Inujima Seirensho Art Museum: Seto Inland Sea Island Where Industrial Heritage Was Reborn as Contemporary Art

"Inujima (Dog Island)" in Okayama Prefecture floating in the Seto Inland Sea was an industrial island where a copper smelting plant once operated. The smelter that began operation in 1909 (Meiji 42) closed after only 10 years in 1919 (Taisho 8), but its ruins were reborn as the contemporary art museum "Inujima Seirensho Art Museum" in 2008.

Inujima Seirensho Art Museum

"Inujima Seirensho Art Museum," a collaboration between architect Hiroshi Sambuichi and contemporary artist Yukinori Yanagi, is a culturally unique facility worldwide that converted the interior to a museum while maintaining the exterior appearance of the smelter ruins. Installation works using Mishima Yukio's literature as motifs provide a unique artistic experience fused with the industrial space of the ruins.

Inujima "Ie Project"

Beyond the smelter museum, the "Ie Project (House Project)" utilizing vacant houses in the island settlement is also underway. Similar to the "Ie Project" on Naoshima, it is an initiative where contemporary art coexists with islanders' daily living spaces.

Seto Inland Sea Art Tour

Inujima is one of the venue islands for the "Setouchi Triennale" art festival along with Naoshima, Teshima, and Shodoshima. Art tours visiting multiple islands by ferry and charter boat are popular.

Access

About 10 minutes by ferry from Hoden Port, Okayama City to Inujima. About 50 minutes by car from Okayama Station to Hoden Port.