"SHIP'S CAT" is a sculpture by contemporary artist YANOBE Kenji (1965-) that has become one of his best-known works in recent years. This huge public artwork with a cat motif is highly acclaimed not only in Japan but also abroad. Mr. Yanobe has created many works that carry deep messages within their unique forms. How was the "SHIP'S CAT" series, which watches over passersby with an overwhelming presence, born?
In this article, we will introduce the appeal of the "SHIP'S CAT" series, profile Yanobe, and information about Yanobe's artworks that can be viewed in the Kansai area.
About YANOBE Kenji's "SHIP'S CAT" series
"SHIP'S CAT" has been installed in various locations, including outside of Japan, and its forms are all diverse. The following is an introduction to the concept behind the work and the works that can be viewed in the Kansai area.
The production of " SHIP'S CAT " began in 2017. The impetus for the production came from working on the symbolic artwork for "WeBase Hakata," a hostel in Hakata City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Hakata City is considered the oldest port city in Japan. Yanobe focused on the fact that the hostel attracts many travelers in a historic port city, and arrived at the concept of a "sailor cat". Sailors' cats were kept on board during long voyages to protect cargo and ships from rodent damage, and they also brought comfort to sailors. Yanobe used the sailor's cat as a motif for "SHIP'S CAT," a giant cat that "protects young people and people on their journeys and adventures, and brings happiness to the community. Since then, the "SHIP'S CAT" series has been exhibited mainly in places related to sailing and travel.
Spots where visitors can view 《SHIP'S CAT》 in the Kansai region are increasing one after another: the hostel "WeBase Kyoto" (Kyoto, Japan), which opened in 2018, and the "Osaka Nakanoshima Museum of Art" (Osaka, Japan), which will have opened in 2022. Also, 《SHIP'S CAT(Tower)》 is on display on the platform of the "Chayama/Kyoto University of the Arts" station on the Eizan Railway in 2023, and "Onikuru," a cultural and child-rearing complex in Ibaraki City that just opened in late November 2023, will have a library and other 《SHIP 'S CAT》 welcomes visitors in various poses.
As for overseas, "SHIP'S CAT (Sailor)," created in 2018, is installed on the roof of "Joy City" in Shanghai, and Yanobe's "SHIP'S CAT" started in Japan and has traveled around the world.
New works one after another. You can find them in Kansai.《SHIP’S CAT》
■OSAKA
《SHIP’S CAT (Muse)》（Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka）
《SHIP'S CAT (Muse)》, created in 2021, has been installed in front of the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka. It is a huge 3.5-meter-high sculpture of a white cat wearing a spacesuit. The sculpture of a cat wearing a vivid orange suit, sitting in front of a black cube of architecture, has a striking presence. It is hoped that 《SHIP'S CAT (Muse)》 will act as a protective guardian deity, watching over the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, a storehouse of beauty, and the people who pass by the museum's passages (pathways), and that the museum will also become a symbol of the museum's global presence.
Address | Nakanoshima Museum of Art, 4-3-1 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0005, Japan |
Tel | 06-6479-0550 |
Access from the nearest station |
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Opening hours | 10:00 - 17:00 (admission until 16:30) |
Closed | Mondays (or the following weekday if Monday is a national holiday) |
Admission | Free |
Note | Outdoor exhibition |
公式Webサイト |
《SHIP’S CAT》（Cultural and childcare complex "Onikuru"）
Onikuru, a cultural and child-raising complex that just opened in late November 2023 in YANOBE Kenji's hometown of Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture. Here you can find a new work of 《SHIP's CAT》(*exhibited for a limited time only). "SHIP'S CAT", which is rare among the series and is almost the size of a real-size cat, is casually installed on the roof of the "Ohanashi no Ie" terrace on the second floor of the facility. The form of the cat, which rests its center of gravity on its front paws and looks backward, is quite a cute piece of work. The light tail wrapped in an orange suit is also very charming.
