“Yajuro Takashima: 50 Years after His Death” at the Utsunomiya Museum of Art Until December 6; About 180 Works by the Painter of “Candle” and “Moon”

“Yajuro Takashima: 50 Years after His Death” is on view at the Utsunomiya Museum of Art in Tochigi Prefecture. It runs from Sunday, September 20 to Sunday, December 6, 2026. It is a retrospective of Yajuro Takashima (1890–1975), a Western-style painter from Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, known for “Candle” and “Moon,” and the museum describes it as “the largest retrospective ever,” with about 180 works, including some shown for the first time. It is organized by the Utsunomiya Museum of Art, The Shimotsuke Shimbun and The Mainichi Newspapers. It is said to be the first exhibition of his work in Tochigi Prefecture in about 10 years.

What kind of painter was Yajuro Takashima?

According to an announcement by Chiba Prefecture, which held an exhibition of the same name in 2025, Takashima was born in Aikawa Village, Mii District, Fukuoka Prefecture (now Kurume City), and chose the path of a painter after graduating at the top of his class from the Department of Fisheries in the Faculty of Agriculture at Tokyo Imperial University. At 71 he moved to Masuo in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, and he died in 1975.

The Utsunomiya Museum of Art’s press materials describe Takashima as a painter who honed his skills on his own, belonged to no art society and remained single all his life.

Background to the exhibition

The exhibition sheds light on the roots of his art, Buddhist thought, and works from his youth and his years in Europe, and also introduces the influence of painters from his home region, such as Shigeru Aoki, Hanjiro Sakamoto and Harue Koga, as well as his relationships with close friends. Works and letters owned by people who were moved by his paintings and way of life are also displayed.

In 2025, the 50th anniversary of his death, an exhibition of the same name was also held at the Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art (July 18 – September 28, about 150 works including some shown for the first time; announced by Chiba Prefecture). At the Utsunomiya showing, Ken Kaizuka, director of the Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art, will give a lecture on November 7. The exhibits bring together works from the collection of the Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art and elsewhere, including rarely seen works in private collections. Another retrospective of a Western-style painter being held at the same time is the Kanji Maeda exhibition at the Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art (until December 13).

What works can be seen? Six parts and highlights

According to the list of works, the Utsunomiya venue shows 160 works and 20 documents and reference materials. The exhibition is organized in six parts: “Prologue: Who Was Yajuro?”, “Chapter 1: With the Times,” “Chapter 2: With People,” “Chapter 3: With the Wind,” “Chapter 4: With the Heart of the Buddha” and “Epilogue: With Yajuro.”

• Prologue: “Self-Portrait Wearing a Rakusu” (1920), “Water Lily Pond” (1949), “Spring Sea” (1952) and others

• Chapter 1: “Early Spring” (1921) and “Camellias and Apples” (1918, private collection), together with 11 works by other painters, including Shigeru Aoki’s “Portrait of Uro” (1904), Ryusei Kishida’s “Three Apples” (1917), Harue Koga’s “Kannon” (1921, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) and Hanjiro Sakamoto’s “Moon” (1966)

• Chapter 2: “Wounded Self-Portrait” (c. 1914–16), “Distant View of the Chikugo River” (c. 1949), “Portrait of Mr. Tatsugoro Ito” (1968, private collection) and others

• Chapter 3: “Side Street” (1930–33), “Early Spring by the Pond” (1953, Fukuoka Art Museum), “Summer Clouds” (1948–59, private collection) and others

• Chapter 4: “Lotus” (c. 1904–09, private collection), “Stream” (1957, Kyorin University), “Pagoda of Horyuji” (1958, private collection), “Spring in Nara” (1953, Fukuoka Art Museum) and others

• Epilogue: “The Sun” (1975, private collection), “Full Moon” (c. 1963, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo), “Autumn Sun” (1967), “Water Lilies” (1975) and others

The main works the museum highlights, all in the collection of the Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, include “Snake Gourds” (1935), “Cherries” (c. 1956), “Magnolia and Apples” (c. 1966), “Candle” (Taisho era) and “Moon” (1962). The materials include a drawing from around 1915, “Observational Drawings of Fish and Shellfish,” a portable easel and paint box, his “Posthumous Notebook,” and letters and postcards to acquaintances. For an exhibition tracing expressions related to the moon and stars, “The Moon and the Stars: When Art Connects” is on view at the Chiba City Museum of Art until November 23.

Tickets, prices and related events

Admission is 1,200 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for university and high school students, and 800 yen for junior high and elementary school students. Groups of 20 or more pay 960 yen, 800 yen and 640 yen respectively. Holders of a physical disability certificate, a rehabilitation certificate (ryoiku techo) or a mental disability certificate, together with one caregiver, are admitted free. High school students and younger who attend school or live in Utsunomiya City are also admitted free on presentation of a “Miyakko no Chikai Card” or student ID.

On Culture Day, Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), Utsunomiya residents who show identification confirming their address are admitted free. On “Family Day,” the third Sunday of every month (the remaining one during the run is November 15), families that include high school students or younger can visit with adults and university students paying half price and high school students and younger admitted free.

On Saturday, November 7, from 14:00 to 15:30, Ken Kaizuka will give a lecture, “Painting the ‘Buddha,’ Living the ‘Buddha’: Yajuro Takashima and Painters around Buddhism,” in the lecture room. Capacity is 150, with no advance application required (first come, first served); a ticket for the special exhibition is required. Gallery talks by the curator in charge will be held at 14:00 on Saturdays, October 24, November 14 and November 28 (no application required; meet in the central hall).

Access and opening hours

The address is 1077 Nagaoka-machi, Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture. From Bus Stop 5 at the West Exit of JR Utsunomiya Station, take a Kanto Bus bound for “Utsunomiya Museum of Art via Toyosatodai and Teikyo University” and get off at the last stop (about 25 minutes). It is about 20 minutes by taxi from JR Utsunomiya Station, and by car about 10 km from the Utsunomiya Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway.

Opening hours are 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30). The museum is closed every Monday and on Wednesday, November 4 and Tuesday, November 24, but open on Monday, November 23.

Overview

Name: Yajuro Takashima: 50 Years after His Death
Dates: Sunday, September 20 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: Mondays, Thursday, September 24, Tuesday, October 13, Wednesday, November 4, Tuesday, November 24 (open on Monday, September 21, Monday, October 12 and Monday, November 23)
Venue: Utsunomiya Museum of Art
Address: 1077 Nagaoka-machi, Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture
Admission: Adults 1,200 yen (groups 960 yen), university and high school students 1,000 yen (groups 800 yen), junior high and elementary school students 800 yen (groups 640 yen). Groups are 20 or more people
Organizers: Utsunomiya Museum of Art, The Shimotsuke Shimbun, The Mainichi Newspapers
Cooperation: Blooming Nakanishi
Inquiries: 028-643-0100
Official website: https://u-moa.jp/exhibition/exhibition.html
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Exterior of the Utsunomiya Museum of Art, August 2020 (photo: Miyuki Meinaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the Utsunomiya Museum of Art (updated July 28, 2026) and Chiba Prefecture (August 7, 2025) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team