Image: Toyohashi City Museum of Art and History
The touring exhibition is scheduled for Yamanashi from July 4 through September 23, 2026, at Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Literature, and for Aichi from October 17 through November 15 at Toyohashi City Museum of Art and History. It presents original art for all 16 of Kagakui’s picture books.
Kagakui taught at special-needs schools for 28 years, creating teaching materials while considering how to engage children with different disabilities and make them laugh; after noticing that many were interested in moving things, he also made puppet theatre. He worked as a picture-book author for four years and produced 16 works, including books published after his death.
The unfinished ideas include continuations of the ‘Daruma-san’ and ‘Makura no Sennin’ series. The exhibition’s listed unfinished works are ‘Daruma-san ga korokoro,’ ‘Kimi no tabidachi,’ ‘Fuyu no otozure,’ ‘Daruma-san ga tabeta’ and ‘Akari o tsukemāsu.’
Kagakui’s picture books feature familiar objects including kettles, ear picks, futons and food, as well as cushions and slippers. The exhibition will include surviving documents and video materials from his years as a teacher to examine his profile and the roots of his picture books.
