ART

This museum holds various exhibitions, centering on works of artists local to the area. The permanent exhibition hall exhibi ts Hakata dolls produced according to the venerable Sakubei Yamamoto’ s recorded picture images. The Tagawa cultural area, which includes the adjacent library and the Tower of Hope (a monument of light), has also won the Japan Institute of Architects’JIA 25-year Award, which is a prize granted to buildings that have contributed to local communities for many years.

The Nakamura Museum is located in Ike no Okuen, a traditional Japanese garden with brightly colored seasonal flowers and trees.
This museum exhibits a wide variety of works, such as modern paintings and ceramics, including those of Taikan Yokoyama (1868 ‒ 1958).
The premises include French and Japanese restaurants and a multipurpose hall named “Mion,” where concerts and other events are held.
It is an elegant complex well worth your time. You can see seasonal flowers, such as cherry blossoms, peony blossoms, iris flowers, and plum blossoms, as well as autumn leaves. This is a Japanese garden where you can enjoy every season." The entrance of the garden features a cherry‐tree‐lined path, a square with peonies, and red leaves (in autumn).

TOKOPOLA exhibits works of Japanese artists who are active at home and abroad,centering on avant-garde contemporary Neo-Dada arts. Sho Kazakura’ s and Shintaro Tanaka’ s monumental works are displayed in the courtyard where a summer tangerine tree grows. This is a contemporary art gallery where visitors can drop in.

The Ita Shopping Mall with Showa retro atmosphere is evolving into a colorful shutter art shopping area.
The Ita Shopping Mall with a retro atmosphere of the latter part of the 20th century is now changing into a colorful shopping mall with shop shutter arts. In addition to unique paintings by local residents, you can see the shop shutter arts by the artist Takaya Sakamoto.

Sakubei Yamamoto's paintings depicting the coal mines are on display in the the passageway connecting Tagawa-Ida station and the Museum of Coal and History. Paintings from illustrator Seitaro Kuroda and drawings by local elementary school students are also on display.

An iron monument (1 meter long, 0.6 meters high) made by Masaji Sonoda, based on the black dog picture drawn by Seitaro Kuroda. According to Mr. Kuroda, the motif of “Sekitan-kun” is that of a stray dog, “the people of the coal-mining town cared even for a stray dog. That is the humanity I wanted to express."

Here you will find a flag designed by illustrator Seitaro Kuroda in the motif of Sakubei Yamamoto's coal mine paintings, an iron monument “Sekitan-kun” made by Masaji Sonoda which is based on a black dog picture drawn by Mr. Kuroda, as well as a "signboard" for artists and celebrities to sign.