Sakai City History and Culture at Nigiwai Plaza - Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko|Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko's homepage

Sakai in the Middle Ages was an autonomous city run by influential merchants and is known as a trading city that prospered through trade. Excavations at the Sakai Moated City Ruins have uncovered remains of buildings, roads, moats, and ceramics, giving us a glimpse into what medieval Sakai was like at the time. 

This exhibition focuses on the area west of the current main road (Kishu Kaido), which corresponds to the coastal area where goods brought in for trade and other purposes were gathered. The landscape of the time will be reconstructed using clues such as merchants' houses and storehouses, as well as the ceramics stored there, discovered during excavations.

Additionally, we will explore the prosperity of medieval Sakai by focusing on exquisite items owned by Sakai merchants, such as ceramics collected from various places and excavated in the city center.

Dates│January 24, 2026 (Sat) - March 15 (Sun)

　　　* Closed on February 17 (Tuesday)

Hours: 9:00-18:00 (last entry 17:30)

Venue│2nd floor special exhibition room

Admission fee: 300 yen for adults, 200 yen for high school students, free for junior high school students and younger and those 65 years of age or older who live in Sakai City

　　　　*You can see it with tickets to the Sen no Rikyu Tea Ceremony Museum and the Yosano Akiko Memorial Museum.

Organizer: Sakai City

Part 1: Domestic and imported ceramics excavated from the Sakai moated city ruins

Lecturer: Cultural Properties Division Curator

Part 2: "East Asian Maritime Exchange and Sakai"

Lecturer: Shuichi Seki (Professor, Kobe Women's University)

Date and Time: February 8, 2026 (Sun) 13:00-15:30

Venue: Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko, 2nd floor lecture room

Participation fee: Free

Capacity: First 50 people

Application | Applications open from 9:00 on Sunday, January 4th

The reservation site isCLICK HERE

Or call us at 072-260-4386

Date and Time: February 8, 2026 (Sun) 15:50-16:10

Venue: Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko Special Exhibition Room

Participation fee: Exhibition ticket required

No application required, please come directly to the venue on the day