March 15, 2026, marked exactly one year since HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA first opened. To celebrate, we invited the directors of two facilities and three artists to a commemorative talk event.

Shinya Murabayashi, director of Kibou no Sono in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture, artists Ikkei Okukameya and Keisuke Mori, as well as Akihiko Mizukami, director of Safran Seikatsuen in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, and artist Naoto Iguchi, joined us for a discussion moderated by Marie Kitamura of HERALBONY.

Different facilities and different forms of creation gathered at HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA, a research hub in Ginza, creating a time where the boundaries between artists and visitors gently opened.

We present the day's events, which featured stories of the artists nurtured at each facility and the cherished thoughts expressed by both facility directors.

The event began with self-introductions. The unique personalities of the artists shone through in their greetings, immediately filling the venue with a warm atmosphere and laughter. The ability to create such an environment so quickly is one of their extraordinary charms.

Marie Kitamura (hereafter, Kitamura): First, could you please introduce "Safran Seikatsuen" and "Kibou no Sono"?

Akihiko Mizukami (hereafter, Mizukami): Safran Seikatsuen, located in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, has just celebrated its 40th anniversary. In short, it's a traditional workshop. While some people are skilled in art or enjoy drawing, we don't specialize in art; it's just a regular facility in town.

We've tried various things like crafting and baking, but in the past, it was a facility focused on making things "neat and straight." More recently, we've been trying to connect people's hobbies, interests, particular tastes, and the pleasure of touching materials with society, so we're a facility that challenges ourselves in that regard.Shinya Murabayashi (hereafter, Murabayashi): Kibou no Sono is located in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture, and we established an NPO in 2005. Through that NPO, we operate the "Matsusaka Challenged Place Kibou no Sono" a life support service office. Our aim is to foster and support artists with disabilities, and to help people with disabilities and minorities achieve self-realization. To that end, we've been continuously engaged in artistic activities, social activities, and international exchange. We also hold about 50 events a year, including art, music, performances, and exchange meetings with elementary and junior high schools.

The Encounter of Two Facilities

Kitamura: The two facilities gathered here today have deep connections, having collaborated on various unique initiatives. How did you two come to know each other?

Mizukami: There are many facilities in Aichi Prefecture where people with disabilities connect with society through art, but we only have a minor connection to such communities.

The things that Naoto Iguchi (artist) created through play suddenly gained attention as art, which led to our connection with Heralbony. My meetings with Mr. Murabayashi through exhibitions and events hosted by Heralbony were the beginning.

Kitamura: So Heralbony was the catalyst that brought the two facilities together. And before we knew it, Ikkei-san and Iguchi-san had become very good friends.Murabayashi: There was an event at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art last year, and that's where they became really good friends. Iguchi-san performed with a copier, and Ikkei-san was there too.

Mizukami: It's hard for Iguchi-san to make friends, and it's really difficult to "connect" with people when you're at the facility.

The first time Ikkei-san and Iguchi-san met, there was a moment where it wasn't about "giver/receiver" but "meeting as people." Ikkei-san came to that event wearing clothes made from aluminum cans.

Murabayashi: At Kibou no Sono, we do a social activity of picking up trash every day, and those were clothes made from aluminum cans we picked up there.

Mizukami: Our members wore them too and were happy, thinking they were "cool," but Iguchi-san, who is very clear about what he doesn't like and what he wants to do, said, "No, I won't wear it."
But when Ikkei-san said, "It's fine, isn't it?"—Ikkei-san's unique hospitality clicked with Iguchi-san, and they took photos together, and even copied together on the copier (laughs).

Murabayashi: (Iguchi-san said) "You take it too, hurry up and take it!" (laughs).Mizukami: Such a miraculous thing happened—I've been in the welfare world for about 26 years, but it's rare to see moments like that where things change so suddenly. But there, Iguchi-san and Ikkei-san met, met as people beyond their disabilities, and formed a relationship that could truly be called friendship, and that made me happy.

