Katsuno Makoto Sculpture: Memoria of the Earth

The materials give the exhibition its local character. Katsuno used Amakusa porcelain stone and Minamata clay, while a resident-participation project in Tsunagi, begun in 2010, brought people together to dig local earth, build kilns and fire work. His account of repeatedly firing porcelain, then carving its transformed surface and adding lacquer colour, offers a way to look closely at how a figure has been made. The exhibition introduction illustrates the standing figure 生 (2026), figure studies I and II (2021), a 2026 figure croquis and the old-tree drawing 一里塚の老樹 (2026). Compare the drawn line with the volume and surface of the sculpture: this is a chance to follow one artist’s movement between observation, material and human form, alongside his relationship with a place.

Booking status

This event has ended. Outdated ticket and booking guidance is hidden; check the official source for a future edition.

Access

The gallery is on the first floor of Higo Bank’s headquarters at 1 Renpeicho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, on the RKK-street side. Use Karashimacho tram stop or Kumamoto Sakuramachi Bus Terminal as the named public-transport approaches, then head to the bank headquarters and its gallery entrance. The exhibition closes at 16:30, so leave time to look around before returning to the tram or bus terminal.

Rain

The sculpture and drawing exhibition is indoors. You can place this gallery visit between outdoor parts of a Kumamoto day, while allowing for the street approach from the tram stop or bus terminal. Sunday and public-holiday closures still apply.

Crowds

For the published 2026 gallery talks, the notice described Katsuno explaining the works and their making in the exhibition room. It required no application but stated neither a capacity nor a place-allocation rule. The notice’s lack of an application requirement was not a promise of a place. The notice gives no actual attendance or crowd figures.

Nearby spots

The gallery’s lobby also has a permanent digital museum showing Kumamoto’s cultural heritage through high-resolution imagery. It gives the visit another view of the region, but is separate from Katsuno’s temporary sculpture exhibition.

Itinerary hint

The published 2026 exhibition linked local earth and the Tsunagi community project with Katsuno’s figures and drawings. A useful way to understand that edition is to compare lines, volumes and worked surfaces, and the relationship between shared work and finished objects. The programme listed the final artist talk for 10 October 2026 at 13:30, lasting about one hour. The listed exhibition period has passed; these connections and programme details are historical context, not a current route or an invitation to attend.