Exhibitions & Events
Iron and Art: The Trail of Beauty Spun by the Iron City
main building
Sunday, January 4, 2026 - Sunday, March 15, 2026
Kitakyushu is also the starting point/gateway for railroads in Kyushu, and as a railroad hub closely linked to industry, the city has developed together with the steel industry.
At the same time, the iron city was a place where various arts and cultures were born and where manufacturing techniques and people's pride in their craftsmanship were nurtured.
This exhibition traces the history of Kitakyushu City and its memories of "iron" through the art works and activities produced there, and seeks to rethink the reality and significance of the culture fostered in a city that played a key role in Japan's modern era.
Here are the highlights!
Zenzaburo Kojima, "Botan", Shigejiro Sakamoto, "Housekeeper", and 23 other works from the collection of Kyushu Works, Nippon Steel Corporation
●Photographic materials from the International Steel Sculpture Symposium held in 1987 and 1993, etc.
New works for this exhibition by Seitoku Mamori and Seiko Yamamoto will be unveiled.
- session (of a legislature)
- Sunday, January 4, 2026 - Sunday, March 15, 2026
Closed Mondays (If Monday is a national holiday or a substitute holiday, the museum will be open on Monday and closed the following Tuesday.) - venue
- Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Main Building
- Opening Information
- 9:30-17:30 (Admission until 17:00)
- Fee for viewing
- Admission: Adults 1,500 (1,200) yen, Senior high school and university students 800 (600) yen, Elementary and junior high school students 600 (400) yen
Prices in parentheses are for advance purchase and for groups of 20 or more. Free admission for those with a physical disability certificate and one accompanying person (physical disability certificate is limited to those with grades 1-4). (For the physical disability certificate, the fee will be reduced by 20% for residents of Kitakyushu City aged 65 and over (a certificate issued by a public institution must be presented).
*Advance tickets will be available at Lawson Ticket (Lawson, Ministop), Ticket Pia (Seven-Eleven), Seven Ticket (Seven-Eleven), e+ e plus (Family Mart), and major Kitakyushu Monorail stations from November 25 (Tue).
*Official online tickets (museum website) go on sale Friday, November 28.
*Advance tickets are available at Kokura Izutsuya and the museum from November 18 (Tue.).
*Online tickets and digital tickets will be sold at the same-day price during the exhibition. - Sponsor, Support, etc.
- Organizers: Iron and Art Exhibition Executive Committee (Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, The Yomiuri Shimbun)
Special cooperation = Kyushu Works, Nippon Steel Corporation
Planning cooperation = Yamato Transport Co.
Supported by: Kyushu Railway Company, West Japan Railway Company, Kitakyushu Monorail, Chikuho Electric Railway Co. - Events
Commemorative Lecture
The director of the museum will discuss the exhibition. Free admission. No advance registration required.
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026, 14:00-16:00 (doors open 13:30~)
Lecturer: Masahiro Gokoji (Director, Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art)
Venue: Entrance Hall
Artist Talk
Artists will talk about their works in the exhibition. No advance reservation is required (however, an exhibition ticket is required).
Date: January 10, 2026 (Sat.) 11:00 - Seiko Yamamoto January 24, 2026 (Sat.) 11:00 - Seitoku Mazato
Venue：In the exhibition hall
Gallery talk by curators
*No advance registration required (however, a ticket to the exhibition is required)
Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026 and Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 11:00 am (about 1 hour)
Venue：In the exhibition hall
Kitakyushu Steel Sculpture Tour
The bus will take visitors on a tour of steel sculptures installed in the city by Philip King, Yujio Shinohara, Seitoku Mouri, and others.
Navigator: Seitoku Mazato
Participation fee 3,000 yen (for lunch at Chigusa Hotel and insurance), advance registration required.
*Snowfall canceled.
Date and Time: Sunday, January 25, 2026, 9:45 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (tentative)
Meeting place: Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Main Building, 1st floor entrance
Capacity: 20 persons
*If there are too many applicants, a drawing will be held.
Application Deadline: Friday, December 26, 2025
*Applications will be accepted from Tuesday, December 2 (to be posted at a later date).
Special exhibition of "Iron Tomb
Iron Sculptor Saburo Muraoka (1928-2013) created "Iron Tomb" for the "International Steel Sculpture Symposium-YAHATA'87" held in 1987, which was moved to Bijutsu no Mori Park and donated to the museum in 2023. The interior will be open to the public on a limited date. Free of charge (exhibition ticket is required).
Date: (1) January 24 (Saturday), (2) February 14 (Saturday), (3) March 1 (Sunday)
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. each day
Meeting place: Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Main Building, 1st floor entrance
Capacity: 10 persons per day
Application Deadline: Friday, December 26, 2026
*Applications will be accepted from Tuesday, December 2 (to be posted at a later date).
