Wrapping up my Japan 2023 trip museum roundup is the Yayoi-Yumeji Museum located in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. Nestled back in a charming little neighborhood not too far from Ueno Park, this hidden gem features rotating exhibits showcasing various kawaii illustrators from the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods. Complementing these exhibits are carefully curated selections from the museum’s extensive permanent collections of works by Yumeji Takehisa and Kasho Takabatake. Really two museums combined into one, the Yayoi Museum and the Yumeji Museum, this is an essential Tokyo destination for any kawaii history fan!
Both museums were founded by lawyer and curator Takumi Kano (1919-2009, 鹿野琢見), an early kawaii fanboy and passionate collector of works by the pioneering kawaii illustrators, Yumeji Takehisa and Kasho Takabatake. The Yayoi Museum was founded in 1984 to showcase Kano’s extensive collection of works by Kasho Takabatake. According to his biography, Kano was deeply moved by the artist’s work after seeing the illustration “Goodbye Hometown!” when he just 9 years old (copy shown below). 36 years later, in 1964, Kano sent a letter to Kasho, expressing the profound impact the artist’s work had on him. The two soon developed a friendship which was tragically cut short by the artist’s death the following year. Eighteen years after Kasho’s passing, Kano established the Yayoi Museum to honor Kasho’s memory and display his extensive collection of works by the illustrator. The 3rd floor of the museum continues as a permanent exhibit dedicated to the artist, while the first two floors showcase rotating exhibits focused on other prominent illustrators or themes related to girl culture from the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods.
The Yumeji Museum, as one might expect given the name, is dedicated to celebrating the work by the godfather of kawaii himself, Yumeji Takehisa. It was founded in 1990 to showcase Kano’s vast collection of art by the illustrator. Selecting from a collection of over 3,000 pieces (!), the museum rotates displays three times a year to focus on various themes relating to the art and life of Yumeji.
During our visit in April, we were lucky to catch a special exhibit about the fashion illustrator Miyuki Morimoto at the Yayoi Museum and an exhibit focused on Yumeji’s typographical design at the Yumeji Museum.
Miyuki Morimoto was an illustrator popular in the 80s and 90s, known for her distinctive style of sexy, chic women created using her minimalist, brush and ink technique. A decade after her untimely passing in 2013, this retrospective exhibit displayed numerous pieces spanning her 30-year career. Prior to our visit, I was not familiar with Morimoto, however looking at her body of work, I could appreciate the huge influence her style had on shojo and josei manga from the late 90s and early aughts. In the 90s, her work was featured in a number of popular women magazines and fashion adverts, and she also provided illustrations Shibuya-Kei artists like Pizzicato Five.
In addition to works in her classic brush and ink style, I really enjoyed getting to explore her earlier pieces and watching her unique style evolve. Her early pen and ink work from the 80s featuring 60s style American women reminded me of the illustrations by Setsuko Tamura. And she even had cute mascot character Tama-chan the onion!
After enjoying the special exhibition, we headed up up to the 3rd floor to check out some work by Kasho Takabatake. Having spent countless hours looking at his illustrations online over the past few years, seeing his work in person and as they were meant to be enjoyed was absolutely amazing.
From there we made our way over the Yumeji Museum connected via a 2nd floor walkway. I’ve been obsessed with fonts ever since making my first greeting cards with The Print Shop on our Commodore 64 as a child, so I was more than excited see an exhibit highlighting Yumeji’s unique use of the typography! In addition to his illustrations featuring big eyed, melancholic women, Yumeji was also a prolific early graphic designer known for his unique hand lettering work. The exhibit featured a number of magazine and book covers, posters, and other works by Yumeji highlighting his distinctive style for lettering. Seeing so many examples of graphic design works together, you could really appreciate the talent and breadth of his artistic gift.
Rounding out the exhibit was a selection of some classic pieces featuring Yumeji bijin-ga.
While small in size, this museum really packs in a lot of kawaii history! English language descriptions are pretty minimal, however just looking at the collections is so insightful, I would say this is must-see for any kawaii fan visiting Tokyo. And being only a short walk from Ueno Park makes a visit super easy to fit into almost any Tokyo itinerary! Current exhibits for Fall 2023 include Taisho and Showa kimono design and retro record covers from Meiji, Taisho and Showa. Wish I could be there!! If you have been to this wonderful museum or have a chance to go this fall, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below!!