Kitamura: I saw that photo on social media at the time. They both looked so genuinely happy, and I remember feeling happy myself to see their connection. Ikkei-san also called Iguchi-san "my friend" earlier, didn't he?

Okukameya: Of course.

About the Artists

Kitamura: Could you please reintroduce Naoto Iguchi's creative work?Mizukami: Since he was little, Iguchi-san loved English logos and designed packages, collecting them and sticking them all over his body. When a copier was introduced to the facility in 2003, he thought, "It might be fun to arrange and copy the things I've collected," and that's how his act of copying his favorite things began. When a staff member playfully suggested, "Why don't you put your hand in?" Iguchi-san said, "I'll do it." And when they suggested, "Why don't you shake it?" he again said, "I'll do it."

And finally, when they said, "Why don't you put your face in?" he tried that too—and it turned out he liked copying his own face the most. It surpassed English marks and packages (laughs). That's how face copying began.

And because he wanted to make color copies, he started going to the Lawson convenience store, which is only a minute's walk away. At first, staff accompanied him for 3-4 years to operate the machine, but now he goes alone, and his familiar convenience stores have grown to three. Those Lawson stores have an unwritten warmth, where the staff always greet him with "Welcome back." They naturally accept Iguchi-san and quickly wipe the copier screen after he's used it.

During summer vacation, elementary school students who volunteer at Safran Seikatsuen notice him, saying, "There's an old man making copies at the convenience store!" He's become a very familiar presence in the community, a somewhat eccentric old man (laughs).

Kitamura: It's amazing how the act of copying naturally creates connections within the community, and how he's so naturally accepted there. It's truly a wonderful story

Murabayashi: (Iguchi-san) seems very satisfied today, like "I'm the star!"

Mizukami: It's unusual for Iguchi-san to sit so calmly here. It's amazing. Iguchi-san is usually a very impatient person. Through art, he's visited Heralbony's gallery 3-4 times, and I think he feels like he's found his place here.

Kitamura: Next, could you tell us about Ikkei Okukameya's creative work?Murabayashi: Ikkei-san is an artist who is very interested in current social affairs. He loves programs like Sunday Debate, and figures like President Trump and Prime Minister Abe appear in his works.

Just the other day, after seeing news of children dying in an American airstrike on Iran, he came to me with tears in his eyes, asking, "How can we stop this?" I told him, "What we can do is draw pictures to advocate for peace." So, for today's live painting, we decided to change the original plan and create a new work.

But while he's very interested in social affairs, he also enjoys collecting records. He's been in Tokyo since yesterday and has visited about five record stores (laughs).

When he listens to love songs while hearing news of war, social affairs and romance get all mixed up. That's his unique "delusional tendency"; a doctor once said he wouldn't fail a lie detector test, his boundary between delusion and reality is so blurred. But that's the truth for Ikkei-san. And that's how works like "Don't fight, make love" are born. An artist with an intellectual disability who has social themes is quite rare.

Kitamura: The work displayed as a finalist for the HERALBONY Art Prize 2025, which featured John Lennon and Yoko Ono's records as a motif, also had a theme of love, didn't it?

Murabayashi: That's right. The consistent theme is to express love, not anger, and to present love. Also, a green line under the nose is Ikkei-san's trademark in all his works, so if it has that, you know it's his (laughs).

Kitamura: Next, could you introduce Keisuke Mori?Murabayashi: Keisuke Mori's theme is to draw "cool people, beautiful people" while looking at record jackets. For example, when he draws a person from a record jacket, the skin color or monochromatic tones would normally be dull, just like a photo, but for some reason, Mori-san's paintings have a unique, vibrant color scheme.

One day, he asked me, "How can I draw well?" so I advised him, "Try using bright colors for bright areas and dark colors for dark areas?" and it ended up like this (laughs).

Mizukami: Indeed! Generally, people might say, "It doesn't look alike, so it's no good," or "It's not that color," but you can't say that.

Murabayashi: That's right. The good thing is to let that free imagination explode as it is. He also spends a lot of time mixing colors, sometimes taking about 20 minutes on the palette. Smaller works take longer. The unexpectedness of the colors when completed is really interesting, and when you watch him work, it's a continuous surprise of "why does it become this color?"

