will show, in a villa modeled on English style, original art set in Europe by a manga artist who studied in Britain.

What can visitors see? From “The Poe Clan” to “A Cruel God Reigns”

The main works the museum lists are “The Poe Clan,” “The Heart of Thomas,” “Queen Margot” and “A Cruel God Reigns.” The release puts the number of exhibits at about 220. The chapter structure and whether any original drawings will be shown for the first time had not been announced as of October 20.

Hagio was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1949. She debuted in 1969 and for more than half a century has published works across a wide range of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mystery and history. In 2012 she became the first shojo manga artist to receive the Medal with Purple Ribbon, and in 2019 she was named a Person of Cultural Merit. In 2022 she received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, and in 2024 she received a Special Award of Honor at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France. In the same year, she became a member of the Japan Art Academy.

In the museum’s tea room, two sweets inspired by her works will be offered in limited quantities during the exhibition, with the cooperation of RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto. One is a chocolate cake inspired by the cake “Song in a Dream” made by Kana, the protagonist of “Cake Cake Cake” (1970). The other is a tart inspired by the “Johanna Spirits pie” from “The Heart of Thomas” (1974). Using the tea room requires museum admission, and prices will be announced later.

The concurrent Monet exhibition and related events

“Claude Monet: 100 Years After His Death” (March 20, 2026 – April 11, 2027), commemorating the museum’s 30th anniversary and viewable with the same ticket, shows the museum’s eight Monet works in two periods, six at a time. The Moto Hagio exhibition coincides with its second period (September 19, 2026 – April 11, 2027). The venue is the circular gallery “Underground Jewel Box” (Chichukan) designed by Tadao Ando.

• Moto Hagio Special Talk Show: Monday, March 22, 2027 (substitute holiday), 13:00–14:30, “Shunju” on the 2nd floor of RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto (a venue outside the museum). The interviewer is Hiroko Uchiyama, Professor Emerita at Joshibi University of Art and Design. Capacity 250 (first come, first served), fee ¥3,500 (including tax and a souvenir; museum admission not included), junior high school students and older. Applications open at 12:00 on Saturday, December 5, 2026.

• Christmas Mini Concert: Friday, December 25, 2026, from 11:00 and 14:00 (about 20 minutes each), at the rest house in the garden. Students from the Faculty of Music at Kyoto City University of Arts perform famous pieces born in various European countries. Free, no registration required.

• Oyamazaki Villa Tour: Sunday, January 17 and Thursday, February 25, 2027, 8:45–10:00 (before opening). Photography is permitted in parts of the building. 20 people per session (advance application, lottery), junior high school students and older, free (museum admission required). Applications until Tuesday, December 15.

• Weekday visitor gift: From January to March, a limited quantity of stickers is distributed each month.

Tickets, prices and access

Admission is ¥1,500 for adults and ¥700 for high school and university students, and free for junior high school students and younger. It is ¥500 on showing a disability certificate or Mirairo ID, with up to one companion free. Groups of 20 or more pay ¥1,400 for adults and ¥600 for high school and university students. The October 19 release said online tickets were scheduled to go on sale in October.

Opening hours are 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30). The museum is closed on Mondays but open on January 11, March 22, March 29 and April 5. It is also closed on Tuesday, January 12 and Tuesday, March 23, and over the year-end and New Year holidays from Monday, December 28 to Monday, January 4.

It is about a 10-minute walk from both JR Yamazaki Station and Hankyu Oyamazaki Station. A free shuttle bus also links both stations with the front of the museum garden entrance (tunnel), with priority for elderly people and others needing assistance (capacity 13, no reservations, no service on closing days). On December 19, 20, 26 and 27, two buses run between the stations and the museum to ease crowding. The museum has no parking, so visitors coming by car should use coin parking near the stations. It is about 15 minutes by local train from JR Kyoto Station to JR Yamazaki Station.

Editor’s perspective

For Hagio, the three-artist exhibition “Shojo Manga Infinity” with Ryoko Yamagishi and Waki Yamato is also being held at The National Art Center, Tokyo, in Roppongi. This exhibition in Oyamazaki is distinctive for narrowing its focus to a single theme, Europe, and showing it in a Western-style house modeled on English style. Other exhibitions in the Kansai region are compiled in our roundup of exhibitions in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hyogo for autumn–winter 2026.

Overview

Name: Moto Hagio Exhibition: Longing for Europe, commemorating the museum’s 30th anniversary
Dates: Saturday, December 19, 2026 – Sunday, April 11, 2027
Hours: 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (open on January 11, March 22, March 29 and April 5), January 12, March 23, and the year-end and New Year holidays (December 28 – January 4)
Venue: Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art
Address: 5-3 Zenihara, Oyamazaki Town, Otokuni District, Kyoto Prefecture
Admission: Adults ¥1,500, high school and university students ¥700, junior high school students and younger free (groups of 20 or more: adults ¥1,400, high school and university students ¥600). ¥500 on showing a disability certificate or Mirairo ID (up to one companion free). Includes the concurrent Monet exhibition
Organizer: Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art
Special cooperation: Shogakukan
Official website: https://www.asahigroup-oyamazaki.com/exhibition/hagiomoto/
Copyright: “The Poe Clan,” “The Heart of Thomas,” “A Cruel God Reigns” ©Moto Hagio / Shogakukan; “Queen Margot” ©Moto Hagio / Shueisha
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art, May 2025 (Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on an announcement by the Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art (October 19, 2026) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team