Four Art Powerhouses Expand to Tokyo’s New Cultural Hub

Just in time for Tokyo Art Week, a glistening 32-story structure for art and commerce has opened its doors in the historic neighborhood of Kyobashi, just seven minutes on foot from the city’s main transit station. The multipurpose space belongs to Toda Corporation, which describes its headquarters as “a new crossroads of art and business.”

Offices will occupy its higher levels, while the bottom six floors will house restaurants, shops, and a museum. At the heart is a new gallery complex, comprising four of Tokyo’s leading contemporary art galleries: Taka Ishii Gallery, Yutaka Kikutake Gallery, Tomio Koyama Gallery, and KOSAKU KANECHIKA.

Similar complexes exist in Tokyo already, namely the Terrada Art Complex in Tennozu and complex665 in Roppongi. But the arrangement at Toda is unique because the four gallerists’ relationships run far deeper than simply sharing four walls: Yutaka Kikutake previously worked for Taka Ishii, and Kosaku Kanechika for Tomio Koyama. It is an unusual coming together of intertwined histories, highlighting a distinct aspect of some of the Japanese art scene’s major players, where mutual support often outweighs competition.

Four of Japan’s leading galleries come together

This week, the galleries are showcasing a breadth of mediums and artists. Taka Ishii will present a group show of 15 works by 12 local and international names, while Yutaka Kikutake will show a mixed-media exhibition curated by Yoshitomo Nara. Tomio Koyama will exhibit paintings and sculptures by Hiroshi Sugito, and Kosaku Kanechika will display Miwa Kyusetsu XIII’s evocative ceramics. Taken together, the works on view in the space reflect each gallery’s distinct voice while showcasing a shared dedication to promoting both local and international talent on a global stage.

Japan is the world’s fourth-largest economy and boasts a rich history of art and craft, as well as world-renowned contemporary artists. Its art scene today is characterized by collaboration over competition, noted Kikutake, who founded his gallery in 2015 with the aim of fostering a cross-cultural exchange for emerging artists in Japan and abroad. “The more competitive the industry, the larger and more active it becomes,” he said. “Unfortunately, Japan’s art market isn’t competitive but rather friendly.” Tokyo’s community is close-knit, where collectors and institutions have typically focused on collective growth.

For many years, Kanechika and Kikutake worked for Tomio Koyama and Taka Ishii, respectively. Both Koyama and Ishii have been stalwarts of Tokyo’s gallery scene since the 1990s, nurturing dialogues between Japanese artists and the international art world thanks to a regular and established track record of international art fair appearances.

Since setting up in 1997, Tomio Koyama Gallery has acquired two spaces in Tokyo, and introduced many Japanese artists to the international stage; Kishio Suga, Mika Ninagawa, and Hiroshi Sugito are among the names it currently represents. Taka Ishii, which first opened in 1994, has been particularly influential in exhibiting Japanese photographers, most notably post-war names such as Daido Moriyama and Nobuyoshi Araki.

“The lessons that I brought over from my time working at Tomio Koyama Gallery are plenty; they’re evident in the day-to-day decisions that I make,” said Kanechika, who founded his eponymous gallery in 2017 and has since exhibited both local and international artists such as Yutaka Aoki, Takuro Kuwata, Dan McCarthy, and Ruby Neri. The gallerists have existed alongside one another at art fairs, and on separate floors at the Terrada Art Complex, but sharing a wall at the Toda building will foster greater collaboration, too, he noted: “It will be even easier to communicate between galleries and to be part of projects that I had not imagined before.”

Kikutake agreed. “I learned everything I know about running a gallery at Taka Ishii Gallery,” he said. “It still feels like my home, and I am very happy to have a space beside such a gallery.” Kikutake also highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge in appealing to a global market: “The biggest benefit is to know where Japanese galleries stand from a global perspective, to know how to present our work in the most meaningful and influential way to a global platform,” he added.

A new hub for art in Tokyo

Spaces like the Toda building are vital, allowing international collectors to discover multiple galleries in a single swoop. “It’s about creating an opportunity for many people to see the shows and to clearly show the difference between each gallery,” said Koyama, who also sees increasing opportunities for the younger generation of artists, gallerists, and collectors. “The Japanese market has recently become more connected, not only to the West but also to Asia, which is a big difference from the ’90s,” he told Artsy. “Since around 2015, there have been more collectors from the new generations in Japan, and that makes a lot of difference, too.”

The building is the latest development in Japan’s fast-moving art scene. Earlier this year, the second edition of Tokyo Gendai showed signs of strong momentum, while the fourth edition of Art Collaboration Kyoto wrapped up its largest edition yet last week. This week, the fourth edition of Art Week Tokyo spans 53 of the city’s leading museums, galleries, and art spaces in its most ambitious edition yet.

The Toda building will contribute to Tokyo’s burgeoning landscape, particularly in the local neighborhood of Kyobashi, one of Tokyo’s most historic districts with rich traditions in art, craft, and commerce. Its history dates back to the Edo period (1603–1868), where it served as a vibrant hub where craftsmen and artisans gathered to capture the bustling urban landscape of Edo. Now, the tranquil scenes from the artsyukiyo-e prints of the 1600s are hardly recognizable. Kyobashi was bolstered into a center for commerce in Japan’s early modernization in the 1960s and ’70s, and in the last two decades, the neighborhood has undergone a complete architectural overhaul. Modernist structures are being replaced by skyscrapers offering dining, retail, and cultural experiences.