Shigeru Mizuki, the maverick genius of Japanese manga best known for GeGeGe no Kitaro, first became captivated by the unseen world as a boy in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, after seeing the 「地獄極楽絵図」 (an illustration of Hell and Paradise) housed at Shofuku-ji Temple. From then on, he came to believe in a world beyond what the eye can see, and spent his life exploring and depicting that mysterious realm.
This large-scale retrospective traces Mizuki's artistic journey, from surviving on the brink of life and death at Rabaul, one of the fiercest battlegrounds of the Pacific War, where he lost an arm, through years of extreme poverty, to the development of his singular style of manga expression. The exhibition brings together manga manuscripts, original artwork, his favorite tools, and a wide range of video materials. In Kobe, the very place where his career as an artist began, visitors can encounter the world of Mizuki, whose work continues to resonate across generations.
Exhibition Structure
Each chapter presents original manuscripts, artwork, sketches, favorite tools, items from Mizuki's personal collection, three-dimensional works, and related video footage.
- Prologue: The Shigeru Mizuki Theater — A Kamishibai Story of His Turbulent Life
- Chapter 1: 武良茂アートギャラリー — A Boy Genius Artist Appears!
- Chapter 2: Shigeru Mizuki Manga Studies — A Unique Drawing Method Created with One Arm
- Chapter 3: Mizuki's Three Most Popular Manga Series — GeGeGe no Kitaro / Akuma-kun / Kappa no Sanpei
- Chapter 4: 総員玉砕せよ! — A Harrowing Account of His War Experience
- Chapter 5: Overflowing Curiosity — A Biography
- Chapter 6: A Gaze Toward the Times, Found in Short Stories
- Chapter 7: Welcome to the World of Yokai
- Chapter 8: Shigeru Mizuki, Master of Life
Featured Works (Selection)
部屋の窓からの風景（Ⅱ） (View from a Room Window II), 1954 © Mizuki Production
初出『月刊テレビマガジン』（講談社）1986年5月号 (First published in the Monthly TV Magazine, Kodansha, May 1986 issue) © Mizuki Production
『悪魔くん 妖怪大襲来』 (Great Yokai Invasion), 1986 © Mizuki Production
『河童の三平』 (Kappa no Sanpei), 1970 © Mizuki Production
『妖怪たちの棲む森』 (The Forest Where Yokai Live), 1978 © Mizuki Production
『好きなことをやりなさい』 (Do What You Love), 2009 © Mizuki Production
『ゲゲゲの鬼太郎』 (GeGeGe no Kitaro), 1985 © Mizuki Production
Shigeru Mizuki © Mizuki Production
Event Details
Title: Shigeru Mizuki - The Spirit of Manga
Venue: Kobe Fashion Museum (2-9-1 Koyocho-naka, Higashinada-ku, Kobe)
Dates: September 12 (Saturday) to November 29 (Sunday), 2026
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last entry 5:30 PM)
On Fridays, Saturdays, and September 20 (Sun), September 21 (Mon), September 22 (Tue), October 11 (Mon), and November 22 (Mon), hours extend to 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM (last entry 7:00 PM)
Closed: Mondays (open on September 21, October 12, and November 23), plus September 24 (Thu), October 13 (Tue), and November 24 (Tue)
Admission: General ¥1,400; university students and those aged 65 and older living outside Kobe City ¥700; high school students and younger, and Kobe City residents aged 65 and older, free of charge
Organizers: Kobe Fashion Museum, The Kobe Shimbun, The Mainichi Newspapers
Co-organizers: NHK Kobe, NHK Enterprises Kinki
Support: Sun Television, Radio Kansai, 京阪神エルマガジン社
Planning Cooperation: Mizuki Production
Production Cooperation: NHK Promotion
Decoration Cooperation: Osaka Shoin Women's University
Cooperation: Genesis, CYBERDYNE
Sponsors: 大丸インテリア館 ミュゼ エール, mint Kobe, TSP Taiyo Co., Ltd., DENSO TEN
Exhibition Information
More details are available on the official exhibition page.
