The Art of Matsusaka: Discover New Artists, Explore a Gallery Café, and Experience a Traditional Craft

Matsusaka:
A Cultural Center of the Edo Period

The city
of Matsusaka, known historically as a post station along the Ise Pilgrimage, was
bustling with travelers who brought in information, culture, and wealth from
all parts of the country during the Edo period (1603-1867). The lively coming
and going of people transformed Matsusaka into a cultural center where merchants
and people of culture came to share new thoughts and ideas.

The deep appreciation and exchange of art continues
in Matsusaka today through the city’s museums, galleries, workshops, and
cultural asset centers. This article will introduce three notable places in
Matsusaka where you’ll discover award-winning artists in a gallery café, explore
unique works collected by psychiatrist Saito Yoichi, and hand-weave traditional
Matsusaka cotton, all within a ten minute walk from Matsusaka Station.

Explore
Thought-Provoking Artwork at the Saito Museum

In a
city rich with historical connections to the past, the Saito Museum links
Matsusaka to the present through contemporary and modern art. The museum’s
collection is curated by the psychiatrist Saito Yoichi, who shines a light on
artworks that fell out of the spotlight of art history. The Saito Museum
invites visitors to reconsider these artworks and their creators with fresh
perspectives.

The
museum also holds special exhibits featuring select pieces from their
collection of roughly 3000 works around three times a year. Visitors can find
full descriptions of each currently displayed work and its creator in English
and Japanese, both on the museum’s website and in the informational booklets provided
at the museum.

Saito Museum

【Address】1807-1 Uomachi, Matsusaka, Mie, Japan 515-0082

【Hours】10am-5pm (Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only)

【Website】https://www.matsusaka-saito-museum.com/

Discover
Local Art and Creative Spirit at Gallery + Café Doodle

Gallery +
Café Doodle, a café run by an alumni of the Nagoya School of Arts, is located
just around the corner from the Saito Museum. This unique café evokes the joy
of doodling on the ground or a foggy window back to our everyday lives, from
its whimsical name to its hand drawn logo of a dodo.

Gallery +
Café Doodle regularly rotates its displays to showcase works by local artists
in a wide variety of mediums, including paintings, textiles, sculptures, and
jewelry. Past exhibits featured award-winning works by students from a nearby
high school, creatives from local art collectives, and artists with
disabilities in Matsusaka. The café also occasionally holds workshops where you
can craft a one-of-a-kind piece of art and explore your carefree, creative
side.

You can view
the art exhibit while enjoying a sweet treat or a delicious lunch. Stop by for
a keema curry plate after exploring the Saito Museum nearby, or delight in a
rich Basque cheesecake with a coffee before strolling to your next destination.

Gallery + Café Doodle

【Address】1857 Nakamachi, Matsusaka, Mie, Japan 515-0083

【Hours】11am-5pm (Closed Mondays, and other days depending on the month.
Check website for details)

【Website】https://r.goope.jp/doodle/about

Experience
a Traditional Craft at the Matsusaka Cotton Center

Matsusaka
cotton is a traditional textile produced in Matsusaka using thread pre-dyed
with indigo. While Matsusaka cotton’s signature stripes seem simple at first
glance, intricate details in the pattern are revealed up close. This aspect of
the textile captivated the people of Edo (now Tokyo) and made Matsusaka cotton
a cultural phenomenon. Records show that during the Edo
period, merchants from Matsusaka exported over 500,000 rolls of Matsusaka
cotton to Edo annually when the population of Edo was only one million.

▲This ukiyo-e illustration shows the businesses of Matsusaka
merchants lining the streets of Odenmacho, Edo, a major mercantile center of the
Edo period. The people walking through Odenmacho are depicted wearing Matsusaka
cotton kimono in various patterns.

Visitors
of the Matsusaka Cotton Center can experience Matsusaka’s traditional craft by
engaging in the meditative process of weaving Matsusaka cotton. Experienced
staff teach visitors how to use looms to hand-weave a piece of Matsusaka cotton
at a reserved 1-hour or 5-hour workshop. Participants of the workshop can bring
home their cotton creation as a special keepsake.

You can
also browse a variety of lifestyle goods and trinkets made from Matsusaka
cotton, like keychains, bags, card cases, and clothes at the store inside the
Center.

Matsusaka Cotton Center

【Address】2176 Honmachi, Matsusaka, Mie, Japan 515-0081

【Hours】9am-5pm (Closed Tuesdays)

【Website】https://matsusakamomen.com/

【Reservations】Reserve a 1-hour workshop (￥1500) or 5-hour
workshop (￥5000) at least one week in advance through
the website below. Workshops are held between 9am to 3pm.

https://www.matsusaka-kanko.com/tour/en/tour/8-weave-matsusaka-cotton-on-a-traditional-loom/

summary

Come
discover new artists and traditional crafts in Matsusaka at Gallery + Café
Doodle, Saito Museum, and Matsusaka Cotton Center. These locations are within
close walking distance of each other, so you can visit them all in succession
for an eye-opening, artistic journey.

There
are plenty of other spots around town where you can enjoy Matsusaka’s artistic
spirit, like the bookshelf-lined Piece Café + Store, the art exhibits at
Gallery Morita and Gallery MOS, and the Machikado piano. Explore these creative
spaces and more in Matsusaka.

Visitor Information

Saito Museum

【Address】1807-1 Uomachi, Matsusaka, Mie, Japan 515-0082

【Hours】10am-5pm (Open Fridays and Weekends only)

【Website】https://www.matsusaka-saito-museum.com/

Gallery + Café Doodle

【Address】1857 Nakamachi, Matsusaka, Mie, Japan 515-0083

【Hours】11am-5pm (Closed Mondays, and other days depending on the month.
Check website for details)

【Website】https://r.goope.jp/doodle/about

Matsusaka Cotton Center

【Address】2176 Honmachi, Matsusaka, Mie, Japan 515-0081

【Hours】9am-5pm (Closed Tuesdays)

【Website】https://matsusakamomen.com/

【Reservations】Reserve a 1-hour or 5-hour workshop at least one week in advance
through the following website: https://www.matsusaka-kanko.com/tour/en/tour/8-weave-matsusaka-cotton-on-a-traditional-loom/

While
you’re in Matsusaka, stop by the city’s famous historic sites to discover Edo
period estates and castle architecture, or have a taste of Matsusaka beef, the
wagyu known worldwide as a delicious work of art.

▼ [Mie, Matsusaka] A complete guide to Matsusaka City's gourmet food! Enjoy Matsusaka beef, Chicken Yakiniku , and sweets. Tourist information included.

▼One-day trip plan to visit historical sites in Matsusaka City , Mie Prefecture

▼ Feature Articles Sukiyaki Restaurant in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture !