[Image: Toshiko Akamatsu "Palau" oil painting (1940)]

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The Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels was constructed with a single goal in mind: to ensure that anyone, at any time, could see the Hiroshima Panels created by the husband and wife team of Iri and Toshi Maruki simply by coming to the museum. 

The Maruki's were among the first to arrive in Hiroshima immediately after the atomic bombing, and began painting the series of "Hiroshima Panels" during the post-war U.S. occupation, when reports of the damage caused by the bombing were subject to severe censorship. They traveled throughout Japan, holding exhibitions at community centers, temples, and school gymnasiums, widely conveying the reality of the atomic bombing. They spent the rest of their lives depicting the folly of war, pollution, and other forms of human suffering and destruction.

This museum introduces the activities of the Marukis as artists, inheriting their passion for life. The museum is surrounded by the lush greenery of the Hiki Hills and the gentle murmur of the Miyakonoi River. In a space so quiet and peaceful that it is easy to forget the passage of time, visitors are invited to reflect on the long journey of collaboration between Iri and Toshi Maruki, starting with the "Hiroshima Panels".

Toshiko Akamatsu and the South Pacific Islands