"Ohanashi no Ie" is a meeting place with large picture books and picture story shows. In "BOOK PARK" on the 5th floor, visitors can also meet " SHIP'S CAT" who watches over visitors from the top of the bookshelf.
The name of the impressive facility, "Onikuru," was selected from a public contest and named by a 6-year-old child (senior at the time) living in Ibaraki City. The name was inspired by the "Ibaraki Doji," an ogre character often seen in the city, and means "a place where even scary ogres seem to have fun and want to come" in Japanese.
Come visit this new community space where you can enjoy Yanobe's artwork that blends in with the local community.
Address | 3-9-45 Ekimae, Ibaraki City, Osaka, Japan |
Tel | 072-622-2476 |
Access from the nearest station |
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Opening hours: | Onikuru Book Park, Ehon Hiroba: 9:30 - 21:00 (After 20:00 on weekdays and after 19:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays: Automatic loaner machines are available.) |
Closed | 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29-January 3) |
Admission | Free |
Note | Hours of operation differ for each facility. Please refer to the official website for details. |
Official Website |
■KYOTO
《SHIP'S CAT(Totem) 》（WeBaseKyoto）
WeBase Kyoto is a hostel located in the Shijo-Karasuma area of Kyoto, Japan.WeBase Kyoto is home to "SHIP'S CAT(Totem)" and a giant picture scroll "Picture scroll of SHIP'S CAT" created in 2018. These works are the result of a collaboration between Yanobe and Japanese paper artist HORIKI Eriko (1962-), which took place on the occasion of the hostel's opening. "SHIP'S CAT (Totem)" is a 2.6m high three-dimensional work made of handmade washi paper, and "Picture scroll of SHIP'S CAT" is a 2.7m high x 7.8m wide picture scroll shoji. These works were also exhibited at the "SHIP'S CAT exhibition" held in Paris in 2018.
When staying at the hotel, please take your time to enjoy the actual works. Both works are installed inside the facility, but "SHIP'S CAT (Totem)" is located where it can be seen from the street.
Address | 436-1 Iwatoyama-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto |
Tel | 075-468-1417 |
Access from the nearest station | ・5 minutes walk from "Shijo Station" of Kyoto Shiei Karasuma Line ・Approximately 7 minutes on foot from "Karasuma" Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line ・10 minutes by cab from JR Kyoto Station |
Facilities | Lounge, powder room, shower room, coin laundry, cloakroom, smoking room, amenities, equipment rental service, free WIFI, wheelchair accessible |
Note | When using a cab, get off at "Shinmachi Takatsuji"; overseas visitor service available |
Official Website |
《SHIP’S CAT(Tower) 》(”Chayama/Kyoto Art University" station on Eizan main line)
In April 2023, "Ship's Cat (Tower)" appeared on the platform of Chayama/Kyoto University of the Arts station on the Eizan Line, a 10-minute walk from the university. In the "Platform Gallery" installed at the same time, works created jointly by students of Kyoto University of the Arts and the staff of Ultra Factory (Yanobe's production base) are also exhibited.
This work was created in the hope of developing community development in cooperation with the local community. "SHIP'S CAT (Tower)," a white suit that sits atop a pillar, watches over the interaction between users and students.
Address | 38 Tanakakita Haruna-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto "Chayama/Kyoto University of the Arts" station on the Eizan Main Line |
Note | As an unmanned station, no station counter or phones are provided |
About YANOBE KENJI. The starting point of his creation is the "ruins of the future" left behind by the Osaka World EXPO
YANOBE Kenji captivates people with his original giant sculptures. Let's take a look at the background of Mr. Yanobe, who puts themes with strong social messages into his works while giving a catchy impression.
A contemporary artist active in Japan and overseas, YANOBE Kenji was born in 1965 in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Kyoto City University of the Arts with a bachelor's degree in sculpture, he studied for a short-term at the Royal College of Art in London before completing his postgraduate studies at Kyoto City University of the Arts. He then spent three years in Berlin, and currently bases his production activities at Kyoto City University of the Arts' ULTRA FACTORY.
