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Permanent exhibition related to Kumagai Tsuneko: "The World of Kumagai Tsuneko, Part I: The Iroha Book"
Dates: February 1st (Sun) - June 28th (Sun), 2026
Introduction of exhibition contents
Magome Art Gallery, which will open in February this year, is a facility that will house and exhibit works related to Ota Ward that have been donated by local residents, fostering the creativity of the local community. Located about a two-minute walk from the Kumagai Tsuneko Memorial Museum, the Magome Art Gallery's second-floor exhibition corner will feature a permanent exhibition showcasing the career of calligrapher Kumagai Tsuneko (1893-1986) through her favorite items. Tsuneko was born in Kyoto as the second daughter of the Ema family, a family of doctors for generations, and was active as a leading female kana calligrapher during the Showa period.
Tsuneko moved from Kyoto to Tokyo upon her marriage to Kumagai Koshiro in 1914. In 1936, she established a home in Ota Ward (now the Kumagai Tsuneko Memorial Museum), where she lived until her later years. The memorial museum, which was renovated from the home where Tsuneko lived during her lifetime, was renamed "Kanseikyo" in 1947 and contains the study where Tsuneko would regularly work. The museum recreates the atmosphere of the time and displays the collection's works in conjunction with exhibitions. The permanent exhibition at the barrier-free Magome Art Gallery focuses on the "Irohacho" (Iroha Book) and calligraphy tools, and goes beyond the museum to explain Tsuneko's career and related materials.
The Iroha Book was created as a teaching material when Kumagai Tsuneko became a lecturer at Daito Bunka University in 1956. The Iroha Song is a poem composed of 48 characters, which reads, "The colors are fragrant but fade away, but who can remain in this world forever? Today, I crossed the deep mountains of possibility, dreaming a shallow dream without getting drunk." Regarding the Iroha, which is the foundation of kana calligraphy, Tsuneko said, "It's only 48 characters, and at first glance it doesn't look difficult, but when you actually try to write it, you'll find that it contains all the rules of calligraphy, from straight lines and curves to how to hold the brush, how to relax the brush, and how much pressure to apply. If you study it closely, you'll find that it is truly the basics, and it contains all the rules of calligraphy."
In addition to the four stationery treasures of "brush, inkstone, paper, and ink" that she always had, this exhibition will also display Tsuneko's favorite items such as a paperweight, a water dropper, and a calligraphy tool box, as well as a reproduction of the "Irohacho" (Iroha Book) published by Goka Shobo in 1957 and a draft of the "Iroha Song." Please enjoy the elegance of Tsuneko's calligraphy, which was active as a kana calligrapher.
Related event
Gallery talk
| Date and Time | 2月23日（月・祝）、2月28日(土)、3月14日（土）、4月25日（土）、5月3日（日） 14:00 each day |
|---|---|
| Venue | Magome Art Gallery 2nd floor exhibition corner |
Main exhibits
Exhibition information
| Session | April 2026 (Sun) to May 2 (Sun) 1 |
|---|---|
| Museum Hours of Operation | 9:00 to 16:30 (Last admission 16:00) |
| Museum Holidays | 月曜日（2月23日（月・祝）及び5月4日（月・祝）は開館し、2月24日（火）及び5月7日（木）に休館）、1階展示替え休館（5月11日（月）～5月22日（金）） |
| Museum Admissions Fee | Free |
| Venue | Ota City Magome Art Gallery |