The collaborative project for the Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival, “Kan’ei Gyoko (Imperial Visit to Nijo Castle in 1626) 400 Years: The Historical Connection Linking Kyoto Culture and Takaoka,” will be held on Saturday, July 11, at the Takaoka City Lifelong Learning Center in Toyama Prefecture.
The daimyo who attended the Kan’ei Gyoko brought the culture of the capital back to their respective regions, allowing the essence of Kan’ei culture to spread throughout Japan. In the same way, the Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival will be held through collaboration between Kyoto and regions across Japan connected to this historical event. This event will be the first in the series.
The Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival has its origins in the fact that the Maeda family received the go-shoguruma (ox-drawn carriage used by the Imperial Court) that had been used during the Imperial Visit to Jurakudai from Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kyoto and Takaoka are connected through the keyword “Gyoko (Imperial Visit).” This event will revisit how the Kan’ei Gyoko and the Kan’ei culture that supported it also spread to Takaoka, and will explore the historical ties between the two regions.
[Event Details]
Date and Time: Saturday, July 11, 2026, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Doors open at 1:00 p.m.)
Venue: Takaoka City Lifelong Learning Center, 4th Floor Hall
(Inside Wing Wing Takaoka, 1-7 Higashihirokoji, Takaoka City)
Registration: Not required
Capacity: First 300 participants
Admission: Free
・Lecture 1
“Why Kan’ei Gyoko (Imperial Visit to Nijo Castle in 1626) Matters Today — Kyoto and Regional Communities Connected Through Kan’ei Culture —”
Ms. Kanako Hamasaki (General Producer of the Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival)
・Lecture 2
“Kan’ei Gyoko and Kan’ei Culture as Depicted in the Rakuchu Rakugai-zu Folding Screens”
Mr. Tsuyoshi Nishiyama (Supervisor of Procession Culture for the Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival)
・Lecture 3
“Kyoto Culture and Takaoka as Seen Through the Mikurumayama Festival”
Ryu Murakami (Director of the Takaoka Art Museum)
・Discussion
Panelists: Ms. Kanako Hamasaki, Mr. Tsuyoshi Nishiyama, and Mr. Ryu Murakami
Kanako Hamasaki
Associate Professor at Kyoto Prefectural University. Doctor of Philosophy. Representative Director and Director of Yuhisai Koudoukan Foundation. She also serves as a waka poetry selector for Kitano Tenmangu Shrine and Chairperson of the Living History Kyoto Nijo-jo Council. She has previously served as a member of the Kyoto City Basic Concept Planning Committee and as a member of the Kyoto City Board of Education.
Tsuyoshi Nishiyama
After serving as Chief Curator at The Museum of Kyoto, he became a Lecturer at the Faculty of International Studies, Otani University in 2025. Doctor of Literature. His area of expertise is the social history of Japanese cities.
Ryu Murakami
Director of the Takaoka Art Museum and Academic Advisor and Professor at Kyoto Academia, Taisho University. Doctor of Philosophy. He has previously served as Senior Researcher at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Director of the Curatorial Department at the Kyoto National Museum, and Vice President of Kyoto University of Arts and Crafts.
Organized by:
Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival Executive Committee; Takaoka Citizens’ Cultural Promotion Foundation
Co-organized by:
Takaoka City; The Kitanippon Shimbun
Supported by:
The Association for Preserving and Appreciating the Cultural Heritage of Early Modern Takaoka
Cooperation:
Friends of the Takaoka Art Museum
■ Contact Information
For inquiries regarding the event, please contact the following:
Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival Executive Committee Secretariat
(Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Policy Office)
Takaoka Art Museum