In the early 1990s, he began creating experiential artworks and sculptures based on the theme of "Survival in Contemporary Society". Among his works, his giant sculptures and large mechanical sculptures with actual functions were especially well received and have now become synonymous with Yanobe's work.
Yanobe's creative process began with an experience at the site of the 1970 Osaka EXPO, which was his childhood playground. The pavilions and monuments built under the theme of "Progress and Harmony of Humanity" were being torn down one after another, and the spectacle of their demolition and destruction gave rise to a sense of "ruins of the future". This sense of in-between reality and unreality has greatly influenced Yanobe's work.
The visual appearance of robots and toys, as well as the costumed characters that evoke the world of science fiction, are as much a feature of Yanobe's work as the scale of his creations, including his 2005 large-scale mechanical sculpture "Giant Torayan" (collection of Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka) and the "Ship's Cat" series that he has been creating since 2017, has adopted these elements in many of his works.
One of the triggers was the "Yellow Suit" produced in response to the Mihama nuclear power plant accident in 1991, followed by the "Atom Suit" produced in the late 1990s, a series of humanoid radiation-sensing suits equipped with Geiger counters (radiation measuring instruments) to detect natural radiation and other types of radiation. In 1997, YANOBE visited Chernobyl wearing the "Atom Suit" himself for the "Atom Suit Project". This project was deeply influenced by tragic events such as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and the Sarin gas attack on the subway, and is deeply connected to Yanobe's theme of "Survival".
Yanobe's activities are wide-ranging, and he has collaborated with celebrities in a variety of genres, including ISSEY MIYAKE, ISOZAKI Arata, BEAT Takeshi, MASUDA Sebastian, and MIYAMOTO Amon. In recent years, in addition to teaching as a professor at Kyoto University of the Arts, Yanobe also serves as the director of the "Ultra Factory," a workshop within the university that supports modeling techniques, and focuses on fostering the next generation of artists.
A social message hidden in humorous visuals. Enjoy the artworks of YANOBE Kenji in the KANSAI area.
In addition to 《SHIP's CAT》, many of Yanobe's other masterpieces can be viewed in the Kansai area. Here are some of Yanobe's public artworks and accommodations where you can view his works.
《Journey of Life》（OSAKA）
In March 2024, a new public artwork by YANOBE Kenji was installed at Osaka Monorail's "Osaka Airport" station. The public artwork is a large stained glass work and was installed adjacent to Osaka International (Itami) Airport, the gateway to the Kansai region, by the Japan Transportation Culture Association and Osaka Monorail with support from the Japan Lottery Association's "Social Contribution Publicity Project". Yanobe will draw and supervise the project, which will be produced by stained glass craftsmen at the Creare Atami Yugawara Studio (Shizuoka Prefecture).
*This work was produced by the Japan Transportation Culture Association and Osaka Monorail Co., Ltd. with support from the Japan Lottery Association's "Social Contribution Public Relations Project".
The name of this work, "Journey of Life," is exciting just by looking at the original drawing . In the center is "Ship's Cat," flanked by "Komainu - Guardian Beasts," "Sun Child" and "Lucky Dragon" on the right, "Sun Sister" and "ANGER from the Bottom," the god of old wells, on the left, and " Gian Torayan," the guardian god of children and other guardian gods and guardian beasts created by YANOBE are gather. In the back, there is a depiction of the Tower of the Sun, the symbol of the 1970 Osaka EXPO, which seems to be an homage to the Tower of the Sun. Expectations are high for the birth of this powerful and good-luck public artwork.
In this work, Yanobe says, "The journey of life in the coming age, when the global environment will become more severe, may be fraught with numerous challenges. Therefore, I hope that this stained glass will give people and living things the courage to travel, cuddling and watching over them like cats." Yanobe's wish is expressed in this work.
Osaka is expected to welcome even more people as it prepares to host the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025. The "Journey of Life," a new symbol that will watch over people's journeys and bring liveliness to the area, is expected to have a significant presence after its installation.
