Photo/Illutration “Foreign Matter: Sand in Woman” by REMA in Osaka’s Suminoe Ward on March 1 (Shinnosuke Ito)

OSAKA--The Kita-Kagaya neighborhood of Suminoe Ward here is less than 30 minutes from downtown Osaka, yet it has a left-behind-the-times feel about it.

But the residential area has another side as well. A narrow alley barely wide enough for one car to pass features a large sculpture of a woman with carefully braided hair, long eyelashes and nose piercing that practically calls out to people to stop by. 

The statue, titled “Foreign Matter: Sand in Woman,” was made from sand using a 3D printer.

That such an eccentric work of art stands in the quiet residential area is testimony to the influx of arty types over the past two decades.

Just dozens of meters away by foot, the wall of a building is adorned with a drawing of children writing graffiti.

Murals can be found on the walls of many houses and factories along the streets.

“The townscape has remained the same for the past 40 years, but it’s fun to find new pieces of art every time I come back,” said a 47-year-old man enjoying a stroll through the neighborhood one weekday afternoon in March.

The man is from Kita-Kagaya but now lives outside Osaka Prefecture.

Suminoe Ward is located on the southern tip of the city’s waterfront area, serving as its gateway to the sea and the artificial island of Sakishima in Osaka Bay with its large complexes and striking prefectural government office building.

With the Kizugawa river running through its northern part to flow into Osaka Bay, the Kita-Kagaya neighborhood flourished as a shipbuilding community from the Taisho Era (1912-1926).

But associated businesses pulled out of the area by the late Showa Era (1926-1989) when ships became too large to navigate the river, causing a population drain.

However, the neighborhood later became known as an “art town” through the efforts of Chishima Real Estate Co.

Founded 110 years ago, the company based in Suminoe Ward owns 230,000 square meters of land in Kita-Kagaya, or about one-third of the total area of the neighborhood.

Worried about the waning community, the firm has been striving since 2004 to revitalize Kita-Kagaya with the help of art.

It rents out vacant homes and factories, mainly on the vast site of a plant formerly operated by Namura Shipbuilding Co., to artists. It also hosts events.

Currently, 150 artists and creators live in the area, dotted with ateliers where they can work on their creative endeavors.

Thirty-seven works, including murals, sculptures and other pieces of art, are displayed for public viewing. And the number is increasing.

While the company asks the artists to create works, it also receives requests from overseas artists who want to draw illustrations to mark their visit to Japan.

A map showing the locations of the art pieces and restaurants in the neighborhood is also available so visitors can enjoy the area to its fullest.  

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