[PARCO Co., Ltd.] Hokkaido-born, world-renowned designer and sculptor Igarashi Takenobu to hold largest-ever exhibition at Sapporo PARCO
PARCO Co., Ltd. Press Release: August 28, 2025 Hokkaido-born, world-renowned designer and sculptor Igarashi Takenobu will be holding his largest-ever exhibition at Sapporo PARCO. His representative works include the Sapporo Station Star Clock and the logos for Suntory and Meiji Dairies. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sapporo PARCO’s opening, Sapporo PARCO (3-3 Minami 1-jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo) will be holding an exhibition titled “A-Z Homage to Takenobu Igarashi,” featuring sculptor and designer Takenobu Igarashi, who passed away in February 2025.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-d9c76e4844f135e9f8ee1e2482b65696-3900×2592.jpg PARCO Neon Sign (from August 7th) Photo: Koji Sakai Igarashi’s first encounter with PARCO was during the Shibuya PARCO PART 3 project, which opened in 1981. As one of the core designers, Igarashi worked on many designs, including the logo, signage, shoppers, and in-store graphics. The simple yet powerful PARCO logo is affectionately known as the “Igarashi logo” within the company and is still used as exterior wall signage in Kichijoji, Nagoya, and other locations. The neon sign, removed from the exterior wall of Shibuya PARCO when it was demolished for reconstruction, is now treasured and permanently exhibited in the Shibuya and Shinsaibashi stores. The Igarashi logo is a symbol of PARCO culture, passed down through generations. Igarashi, who has designed logos for Suntory, Meiji Dairies, Calpis, and others, has garnered global attention for his three-dimensional alphabet works. His poster calendars (PARCO ver., created in 1982, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York) ver., created between 1984 and 1991) featuring numbers in a unique style solidified his international reputation. This exhibition focuses on Igarashi’s work as a designer before he transitioned to sculptorship in 1994. It unravels his logo design for PARCO PART 3 and showcases his typeface variations. The exhibition, set throughout the Sapporo PARCO building, brings together his creative works, including the alphabet sculptures (24 of which remain) exhibited at Shibuya PARCO’s Street Gallery, the “PARCO Version” poster calendar (1982) that served as the prototype for MoMA’s poster calendar, and sculptures and graphic designs themed around the letters A through Z. Title: A-Z Homage to Takenobu Igarashi Dates: Saturday, October 4th – Monday, November 10th Location: Sapporo PARCO (1st floor main window, 7th floor SPACE7, B2F-7F STEPS207), Daimaru Sapporo (1st floor atrium) *The 1st floor window display is currently on display Admission Fee: 7th Floor SPACE7 500 yen *Free for preschoolers Organizer: Sapporo PARCO Co-organizer: Igarashi Takenobu Museum of Art and Kazenobi Cooperation: Kanazawa Institute of Technology Igarashi Takenobu Archive ■ Profile Igarashi Takenobu Igarashi Takenobu 1944 – 2025
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-50761c7ada5b973f18a09559f5b1b69e-552×556.png Born in Takikawa City, Hokkaido. Designer and sculptor. After graduating from the Department of Design at Tama Art University, he moved to the United States and completed a master’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His representative works include the calendar for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, logos for PARCO PART3, Calpis, Meiji Dairies, and Suntory, as well as product designs utilizing local industry techniques from across Japan. In the 1980s, he created alphabet sculptures using a variety of materials. After working as a graphic and product designer, he moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and devoted himself to sculpture. He created numerous public art pieces using a variety of materials, including stone, wood, metal, terracotta, and stained glass. He returned to Japan in 2004. He founded the NPO Art Challenge Taro Kichizo and held design conferences. He also served as president of Tama Art
University. He also has deep ties to Hokkaido, having designed the “JR Tower” logo at Sapporo Station, the “Great Clock of the Stars,” the station clock in the concourse, and the terracotta work “Mountains, Rivers, and Scenery” for Observation Deck T38. He is a recipient of the Hokkaido Culture Award. The “Igarashi Takenobu Archive” was established at Kanazawa Institute of Technology, and his sculptures and studio are open to the public at the “Igarashi Takenobu Museum Kazenobi” in Shintotsukawa, Hokkaido. He died of progressive supranuclear palsy at a hospital in Sapporo on February 12, 2025, at the age of 80. Takenobu Igarashi https://takenobuigarashi.jp/ Igarashi Takenobu Museum of Art Kazenobi https://takenobuigarashi.jp/kazenobi/ Takenobu Igarashi Archive https://igarashiarchive.jp/ ■ Representative works
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-a830ec86b625606d1dcae68fad6e6fd1-1902×2700.jpg Summer Jazz Posters (1976-1991)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-2410ffce7f0adcf7c19a05dfdbb0800e-2000×1357.jpg Shibuya PARCO Part 3 Logo (1981)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-794b8c968249e707b943717e58fca48a-1816×2640.jpg Shibuya PARCO Part 3 Logo (1981) Shibuya PARCO Part 3 Logo (1981) *Kanazawa Institute of Technology Takenobu Igarashi Archive Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-61a85df9542d9ce50b145b21e56ea830-2000×2549.jpg Shibuya PARCO Part 3 Logo (1981)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-3ae87b752b8b58e3c6e0a868c73c85e1-2000×1404.jpg MoMA Poster Calendar (1984-1991) *Images provided by Takeo Archives
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-081f79e0869354ce0634082b4ac6f7e2-1768×2700.jpg Meiji Dairies Logo (1986)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-98dbaeb0dc098105938cd5e1260c96d5-2000×2668.jpg “Aluminum Alphabet Sculpture” (1983) Photo by Megumi Wada Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-3bcdfe4fab4e731744afee8ac05aefd5-2000×1595.jpg “Hibiki” Suntory Hall, Tokyo (1986) Photo by Mera Masaru
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-714074a69896eb61adef35490f5d1316-2000×1594.jpg Nike “180” sculpture (1990) photo by Mitsumasa Fujitsuka
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/3639/3505/3639-3505-db24dea15862350913da4105d3accd1f-2000×1334.jpg “Sapporo Station, Great Clock of the Stars” (2003) photo by Hiroshi Sakai All photographs published here unless otherwise noted are provided by the “Igarashi Takenobu Museum of Art Kazenobi”
