Special Exhibition "The World of Picture Book Artist Yo Shomei - From Fairy Tales to Peace" Held at Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art!
A special exhibition featuring picture book artist Yo Shomei will be held at the Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art. Approximately 100 works will introduce his artistic journey from fairy tales to messages of peace. This is the first comprehensive exhibition of his work in the Kansai region.
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The Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art will hold the special exhibition "The World of Picture Book Artist Yo Shomei - From Fairy Tales to Peace," introducing the works of painter and picture book artist Yo Shomei (1946-), from Saturday, May 23, 2026, to Sunday, August 16, 2026.
From the 1970s, Yo Shomei illustrated for magazines such as "Ichigo Ehon" and "Shi to Meruhen," edited by Takashi Yanase, gaining popularity as a "fairy tale artist." He has also been active as a picture book author with strong messages, including "Please Give Flowers Instead of Landmines" (1996), which addresses social issues.
With the cooperation of the Kitakamakura Yo Shomei Museum of Art, this exhibition will showcase approximately 100 works from the artist's early career to recent times, introducing the world of his creations through original illustrations for picture books and magazines, as well as oil paintings.
The gentle atmosphere of Yo Shomei's works, brought about by beautiful colors and simple, sophisticated compositions, conveys themes that offer hints for our lives, such as "kindness" and "compassion." Please enjoy this large-scale exhibition, the first of its kind in the Kansai region.
Exhibition Overview and Major Works on Display (Scheduled)
Chapter 1: From the Beginning of His Career to Becoming a "Fairy Tale Artist"
Yo Shomei is known for his refreshing and gentle landscape paintings. This chapter introduces the formative period of the artist's style. It will feature portraits from his early career when he aspired to be a fashion illustrator, original illustrations for his debut picture book "Shiroi Tori ni Benchi" (The White Bird on the Bench), and original illustrations for Sanrio's monthly magazines "Ichigo Ehon" and "Shi to Meruhen," for which he was a popular artist.
Chapter 2: The Diverse World of Picture Books
Active as a "fairy tale artist," Yo Shomei has also been involved in picture book creation since the 1980s. He has published numerous picture books on themes such as life and social issues, not just idyllic children's stories. This chapter will introduce many of the picture books created by Yo Shomei through their original artwork.
Chapter 3: The World of Oil Paintings
While working on illustrations for publications like "Shi to Meruhen," Yo Shomei's aspiration for oil painting as a pure art form grew, and he began producing oil paintings in the late 1980s. Based on the composition with a horizon line established in his illustration work, he depicts sublime landscapes of polar regions and outer space. Reflecting the artist's own philosophical question, "What are we?", this section showcases the essence of Yo Shomei's work, whose poetic quality has been appreciated since his early days.
Chapter 4: The World of Words and Pictures
Although Yo Shomei is well-known for his illustrations and picture book works, he is also a poet who has been publishing poems alongside his illustrations in magazine serials since the late 1990s, a practice he continues to this day. The messages about daily life and life's journey, spun in plain words, have comforted, encouraged, and healed many people. This chapter introduces the heartwarming world of Yo Shomei's poetry alongside his art.
Opening Ceremony and Press Preview (Yo Shomei expected to attend)
Date: Friday, May 22
* Participation is limited to press and specially invited guests.
Press Briefing
Time: 14:00 - 14:20 (Reception starts at 13:45)
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Hi-Vision Gallery
Press Preview
Time: 14:20 - 15:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Exhibition Room
Opening Ceremony
Time: 15:00 - 15:30
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Lobby
Preview
Time: 15:30 - 17:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Exhibition Room
Events During the Exhibition Period (Participation is free, but exhibition admission ticket required)
[Pre-registration Events] (Lottery if applications exceed capacity)
(1) Commemorative Lecture & Signing Session by Yo Shomei
"Regarding the Original Art Exhibition - From Fairy Tales to Peace, and Beyond..."
Date & Time: Saturday, May 23, 13:00 - 15:45
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 60 people
Application Deadline: Thursday, May 7
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/1wrG47Ywvy4x6Ce0cZzp
(2) Commemorative Lecture "What Yo Shomei's Works Speak of - Their Background and the Yo Shomei Museum -"
Lecturer: Shigemi Horiuchi (Director, Kitakamakura Yo Shomei Museum of Art)
Date & Time: Monday, July 20 (Holiday), 14:00 - 15:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 60 people
Application Deadline: Thursday, July 2
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/jo8DbClv9ANsRic79tbe
(3) Art Museum Operation "Let's Make a Mini Picture Book"
After viewing the exhibition, create your own unique picture book based on the colors, shapes, and feelings that remained in your heart.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 13, 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 20 people
Target Audience: Ages 4 to Junior High School Students
Application Deadline: Thursday, May 28
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/uDXU1T1EUhTuBWsYh6KU
(4) Art Museum Operation "Art Museum Expedition"
Explore the museum and see areas you wouldn't normally see.
