On the 6th of August this year, Hiroshima Day at the Maruki Gallery will present a new piece by a choreographer and dancer Momoko Shiraga (Momonga Complex), created in collaboration with Cross Play Higashimatsuyama, a care and art project based at the Day Service Rakuraku, a senior welfare facility in Higashimatsuyama City. Shiraga is known for creating performances that focus on everyday moments, personal memories, and small wishes. The unique perspective and light-hearted creativity have moved audiences all across Japan. In 2022, Shiraga staged Wherever the Wind Blows You, Let It Blow, a work based on a day in the life at Rakuraku, transforming the rich experiences of a care facility into a performance stage. Her new piece, Yamamba, kai., is being premiered at the Maruki Gallery. It takes inspiration from the idea of a “Yamanba Conference”, which Toshi Maruki once dreamed of and spoke about with Miyoko Matsutani and Michiko Ishimure. Drawing inspiration from this imagined gathering, the work seeks to create a space where diverse voices of today can come together. This year, for the first time in five years – since the suspension caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 – the tōrō nagashi (floating lantern ceremony) will also be held again at Tokigawa. We warmly invite you to take part in this meaningful event, commemorating 80 years of the atomic bombings and marking the last floating lantern ceremony before the Maruki Gallery undergoes renovations.

Momoko Shiraga Artist’s Statement

Standing in front of the Hiroshima Panels at the Maruki Gallery, I find myself wondering what the people depicted in these paintings think about the world we live in today and what Maruki Iri-san and Maruki Toshi-san would say in response to our current times. Lately, I’ve been living each day in fear, anger, and prayer. In the meantime, I came to learn about “Yamamba” – the wild mountain woman imagined by Toshi – a figure who lived deep in the mountains, raised many children, and cherished life. I felt a deep sense of admiration for her. On the 6th of August, I will be becoming that Yamamba – to stomp the ground, to move freely and joyfully, to mourn the world, to get angry, to beat the drum, to raise our voices together, and to dance with everyone.

Momoko Shiraga (Choreographer, Director, Dancer)
The founder and director of the dance and performance collective Momonga Complex, for which she , choreographs, and directs all productions. Her work is known for embracing meaninglessness and inefficiency, incorporating everyday occurrences and expressions that go beyond dance, resulting in playful and distinctive performance spaces. In 2022, she directed and adapted Hyaku Monogatari (One Hundred Ghost Stories) for the Deaf Puppet Theatre Hitomi, based on the original work by Hinako Sugiura. In 2023, as part of the Cross Play Higashimatsuyama project, she created Dokofukukaze no Anata, Kokonifukukaze no Manimani through the artist in residency at the Rakuraku, a senior welfare facility. Her practice extends beyond dance into theatre choreography and cross-genre collaborations. She was a Junior Fellow of the Saison Foundation in 2017 – 2018, and she served as the artistic director of Kirari☆Fujimi, the civic cultural hall in Fujimi City, Saitama Prefecture, from 2019 to 2024.

The 80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings,
Hiroshima Day at Maruki Gallery Momoko Shiraga: Yamanba, Kai.

Stage Design / Choreography / Performance: Momoko Shiraga
Performance: Miyuki Nishina (Momonga Complex), Mutsumi Hanawa (Momonga Complex), Hideko Kubota
Music: Yukiko Nishii
Stage Director: Yoshiko Haraguchi
Costume Adviser: Maki Nagamine
Title Paper Collage: Day Service Rakuraku Users

Organised by Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels, Hojun Clinic, bench
Supported by Fukutake Foundation
Curated by Cross Play Higashimatsuyama, Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels

Fee: ¥2,000 (tax included) * The fee does NOT include admission. On the day of the event, admission is free for high school students and younger. Admission for the event participants is ¥800.
Tickets: Peatix https://crossplay20250806.peatix.com / bench TEL: 050-5369-5637
Tickets will be available from Tuesday, July 8 at 10:00 AM.

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The Schedule of Hiroshima Day

12:00 – Hakkaidō (Free participation) / Let’s make lanterns together
15:00 – Momoko Shiraga: Yamamba, kai.
17:00 – Hiroshima Day Gathering / Moment of Silence
17:20 – Floating Lantern

There will be stalls and flea markets in the gallery’s front garden.

Transportation on the Day
Gallery Shuttle Bus
From Tobu Tojo Line Shinrin-kōen Station (South Exit) to Maruki Gallery
12:30 / 13:30 / 14:30
From Maruki Gallery to Shinrin-kōen Station
12:15 / 13:15 / 14:15 / After the event ends
*If the number of passengers exceeds the vehicle’s capacity, you may be required to wait for the next available shuttle.

City Loop Bus (Karako Route, approximately 15 minutes)
From Tobu Tojo Line Higashi-matsuyama Station (East Exit) to Maruki Gallery East
10:10 / 11:10 / 12:10 / 14:30 / 15:35
*It’s a 15-minute walk to the gallery from the bus stop.

Other Access Options
On foot from Tsukinowa Station South Exit (approximately 30 minutes)
By taxi from Shinrinkōen Station (approximately 10 minutes)

Please note that the gallery is not fully air-conditioned, and high temperatures are expected. We kindly ask that you take appropriate precautions against the heat.

On the day of the event, all paying visitors will receive a complimentary eco-friendly paper fan, designed by Shohei Yoshida, featuring an illustration of Yamamba by Toshi Maruki (Akazabanba to Gara by Takuo Segawa, Taihei Publishing, 1973).