NEWS
ICU Hachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum Special Exhibition: "The Unsung Beauty: Lao Textiles from the Yanagi Collection"
Update: September 15, 2026
The ICU Hachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum, located on our campus, is currently presenting the special exhibition "The Unsung Beauty: Lao Textiles from the Yanagi Collection."
In Laos, a multiethnic nation, each ethnic group has developed its own distinctive clothing traditions. Particularly striking are the textiles dyed and woven by ethnic minorities in the mountainous regions of northern Laos, with their vivid colors and enigmatic motifs. Woven into these textiles are the hopes and prayers of the women who created them, reflecting their faith and their wish to protect their families as guardian deities.
Even after Laos gained independence from France in 1953, the country continued to endure hardship, and hundreds of thousands of people fled abroad during the civil war. Ironically, the highly sophisticated and intricate weaving techniques that had long been passed down with little outside recognition became widely known both within Laos and in neighboring countries when refugees were forced to part with their treasured traditional garments.
This exhibition presents the beauty of traditional Lao dyed and woven textiles, long shrouded in mystery, through the Yanagi Collection, which was assembled to preserve these precious historical textiles from being dispersed and has now been donated to the Museum.
Exhibition Information
- Exhibition Title:
- The Unsung Beauty: Lao Textiles from the Yanagi Collection
- Venue:
- Special Exhibition Gallery, 2nd Floor, Hachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum
- Dates:
- September 8 (Tue.)-November 6 (Fri.), 2026 / Every Tuesday-Friday, 1:00-5:00 p.m. Special Opening Days: September 19 (Sat.), October 11 (Sun.), and October 12 (Mon., public holiday), 1:00-5:00 p.m.
- Closed During the Exhibition Period:
- September 22 (Tue., holiday), September 23 (Wed., public holiday), October 13 (Tue.), and November 3 (Tue., public holiday)
- Hours:
- 1:00-5:00 p.m.
- Admission:
- Free
- Access:
- From JR Mitaka Station or Musashi-Sakai Station, take an Odakyu Bus bound for ICU to the final stop, then walk approximately 10 minutes; alternatively, take a taxi from the South Exit of Musashi-Sakai Station (approximately 10 minutes).
Related Event: 128th Open Lecture (Online)
- Title:
- "Talking about Culture through Textiles: Textiles of Laos"
- Date and Time:
- September 26 (Sat.), 2026, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
- Venue:
- Online via Zoom Webinar (advance registration required)
Click here to register - Lecturer:
- Ms. Atsuko Masazumi, Textile Researcher
- Moderator:
- Dr. Robert Eskildsen, Director of the Yuasa Museum
- Fee:
- Free