This exhibition commemorates 40 years since the passing of the internationally appreciated calligrapher INOUE Yu-ichi (1916-1985). INOUE, while being an artist, lived a humble life, working as a teacher at the elementary and middle school for many years. He also experienced the bombing of Tokyo. His bold works, created by releasing strong characters onto the paper placed on that ground, are well known.
he present exhibition introduces INOUE’s representative works while trying to shed some light on the conditions of the postwar period, when his calligraphy found its recognition. Moreover, it also attempts to trace the concurrent connection between INOUE’s calligraphy and postwar graphic design. At the verge of the 1970s, many famous designers declared their sympathy for INOUE’s works, and from the 1980s, when the so-called “Saison Culture” incorporated design and advertising as a management strategy, INOUE’s calligraphy works were widely introduced. This area, encompassing SEIBU Shibuya and PARCO department stores, might be an ideal place to reflect on the connections between INOUE’s calligraphy and design.

Information

Duration	September 6 (Saturday) – November 3(Monday, National Holiday), 2025
Admission	General: 1000 yen (800 yen); University Students: 800 yen (640 yen); High-School Students/Seniors 60 and Older: 500 yen (400 yen); Elementary/Junior-High-School Students: 100 yen (80 yen) *Numbers inside parentheses ( ) are admission fees for groups of ten or more and for Shibuya residents. are admitted free of charge on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. *Shibuya residents are admitted free of charge on Fridays. *Persons with disabilities and up to one attendant are admitted free of charge. *Admission fees can only be paid in cash or with the Shibuya Ward cashless payment app "HachiPay".
Closed	Monday (except for September 15, and October 13, and November 3, 2025), September 16(Tue.), and October 14 (Tue.),2025
Organized by The Shoto Museum of Art