Special Exhibitions

The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka's Saturn Theater screens two short animations based on the original works by Rieko Nakagawa and illustrated by Yuriko Yamawaki. The first one is based on the story, "Whale Hunting", from the children's book "No-No Nursery School", and another is based on the picture book "Treasure Hunting". Moreover, the pair's picture book "The Sky Blue Seed" was also adapted into three 30-second episodes, totaling 90 seconds of animation by Studio Ghibli. These three stories were the works that made director Hayao Miyazaki think, "I absolutely want to turn them into animation."

This special exhibition recreates the studio of the illustrator Yuriko Yamawaki. Her studio tells a story of an artist's career that began in high school, and is filled with objects that reflect her personality. How did she express the author's imaginary worlds in her art? We will dive into the secret by examining the details of her room.

The way that Yamawaki poured her overflowing love for children into her work parallels Studio Ghibli's approach to filmmaking. Sisters Rieko Nakagawa and Yuriko Yamawaki, who made a striking debut with "No-No Nursery School" and "Guri and Gura", infused new life into a stagnant postwar world of children's books, just as directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki blew a hot wind into the world of Japanese animation.

Full of high ideals, the work of Yuriko Yamawaki has given many gifts to the world. The Ghibli Museum will showcase them in its original way.
We hope you will look forward to it.