12th Chin Jukan and Naeshirogawa

Look closely at the decorated tiger and Ohara-woman figures by the 12th Chin Jukan, both from the later nineteenth century. Their modelled shapes offer a different way to understand ceramic decoration from the broad painted surface of an 1857 blue-and-white dish showing pine, bamboo, plum, cranes and tortoises. Comparing the figures and the dish makes the range of form and ornament concrete. Documents widen that view beyond individual objects. A Naeshirogawa history record connects the ceramics with the community, while an 1892 catalogue of items intended for the Chicago exposition reveals the world of overseas display and trade. The exhibition follows Korean customs retained under the domain’s protection and control, and Chin Jukan’s pottery enterprise, 玉光山陶器製造場. Read the vessels and figures alongside those records to see how local production became part of a wider commercial story.

Reservation

Not confirmed

Tickets / booking

The permanent-gallery admission covers this exhibition: adults ¥430, high-school/university students ¥270 and elementary/junior-high students ¥160; groups of 20 or more pay ¥320/¥160/¥90 respectively. Eligible disability-certificate holders and one caregiver enter free. Kagoshima residents aged 70+ enter free with ID; residents aged 18 or younger enter free on weekends and public holidays with ID. Gallery explanations need no application but require admission: 26 September, 10 October and 25 October, 13:30–14:10; 14 November, 15:10–15:50. The separate 14 November lecture runs 13:30–15:00 in the third-floor lecture room. Its electronic/postcard application period is 16–30 October, so applications are not yet open as of 18 September. Use the museum’s current lecture instructions when the window opens; places have not been confirmed here.

Price note

Adults ¥430; high-school/university students ¥270; elementary/junior-high students ¥160. Groups of 20+ ¥320/¥160/¥90. Eligible resident and disability concessions require proof.

Access

Go to Reimeikan’s third-floor planned exhibition room at 7-2 Shiroyamacho, Kagoshima City. The official flyer lists a 15-minute walk from JR Kagoshima Station, or a seven-minute walk from Shiyakushomae or Suizokukanguchi tram/bus stops. The sightseeing bus stops beside the museum at Satsumagishihimae. For the November lecture, use the third-floor lecture room rather than going straight to the exhibition gallery.

Rain

The exhibition is indoors, making the ceramic objects and documents a practical focus for a wet day. Account for the outdoor walk from your stop, and arrive before the 17:30 last-entry time rather than using the 18:00 closing time as your target.

Crowds

Check the closure calendar before choosing a date: Mondays are closed except 21 September, 12 October and 23 November. Additional closures are 24–25 September, 13 October and 24–25 November. The November lecture has advance applications; the four gallery explanations have a different, no-application arrangement.

Nearby spots

Keep this visit anchored in Kagoshima City’s Shiroyamacho area. Naeshirogawa is the historical pottery community explored in the display, not the address of the exhibition. A trip to the present pottery area in Hioki would be a separate outing rather than a walk between the museum’s galleries.

Itinerary hint

Begin with the tiger and Ohara-woman figures, then compare their shaped surfaces with the 1857 dish. Use the community record and the 1892 catalogue to connect those objects with production and overseas trade. If choosing a gallery-explanation day, arrange the visit around its published time. Reimeikan’s exhibition page provides closures, fees and explanation dates; its linked flyer introduces the works and the separate lecture’s application window.