［Special Exhibition III］
Architecture and Contemporary Art
– Land Weaved with History and Culture –
Kinosaki Onsen Mikiya
Mikiya is a 300-year-old Japanese inn located in Kinosaki Onsen, a traditional hot spring resort town. Mikiya is also the birthplace of "At Kinosaki," a masterpiece by Naoya Shiga, the great writer known as the "God of Novels.” Although Mikiya is located in the center of a bustling hot spring resort area with the sound of geta (wooden clogs), once you step into the inn, you will find yourself in a quiet and tranquil space where time passes slowly.
For this exhibition, contemporary artist Yoshihiro Suda stayed at Mikiya and displays morning glories, inspired by Naoya Shiga's short story “Morning Glory,” in the inn, creating an opportunity to rediscover the connection between the original architecture and contemporary art, and a landscape in which history and culture are bound together. This exhibition will be open only to guests staying at Mikiya during the exhibition period but will be open to the public on Wednesday, July 27 and Wednesday, August 10 (advance reservations required).
■Click here for reservation of accommodation at Kinosaki Onsen Mikiya.
《OUTLINE》
■Venue: Kinosaki Onsen Mikiya (487 Yushima, Kinosakicho, Toyooka, Hyogo)
■Artist: Yoshihiro Suda
*Only guests staying at Mikiya are allowed to view the exhibition.
*On July 27 and August 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the general public will be admitted with advance booking
Morning Glory
■Naoya Shiga and Mikiya
In 1913, at the age of thirty, Naoya Shiga visited Kinosaki Onsen to recover from a serious injury sustained form being run over by a train. In his masterpiece "At Kinosaki" he compared the deaths of the bees, rats, and newts he witnessed during his stay after his own narrow escape from death.
He continued to stay at the inn when writing or traveling with friends and family members. Although the inn was destroyed during the Great Hokutan Earthquake in 1925, it was rebuilt in 1927, and some of the rooms used by the guests and postcards written by the owner to Mikiya can still be seen today.