This is the first large-scale touring exhibition devoted to Takashi Yanase, known above all as the creator of Anpanman.
Around 200 original drawings introduce work that has been loved across generations, including material related to “Anpanman,” the picture book “The Gentle Lion,” cover art for the magazine “Poetry and Fairy Tales” and the song “Tenohira o Taiyo ni.” Yanase worked across an unusually wide range of fields — as a manga artist, poet, picture book author, illustrator and editor — and the exhibition follows that career through sections including a general overview of his life and work, manga, poetry, picture books and fairy tales, and Anpanman.
The exhibit also addresses the experiences that shaped Yanase, among them his time in the war, the loss of family members and his encounters with many different people. Presented together, the works and the biography make clear how closely his creative output was tied to the principle of bringing joy to others, and what lay behind the characters he is best known for.
More than 140 kinds of exhibition-original merchandise will be available for purchase at the venue, and related events including talk shows and film screenings are also planned during the run.
