I went to the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Tenku Kaikatsu" of contemporary art held at Meiji Jingu

I heard that an outdoor sculpture exhibition was being held at Meiji Jingu in Shibuya, Tokyo as part of the "Jingu Shrine Arts Festival", and although it was raining, it was a work of Kohei Nawa, a fan. I went there because it was said that there was.

Meiji Jingu, one of Japan's leading shrines, is the number one worshiper of the shrine every year, so I wanted to visit it once, but I didn't have a chance and it was my first visit at the age of 48.

Reference: Ranking of the number of shrine worshipers

1. Meiji Jingu (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo): Approximately 3.19 million people
2. Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture): Approximately 2.77 million people
3. Sumiyoshi Taisha (Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture): Approximately 2.6 million people
4. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture): Approximately 2.51 million people
5. Atsuta Jingu (Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture): 2.35 million people

Ise Jingu, which reigns at the top of the shrine, is ranked 20th or lower due to its disadvantageous location.

This year, the art and culture festival "Jingu no Mori Art Festival" is being held for about a year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Meiji Jingu Shrine. As part of this festival, the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Tenku Kaikatsu" is being held until December 13.

I moved from the museum in Roppongi and got off at Yoyogi station and headed for Meiji Jingu, but the road was difficult to understand because there was no signboard. I finally arrived at the torii gate.

I had checked the map of the "Tenku Kaikatsu" event in advance, so I moved to the place where the art work was while looking at it. At first, I went to see the work of Misa Funai, who creates installations using stainless steel mirrors and shaped canvas, but this is difficult to understand again ... There is no signboard and the work is just popping up in the woods. You probably won't notice it unless you know the information in advance.

After that, I went around to see the works of contemporary artist Kohei Nawa, New York-based painter Tomokazu Matsuyama, and sculptor Atsuhiko Misawa, who is known for the "ANIMALS" series, which expresses animals with wood carving. I finally arrived at each work while hesitating. One of the reasons I was at a loss was that Meiji Jingu was so wide that I couldn't grasp the scale and distance of the map I was looking at. I thought it was about the size of Atsuta Jingu, but it had more than double the area.

It was raining while pulling heavy luggage, so I was exhausted and honestly tired. Even so, I managed to visit the main shrine and draw a fortune to reach Harajuku station.

What I felt at this event was that it was an art event, but it was a waste. Perhaps no one came to Meiji Jingu to worship and noticed this event. You won't notice it because you don't know even if you do a preliminary survey like I do.

I think it would be completely different if you put up a signboard or put up a poster at a key point such as a doorway. Personally, it's too pitiful to pass by Kohei Nawa's work without being known.

That's why it's not a recommended event, and although it's not enough to visit for this event, it's worth seeing if you visit Meiji Jingu. However, it is quite difficult to understand, so please be prepared to go out.

Thank you for reading it until the very end！