Daily Communication

Kitamura: How do you usually communicate with the artists? Also, please tell us about the interactions that take place when a work is created.

Mizukami: It's difficult to build a desirable relationship if it becomes instructional, so I always strive to create a flat relationship while valuing that.

For example, when I copy with Iguchi-san, I think we can achieve that by "working together" when creating something, so I'm always mindful of that in my daily interactions. I also emphasize "enjoying the process."Murabayashi: At Kibou no Sono, we have about 45 artists, and each one has their own unique personality and what they possess, and we truly value that. How do we engage with them? It's about "becoming friends."

How do you become friends? I guess it's by not building walls—by not overly trusting the values of the environment you grew up in. By not overly believing in "report cards"—like "I have to get good grades" or "I have to try hard in sports"—and instead, by watching movies you like, reading books, listening to music, and viewing things based on that self-created world, I think you can feel closer to them and accept them for who they are.

If you approach them with an "anything goes, endless okay" attitude and build a long-term relationship, they will relax and be able to express themselves. I believe that's important.

Kitamura: I truly believe that, and when I visit welfare facilities, I often feel a sense of "liberation." We unconsciously live within various "shoulds" and "musts," but in those places, I feel a sense of freedom, as if those values are lightly overturned, and that feeling is palpable without needing words. I'm always very happy to be with everyone.

Future Dreams

Kitamura: I'd like to ask the artists what they want to do next. How about Iguchi-san?

(Iguchi-san shows his armband)

Kitamura: You want to make armbands!

Kitamura: How about Ikkei-san?

Okukameya: To have a solo exhibition in Germany.

Kitamura: Germany! Why Germany?

Murabayashi: It might be my fault. I've been to Germany, so maybe it comes from that.

Kitamura: How about Mori-san?

Mori: I want to draw a lot of pictures.

Murabayashi: A lot, how much?

Okukameya: "A lot" doesn't explain it! (The venue is filled with laughter)

Kitamura: I always love these two's exchanges; it's always like this (laughs).

"Fermentation" and "Making the Most of What Is"

We also received questions from the audience.

Audience member: Listening to the discussion, I was curious about what future prospects you envision as Heralbony and each facility have formed relationships, discovered possibilities and value in art welfare and economic activities, and are now engaged in those activities.

Mizukami: Iguchi-san has made me realize many things. Creating an environment where one can do what they love is quite difficult. In an era of time and cost efficiency, things that slowly mature and change are hard to see.

Some things change over five years, and we are constantly struggling with how to communicate that. I think it would be good if we could train society more on the importance of engaging without immediate judgment.

Also, I've been thinking about the word "fermentation." Fermentation and decay change depending on how humans perceive them. The same thing can be "fermentation" if seen positively, or "decay" if seen negatively. What society has discarded as "decay" may actually be something precious in welfare settings. I want to shift that towards the "fermentation" side.

Facilities for people with disabilities often have many "geniuses who make bent things," and I think it would be great if such things overflowed into the world, expanding the imagination of creators. I believe Heralbony is also communicating that, so I'm happy to be doing this together.

Murabayashi: I think many people support us because we operate with the idea of making the most of each individual's unique qualities. Everyone understands the difficulties of modern life. They support us because they know that approach has absolute appeal.

So, if we continue to do such things, I believe the world will become a better place. I think we can work with Heralbony to organize art and performance events nationwide and even go abroad together to forge new connections.Even after the event, the artists' creative drive did not stop, and the public art creation continued. A space where artists and customers exchanged words, and boundaries gently opened and blended.

It was a truly rich and meaningful time, allowing us to put into words what we usually feel when meeting facility directors and artists, and to reaffirm those feelings.

Moving forward, we will continue to work with artists and facilities to create spaces where boundaries open and various people gently mingle, thereby fostering opportunities for the world to gradually change.

About Artist Naoto Iguchi
About Artist Ikkei Okukameya
About Artist Keisuke Mori