Held at Ohana, the former residence of the Yanagawa domain’s Tachibana family with a history spanning nearly 300 years, Kikai Yako is a summer nighttime art event inspired by local folklore and tradition. Lantern artistry by Ito Gonjiro Shoten, a long-established Yame lantern maker with more than 210 years of history, is combined with the Tachibana family’s collection of yokai picture scrolls to reinterpret Yanagawa’s legends and supernatural tales through contemporary installations.
Now in its sixth year, the event takes “Back to the Beginning” as its theme. A large-scale lantern installation illuminates Ohana’s 100-tatami grand hall, alongside lanterns created by Ito Gonjiro Shoten over the years, works produced especially for this exhibition, and previously unshown pieces. At the Tachibana Museum, visitors can also view the Geishu Butayu Monogatari Emaki, a yokai picture scroll passed down through the Tachibana family, whose supernatural figures are both eerie and endearingly expressive.
For 2026, Mihashira Shrine and the Kitahara Hakushu Birthplace join the event as satellite venues. Yanagawa’s kappa legends and the literary world nurtured by poet Kitahara Hakushu are reimagined through atmospheric lantern displays. Extending beyond Ohana’s historic setting, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the waterways and streets of Yanagawa while discovering a captivating blend of folklore, art, and local heritage on a summer night.
- Aug 13 (Thu) ~ 16 (Sun), Aug 21 (Fri) ~ 23 (Sun), 2026
- 18:00~21:00 (last entry 20:30)
- ¥1,800, HS ¥1,000, JHS & ES ¥500
- Yanagawa Tachibana-tei Ohana
- 1 Shingaimachi, Yanagawa City, Fukuoka
- Website