Related article：YANOBE Kenji "Journey of Life"-Public Art at Osaka Airport Station, where magnificent life trails and the future were spinning out.
Address | 3-569-3, Hotaruike-Nishi-machi, Toyonaka City, Osaka, Japan |
Access | Entrance outside the ticket gates of Osaka Monorail "Osaka Airport" station |
《Sun Child 》（OSAKA）
"Sun Child" was created in 2011 as a monument to the rebirth and recovery from the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. It depicts a child holding the sun, a symbol of hope, in his right hand, taking off his protective mask, and stepping out into the future.
The 6.2-meter-high giant work has a strong message and many highlights, such as the expression on his scarred face as he looks up to the heavens, and the number 000 on his chest, which represents the number of detections on a Geiger counter, which calls for a world without the damage of radiation.
At the time of its release, "Sun Child" was exhibited in Osaka Expo '70 Memorial Park, where Yanobe originally started out, and from 2011 to 2012, three "Sun Child" sculptures were created, one of which was installed in front of Hankyu Railways "Minami Ibaraki" station in Ibaraki City, Yanobe's hometown.
Address | Minami-Ibaraki Station front rotary, 2-6-14 Tenno, Ibaraki, Osaka |
Access from the nearest station | In front of Minami Ibaraki Station on the Hankyu Railway |
《Sun Sister》 "NAGISA"（HYOGO）
One of Kenji Yanobe's representative works, "Sun Sister" was created in 2015 as a monument to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the reconstruction from the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. "Sun Sister" is a statue of a young girl holding the sun as a symbol of hope, watching over the world beyond the sea from the city of Kobe with people passing by.
At 6.3 meters, it is large, as is typical of Yanobe's work, and its robust stainless steel costume also makes a strong impact. This work was created as an older sister to "Sun Child," and was named "Nagisa" by an application from local children. The work has a cute visual appeal, but knowing the background of its creation may change the way you view it.
Located in front of the grand staircase of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, it is a beautiful location overlooking the sea and a popular photo spot. When you visit the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, be sure to view "Sun Sister" as well.
Address | 1-1-1 Wakihama Kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo (in HAT Kobe) |
Access from the nearest station | ・10 minutes walk from "Nada" station on JR Kobe line. ・About 8 minutes walk from "Iwaya" station of Hanshin line |
「HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO」（KYOTO）
Hotel Anteloum Kyoto is a hotel apartment complex located in Minami-ku, Kyoto. The concept of the hotel is "Art & Culture" and " Wa" (harmony), and the hotel offers a space where you can enjoy art to your heart's content, with events held in the attached gallery, concept rooms supervised by artists, and more.
Yanobe also participated in the concept room, which is full of surprises, such as large hooks on the wall and objects that double as chairs. In the room, a drawing of the public artwork "Sun Sister" is on display, which will further enhance the enjoyment of Yanobe's work.
Address | 7, Higashi-Kujo Akita-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto |
Tel | 075-681-5656 |
Access from the nearest station | ・15 minutes walk from Hachijo East Exit of JR "Kyoto" Station. ・8 minutes walk from "Kujo" Station on the Kyoto Shiei Karasuma Line (Exit 4, go straight south on Karasuma Dori to Karasuma Fudanotsuji). |
Facilities | Lounge, convenience store, coin laundry, amenities, free WIFI, barrier-free access |
Note | Please use nearby parking lots as there is no parking available. |
Official Website |
《SHIP'S CAT》 is a guardian god for people around the world. Let's go see him when you visit Kansai!
《SHIP'S CAT》 brings happiness to the community and watches over people's journeys and adventures. The work is popular both in Japan and overseas, but there are only a limited number of places where it is permanently installed. The Kansai area is also blessed with a wide selection of Yanobe's masterpieces, making it an attractive place to view his other works as well. If you visit Osaka, Kyoto, or Hyogo, please consider adding a visit to 《SHIP'S CAT》 to your travel plans. The "guardian cats" may make your trip even more enjoyable.