Rokko Mountain Tourist Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nada Ward, Kobe City; President: Akitaka Senoo) will hold the contemporary art festival "Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2026 beyond" from August 29 to November 29, 2026, on Mount Rokko in Kobe.
The festival will feature approximately 60 artists displaying their works in the attractive natural environment and scenic views of the Mount Rokko area (Kobe City), located within Setonaikai National Park.
A large-scale bronze sculpture from Yayoi Kusama's "Pumpkin Series," titled Pumpkin, will be exhibited as a special deposited work at SIKI Garden - Promenade of Sounds - (SIKI Garden) within ROKKO Forest Music Museum. The sculpture will open to the public from 10:00 AM on March 14, 2026, ahead of the festival's opening.
To commemorate the unveiling of this work, an event titled "Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin Unveiling" will be held at 2:30 PM on the same day, featuring a guided tour of seven outdoor artworks, including Yoshitomo Nara's pieces displayed in SIKI Garden.
The festival will continue to announce participating artists and works.
Special Deposited Work
Artist: Yayoi Kusama
Work: Pumpkin
Production Year: 2014
Material: Bronze
Weight: 1,200 kg
Dimensions: H241cm × W235cm × D235cm
Opening Date: March 14, 2026 (Saturday)
Confirmed Artists
※Titles omitted, in alphabetical order. More announcements to follow.
Mayu Ueda, Risa Sato, Hiraki Sawa, Ruri Takahashi (*1), Yoshitomo Nara, Hideki Nishida
※For artist profiles, please refer to the reference materials.
Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin Unveiling Event Details
Date & Time:
March 14, 2026 (Saturday)
2:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Venue: SIKI Garden, ROKKO Forest Music Museum
Address: 4512-145 Kitarokko, Rokko-san-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe City
Program:
As flowers begin to sprout after surviving the harsh winter on Mount Rokko, a new artwork joins the garden. Yoshino Yamakawa, General Director of the art festival, will guide visitors through seven outdoor artworks, including Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin, in a forest where bird songs, insect sounds, and babbling brooks can be heard. Additionally, Tomomi Kimura, a gardener at ROKKO Forest Music Museum, will introduce the flowers of SIKI Garden.
※ROKKO Forest Music Museum operating hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (ticket sales end at 4:30 PM)
Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2026 beyond Overview
Period: August 29 (Saturday) to November 29 (Sunday), 2026
Venues: Museum Area (ROKKO Forest Music Museum, Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, Shin-ike), Rokko Garden Terrace Area, Rokko Shidare Observation Deck, and other locations on Mount Rokko
Organizers: Rokko Mountain Tourist Co., Ltd., Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
(*1) The first character of Takahashi is written with ladder-style "hashi-go daka"
Rokko Mountain Portal Site: https://www.rokkosan.com/
Issuer: Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
1-16-1 Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka City
