Katarium

February 7 [Sat] - May 24 [Sun], 2026

About this exhibition

Special site


Once upon a Time, in a Certain Place; Listening and Indulging in the Narrative

Katarium is a word coined from katari, “speaking, telling a story,” and -arium, a suffix indicating a space. A place for storytelling, a Katarium, is the exhibition’s theme.
Listen to the person who conceived a certain work announcing the thoughts put into it, or to a soliloquy of a painter contemplating in the studio. Alternatively, lend an ear to the narratives unfolding in front of the works such as the reactions of the viewers having seen how a work has been completed, and imagine the scene depicted.
There are folding screens considered to have been commissioned by a daimyo in the Edo period, Meiji- and Taisho-era oil paintings and nihonga depicting mythological themes, and a collection of prints by Ben Shahn. Sister segments of “the Deeds of the Zen Masters” by Yin Tuoluo and “Caricatures of Animals”, which once respectively formed a single work as a scroll, will be on view too. Enjoy lively narratives from different periods and genres.
This exhibition is composed of 56 works including 2 National Treasures, 7 Important Cultural Properties, and 5 Important Art Objects.

*Works on display will be changed.
2/7[Sat]―5/24[Sun]  Illustrated Scrolls of the Tale of the Heiji Rebellion, Tokiwa Scroll * Scene rotation on 4/3 [Fri]

2/7[Sat]―4/2[Thu] Views in and around the City of Kyoto
4/3[Fri]―5/24[Sun] Edo Tenka Matsuri (Sanno Festival)

2/7[Sat]―2/26[Thu] Detached Segment of the Battle at Rokuhara Scroll of the Tale of the Heiji Rebellion
2/27[Fri]―3/12[Thu] Detached Segment of Poem Anthology Iseshu, known as "Ishiyama-gire", Detached Segment of Poem Anthology Tsurayukishu, known as "Ishiyama-gire"
3/13[Fri]―3/26[Thu] Detached Segment of Poem Anthology Kokin-wakashu, known as "Koya-gire"
3/27[Fri]―4/23[Thu] Detached Segment of Caricatures of Animals
4/24[Fri]―5/7[Thu] Detached Segment of the Deeds of the Zen Masters
5/8[Fri]―5/24[Thu] The Tale of Genji

Exhibition overview

Exhibition title

Katarium

Exhibition period

February 7 [Sat] - May 24 [Sun], 2026

Opening hours

10:00 - 18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and May 2, 9, 16, 23 [except March 20] ) *Last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Closed

February 16 [Mon], March 16 [Mon], April 13 [Mon], May 11 [Mon]

Organizer

Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation

Venue

4F Gallery

Concurrent Exhibition

Monet: Questioning Nature (6,5F Galleries)

Ticket prices (incl. tax)

On-line ticket In-Person ticket (purchase at museum)
General 2,100 yen 2,500 yen
University
college
high school students
Free entry Advance booking required
Please present their student ID upon entry.
Disabled visitors
(plus one accompanying assistant)
Free entry Advance booking not required
Please present disabled person’s handbook upon entry.
Children
through junior high school
Free entry Advance booking not required
*Online tickets must be purchased up to 10 minutes before the end of each time slot.
*Booking is not accepted when a time slot is full.
*In-Person ticket may be purchased at the museum, if the time slot is not full.
*This admission fee gives the visitor access to the concurrent exhibitions.

Art works

Views in and around the City of Kyoto (detail), Edo period, 17th century, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation On view: 2/7–4/2

Views in and around the City of Kyoto (detail), Edo period, 17th century, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation On view: 2/7–4/2

Illustrated by Yin tuoluo Inscription by Chushi Fanqi, Detached Segment from the Deeds of the Zen Masters, Priest Zhichang, Yüan dynasty, 14th century, National Treasure, Seikado Bunko Art Museum On view: 4/24–5/7

Illustrated by Yin tuoluo Inscription by Chushi Fanqi, Detached Segment from the Deeds of the Zen Masters, Priest Zhichang, Yüan dynasty, 14th century, National Treasure, Seikado Bunko Art Museum On view: 4/24–5/7

Detached Segment of Caricatures of Animals, <br />
Heian period, 12th century, Important Cultural Property, MIHO MUSEUM On view: 3/27–4/23

Detached Segment of Caricatures of Animals,
Heian period, 12th century, Important Cultural Property, MIHO MUSEUM On view: 3/27–4/23

Detached Segment of Caricatures of Animals, <br />
Heian period, 12th century, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation On view: 3/27–4/23

Detached Segment of Caricatures of Animals,
Heian period, 12th century, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation On view: 3/27–4/23

Ben SHAHN, <br />
XVII Memories of Many Nights of Love (For the Sake of a Single Verse … from The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke), <br />
Published in 1968, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation<br />
©︎ Estate of Ben Shahn / VAGA at ARS, NY / JASPAR, Tokyo 2025 C5186

Ben SHAHN,
XVII Memories of Many Nights of Love (For the Sake of a Single Verse … from The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke),
Published in 1968, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation
©︎ Estate of Ben Shahn / VAGA at ARS, NY / JASPAR, Tokyo 2025 C5186

IMAMURA Shiko, <br />
Umi-no-Sachi and Yama-no-Sachi (Right Screen), <br />
1908, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation

IMAMURA Shiko,
Umi-no-Sachi and Yama-no-Sachi (Right Screen),
1908, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation

Edo Tenka Matsuri (Sanno Festival) (detail), <br />
Edo period, 17th century, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation <br />
On view: 4/3–5/24

Edo Tenka Matsuri (Sanno Festival) (detail),
Edo period, 17th century, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation
On view: 4/3–5/24

AOKI Shigeru, <br />
Paradise under the Sea, <br />
1907, Important Cultural Property, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation

AOKI Shigeru,
Paradise under the Sea,
1907, Important Cultural Property, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation

Illustrated Scrolls of The Tale of the Heiji Rebellion, Tokiwa Scroll, <br />
Kamakura period, 13th century, Important cultural Property, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation<br />
Partial display (scene rotation)

Illustrated Scrolls of The Tale of the Heiji Rebellion, Tokiwa Scroll,
Kamakura period, 13th century, Important cultural Property, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation
Partial display (scene rotation)

Detached Segment of Poem Anthology Iseshu, known as "Ishiyama-gire", <br />
Heian period, 12th century Important Art Object, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation On view: 2/27–3/12

Detached Segment of Poem Anthology Iseshu, known as "Ishiyama-gire",
Heian period, 12th century Important Art Object, Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation On view: 2/27–3/12

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