September 6 - November 13: Special exhibition at the museum, Art and the Zoo vol.7 "Mayumi Kuronuma Exhibition - Japanese Creatures Knitted in Lace" (※Registration for guided tour has closed)

September 6 - November 13: Special exhibition at the museum, Art and the Zoo vol.7 "Mayumi Kuronuma Exhibition - Japanese Creatures Knitted in Lace" (※Registration for guided tour has closed)
└─ 2022/08/25 (Updated 10/02)

*Registration for guided tour has closed. Thank you for your interest.

Inokashira Park Zoo will be hosting the special museum exhibition, Art and the Zoo vol.7, "Mayumi Kuronuma Exhibition - Japanese Creatures Knitted in Lace." This is the seventh installment of "Art and the Zoo (*)," and it will feature the works of Mayumi Kuronuma, who knits various creatures in lace with anatomical accuracy.

I was captivated by the understated yet profound beauty and cuteness of the native Japanese creatures that are carefully raised and exhibited at our park, and I observed them to create lace. Among them is the copper-colored White-rumped Pheasant (Syrmaticus soemmerringii ijimae), named in honor of Kai Iijima, the first president of the Ornithological Society of Japan. I also created laces of the Japanese Night Heron, which has a wide variety of brown plumage and breeds almost exclusively in Japan; the dignified and cute Ijima's Copper Pheasant; the Japanese Night-heron Tsushima Leopard Cat, a rare species of bitterling that lays its eggs using shells and is beautiful in its breeding colors resembling a sunrise Tokyo Butterfly Bitterling Stonewort, which was revived after the draining of Inokashira Pond; and the Giant Water Giant Water Bug, which is scheduled to be exhibited again. Along with these, I will also exhibit drawings that were created using stuffed birds and animals and skeletal specimens as references, drawn at Intermediatheque, which houses many specimens originating from the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology.

*What is "Art and the Zoo"?
In the past, Inokashira Park Zoo has used a portion of its Sculpture Museum to display works by various artists in special exhibitions. In the future, we will expand these exhibitions to include the museum and other areas within the zoo, aiming to create special exhibitions that connect art with the zoo.


Copper Pheasant	On display at Copper Pheasant House Ijima's Copper Pheasant

Tokyo Butterfly Bitterling


Wildcat	Giant Water Bug

Period: September 6th (Tue) - November 13th (Sun), 2022, 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Location: Inokashira Park Zoo Zoo (Main Park), Museum, 1st Floor

Exhibitor: Mayumi Kuronuma → Official website here

[Profile of Mr. Kuronuma]
Graduated from the Department of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed graduate studies in Oil Painting Techniques and Materials at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts.
After seeing tapeworm specimens at the Meguro Parasitological Museum, she began teaching herself lace making. Following her research on tapeworms by Dr. Kai Iijima, a pioneer in both parasitology and zoology in Japan, she began knitting various hexa-sponges (such as glass sponges like Euphorbia marginata), and has since been knitting all kinds of living things with anatomical realism.
Author of: "The World of Fermentation in Manga" (Midori Shobo), Poster illustration: Mite phylogenetic tree poster "Evolutionary Footprints of Mites and Their Relatives" (Kiwi Lab).

Mayumi Kuronuma

Related event: "Exhibition Artwork and guided tour of the Park" (tentative name)

Mr. Kuronuma and Animal Guide will tour the park together, discussing the artworks and the characteristics of the animals.

Date and time: Saturday, November 5, 2022, 11:00-12:30

How to apply
Please apply using the reception form as follows:

When applying, please configure your spam filter and email software to allow emails from @tokyo-zoo.net and @form.kintoneapp.com. This is especially important for those applying from a mobile phone.
If you do not receive an automatic reply email after applying, please contact Inokashira Park Zoo Education and Outreach Section by phone.

　Please apply using this application form.

　*You will be redirected to an external site (kintoneapp.com). kintoneapp.com is a website managed and operated by Toyokumo Co., Ltd. Personal information provided by applicants for this program will be securely stored on servers managed by Toyokumo Co., Ltd., and will be promptly deleted after its use for the intended purpose is complete, ensuring strict and appropriate handling.

[Contact Information] Inokashira Park Zoo Education and Outreach Section 0422-46-1100 (Main Number) *Reception hours: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
[Deadline] Entries must be submitted by September 30, 2022 (Friday).*Applications are now closed.

Important points to note when applying

Each applicant may only submit one entry. Please note that multiple entries from the same applicant will be considered invalid.
If there are many applicants, a lottery will be held, and all applicants will be notified regardless of whether they are selected or not.
The personal information you provide when applying will be used solely for communications related to this program.
Furthermore, we will strictly manage personal information, including data storage and deletion.

(August 25, 2022)
(October 2, 2022: Added information regarding the end of registration for guided tour)