Sakai City Hall 111 pieces by a junk art artist who loved Mikuni to be sent to Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture

[Sakai City Hall] 111 pieces by a junk art artist who loved Mikuni, on display in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture ​
Sakai City Hall Press Release: September 26, 2025 111 pieces by a junk art artist who loved the Mikuni clan headed to Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture Donated by the family of the internationally acclaimed late Tadahiro Ono
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In front of a collection of donated works by Tadahiro Ono, his grandson Masato (right), Mayor Ikeda (center), and Masatoshi Toda (far left), a former student of Tadahiro Ono, share memories of the artist. = ONO Memorial in Mikuni-cho, Sakai City. “I want children to see and feel,” says grandson Masato. The relatives of the late contemporary artist Tadahiro Ono (1913-2001), who loved the land of the former Mikuni Town (now Sakai City) in Fukui Prefecture and continued to create art there for many years, have donated 111 of Ono’s works, which had been stored in the city, to Sakai City. Ono’s artworks, known as “junk art” for their bold compositions made from recycled materials, have earned him international acclaim, including being selected in 1959 by the American magazine LIFE as one of the “Seven Junk Artists of the World,” alongside pioneering contemporary artist Marcel Duchamp. This is the second donation from his family, following a 2002 donation, and this time focuses on works from Ono’s later years. His grandson, Masato Ono (52), a resident of Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, visited the ONO Memorial in Midorigaoka 3-chome, Mikuni-cho, Sakai City, on September 20th for the donation ceremony. Masato commented, “I want many children to see the works. Ono’s works can be a little difficult to understand, but I hope people can stand in front of them and feel them.” The late Mr. Ono was from Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. He graduated from the sculpture department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1938. After graduating from university, he lived in Tokushima Prefecture for a time, working as an art teacher, before moving to the Hokuriku region and teaching art at the former Fukui Prefectural Mikuni Junior High School (now Mikuni Prefectural High School) in 1942. During his time in Mikuni, he also had connections with evacuated poet Tatsuji Miyoshi and others. Mikuni High School produced many talented artists, and he also continued to actively engage in creative activities. He created numerous
mixed-media works, combining materials such as driftwood and junk iron, pottery fragments, wood chips, and plastics to create
sculptures. During this time, he exhibited his works not only in Japan but also at biennales in São Paulo and Venice, earning him high praise both at home and abroad for his junk art.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81038/186/81038-186-d27df16a799cd94eb05c489a100473d6-2765×2074.jpg Mayor Ikeda Sakai presents a letter of appreciation to Masato Ono for the donation.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81038/186/81038-186-483233f646b3dc2a267ad55046e0acbb-2612×1782.jpg Relatives and associates pose for a commemorative photo in front of the works donated to the city. He lived a unique life both as a teacher and as a writer. He once said that the reason he moved to Mikuni was “to find the birthplace of Toshusai Sharaku.” He also has many anecdotes about his outlandish remarks on the podium, such as when he told his students at Mikuni High School, “Don’t sit through these boring classes, go to the cinema and watch films from around the world. You’ll learn much more that way.” One of Ono’s students, art director Masatoshi Toda (currently living in Sakai City), also attended the donation ceremony. The works donated this time primarily consist of works from Ono’s later years, from after 1969 through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s (many of which are of unknown date). They feature Ono’s characteristically challenging works, transcending the boundaries of painting, sculpture, and three-dimensional art, such as those using the “dripping” technique, which involves dripping paint onto shapes made from materials such as seashells, bellows hoses, and cardboard. The collection also includes works from the 1980s, such as the “Just a Person” and “Terra Terra Wilderness” series, which were highly acclaimed in the art world at the time. On this day, 13 pieces, including “Dismantling Man Ray on Another Night,” were displayed on the wall of the ONO Memorial. At the donation ceremony, Masato Ono handed a list of the works to Mayor Yoshitaka Ikeda, who presented him with a letter of appreciation. Mayor Ikeda expressed his gratitude, saying, “Ono’s numerous donations are a joy for our citizens. Contemporary art is more about feeling than seeing, but the city will utilize the works in various ways.” Looking over the works, Masatoshi Toda said, “Mr. Ono always said that his rivals were children. It’s precisely from children’s innocent sensibilities that outstanding works are born. That’s why I want many children in Sakai City to experience Ono’s work in person.” Shinji Higewake (73), a collector of Ono’s work from Fukui City, added, “Ono’s work, in a sense, transcends boundaries. That’s why it continues to be highly regarded in the art world. Recently, more and more people feel like they’ve seen art just by looking at it on their smartphone screen, but there’s great significance in seeing Ono’s work here (at the ONO Memorial). I encourage everyone to come and see it.” The donated works will be permanently exhibited at the ONO Memorial, with a rotating rotation. For inquiries to the ONO Memorial, please call 0776 (82) 5666 (Sakai City Ryusho Museum). For more information about this release