Date & Time: Saturday, August 8, 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 20 people
Target Audience: Ages 4 to Junior High School Students
Application Deadline: Thursday, July 23
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/pWslMhYErssDBUHrWXfV
(5) Workshop for Adults "Let's Make a Picture Book for Someone Special"
After viewing the exhibition, create a unique picture book. Wouldn't you like to think of the smile of someone special to you while creating a story?
Date & Time: Saturday, July 11, 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 20 people
Target Audience: High school students and above
Application Deadline: Thursday, June 25
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/0vlWuLQegtMjH3s4M688
[Events Requiring No Pre-registration] (First-come, first-served on the day)
(6) Baby Family Day
Up to two adults accompanying pre-school children can enter at the group rate (1,000 yen).
Dates: Thursday, June 18, Thursday, July 16
(7) Tanabata at the Museum "Make a Wish Upon a Star... ☆"
Write your wishes on a strip of paper with Yo Shomei's illustration and decorate it.
Period: Saturday, June 27 to Tuesday, July 7 (Holiday)
(8) Summer Workshop
Period: Wednesday, July 22 to Tuesday, August 11
(9) Kozo Yohei Atelier Explanation
Dates: Weekdays at 14:00 (approx. 15 minutes)
Exhibition Summary
Exhibition Name: Special Exhibition "The World of Picture Book Artist Yo Shomei - From Fairy Tales to Peace"
Period: Saturday, May 23, 2026 - Sunday, August 16, 2026 [74 days]
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (Last entry acceptance until 16:30)
Closed: Every Monday (Open on July 20), Tuesday, July 21
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art
Address: 5-7 Mukoyamanaka, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, 658-0032 Japan (within Rokko Island Park)
Admission Fees:
General: 1,200 (1,000) yen, University Students: 600 (500) yen * ( ) are group rates for 20 or more people.
High school students and younger: Free (Please present student ID, student handbook, etc.)
Kobe residents aged 65 and over: 600 yen (Please present proof of address and age)
Persons with disability certificates or smartphone apps like "Mirairo ID" etc. are admitted free of charge.
Organizers: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, Kobe Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun
Cooperation: Kitakamakura Yo Shomei Museum of Art
Concurrent Exhibition: Selected Works by Yohei Koiso II
Inquiries for Public Relations Images
Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art
TEL: 078-857-5880
E-mail: koisosyoukai@city.kobe.lg.jp
From the 1970s, Yo Shomei illustrated for magazines such as "Ichigo Ehon" and "Shi to Meruhen," edited by Takashi Yanase, gaining popularity as a "fairy tale artist." He has also been active as a picture book author with strong messages, including "Please Give Flowers Instead of Landmines" (1996), which addresses social issues.
With the cooperation of the Kitakamakura Yo Shomei Museum of Art, this exhibition will showcase approximately 100 works from the artist's early career to recent times, introducing the world of his creations through original illustrations for picture books and magazines, as well as oil paintings.
The gentle atmosphere of Yo Shomei's works, brought about by beautiful colors and simple, sophisticated compositions, conveys themes that offer hints for our lives, such as "kindness" and "compassion." Please enjoy this large-scale exhibition, the first of its kind in the Kansai region.
Exhibition Overview and Major Works on Display (Scheduled)
Chapter 1: From the Beginning of His Career to Becoming a "Fairy Tale Artist"
Yo Shomei is known for his refreshing and gentle landscape paintings. This chapter introduces the formative period of the artist's style. It will feature portraits from his early career when he aspired to be a fashion illustrator, original illustrations for his debut picture book "Shiroi Tori ni Benchi" (The White Bird on the Bench), and original illustrations for Sanrio's monthly magazines "Ichigo Ehon" and "Shi to Meruhen," for which he was a popular artist.
Chapter 2: The Diverse World of Picture Books
Active as a "fairy tale artist," Yo Shomei has also been involved in picture book creation since the 1980s. He has published numerous picture books on themes such as life and social issues, not just idyllic children's stories. This chapter will introduce many of the picture books created by Yo Shomei through their original artwork.
Chapter 3: The World of Oil Paintings
While working on illustrations for publications like "Shi to Meruhen," Yo Shomei's aspiration for oil painting as a pure art form grew, and he began producing oil paintings in the late 1980s. Based on the composition with a horizon line established in his illustration work, he depicts sublime landscapes of polar regions and outer space. Reflecting the artist's own philosophical question, "What are we?", this section showcases the essence of Yo Shomei's work, whose poetic quality has been appreciated since his early days.
Chapter 4: The World of Words and Pictures
Although Yo Shomei is well-known for his illustrations and picture book works, he is also a poet who has been publishing poems alongside his illustrations in magazine serials since the late 1990s, a practice he continues to this day. The messages about daily life and life's journey, spun in plain words, have comforted, encouraged, and healed many people. This chapter introduces the heartwarming world of Yo Shomei's poetry alongside his art.
Opening Ceremony and Press Preview (Yo Shomei expected to attend)
Date: Friday, May 22
* Participation is limited to press and specially invited guests.
Press Briefing
Time: 14:00 - 14:20 (Reception starts at 13:45)
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Hi-Vision Gallery
Press Preview
Time: 14:20 - 15:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Exhibition Room
Opening Ceremony
Time: 15:00 - 15:30
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Lobby
Preview
Time: 15:30 - 17:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 1st Floor, Exhibition Room
Events During the Exhibition Period (Participation is free, but exhibition admission ticket required)
[Pre-registration Events] (Lottery if applications exceed capacity)
(1) Commemorative Lecture & Signing Session by Yo Shomei
"Regarding the Original Art Exhibition - From Fairy Tales to Peace, and Beyond..."
Date & Time: Saturday, May 23, 13:00 - 15:45
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 60 people
Application Deadline: Thursday, May 7
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/1wrG47Ywvy4x6Ce0cZzp
(2) Commemorative Lecture "What Yo Shomei's Works Speak of - Their Background and the Yo Shomei Museum -"
Lecturer: Shigemi Horiuchi (Director, Kitakamakura Yo Shomei Museum of Art)
Date & Time: Monday, July 20 (Holiday), 14:00 - 15:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 60 people
Application Deadline: Thursday, July 2
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/jo8DbClv9ANsRic79tbe
(3) Art Museum Operation "Let's Make a Mini Picture Book"
After viewing the exhibition, create your own unique picture book based on the colors, shapes, and feelings that remained in your heart.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 13, 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 20 people
Target Audience: Ages 4 to Junior High School Students
Application Deadline: Thursday, May 28
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/uDXU1T1EUhTuBWsYh6KU
(4) Art Museum Operation "Art Museum Expedition"
Explore the museum and see areas you wouldn't normally see.
Date & Time: Saturday, August 8, 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 20 people
Target Audience: Ages 4 to Junior High School Students
Application Deadline: Thursday, July 23
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/pWslMhYErssDBUHrWXfV
(5) Workshop for Adults "Let's Make a Picture Book for Someone Special"
After viewing the exhibition, create a unique picture book. Wouldn't you like to think of the smile of someone special to you while creating a story?
Date & Time: Saturday, July 11, 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, 2nd Floor, Art Study Room
Capacity: 20 people
Target Audience: High school students and above
Application Deadline: Thursday, June 25
Application: Odekake KOBE https://event.city.kobe.lg.jp/event/0vlWuLQegtMjH3s4M688
[Events Requiring No Pre-registration] (First-come, first-served on the day)
(6) Baby Family Day
Up to two adults accompanying pre-school children can enter at the group rate (1,000 yen).
Dates: Thursday, June 18, Thursday, July 16
(7) Tanabata at the Museum "Make a Wish Upon a Star... ☆"
Write your wishes on a strip of paper with Yo Shomei's illustration and decorate it.
Period: Saturday, June 27 to Tuesday, July 7 (Holiday)
(8) Summer Workshop
Period: Wednesday, July 22 to Tuesday, August 11
(9) Kozo Yohei Atelier Explanation
Dates: Weekdays at 14:00 (approx. 15 minutes)
Exhibition Summary
Exhibition Name: Special Exhibition "The World of Picture Book Artist Yo Shomei - From Fairy Tales to Peace"
Period: Saturday, May 23, 2026 - Sunday, August 16, 2026 [74 days]
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (Last entry acceptance until 16:30)
Closed: Every Monday (Open on July 20), Tuesday, July 21
Venue: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art
Address: 5-7 Mukoyamanaka, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, 658-0032 Japan (within Rokko Island Park)
Admission Fees:
General: 1,200 (1,000) yen, University Students: 600 (500) yen * ( ) are group rates for 20 or more people.
High school students and younger: Free (Please present student ID, student handbook, etc.)
Kobe residents aged 65 and over: 600 yen (Please present proof of address and age)
Persons with disability certificates or smartphone apps like "Mirairo ID" etc. are admitted free of charge.
Organizers: Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art, Kobe Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun
Cooperation: Kitakamakura Yo Shomei Museum of Art
Concurrent Exhibition: Selected Works by Yohei Koiso II
Inquiries for Public Relations Images
Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art
TEL: 078-857-5880
E-mail: koisosyoukai@city.kobe.lg.jp
FAQ
When is the "World of Yo Shomei" exhibition held?
It will be held from Saturday, May 23, 2026, to Sunday, August 16, 2026.
Where is the exhibition venue?
The exhibition will be held at the Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art.
Who is Yo Shomei?
He is a painter and picture book artist active since the 1970s, known as a "fairy tale artist" who has published many works themed around peace and kindness.