Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto’s first large-scale exhibition titled “The Galaxy Express 999 50th Anniversary Project Leiji Matsumoto Exhibition -Journey of Creation” is scheduled to open at Tokyo City View in Tokyo from June 20 to September 7, 2025.Matsumoto’s masterpieces Galaxy Express 999 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock began serialization in 1977 and will celebrate their 50th anniversaries in 2027. A number of projects to commemorate the memorial year are now in the works, with this exhibition the first of them.Through more than 300 original drawings — including his early works, documents and precious memorabilia exhibited for the first time — this exhibition will show Leiji Matsumoto’s skills as an artist through the fields of manga and anime.
Key Visual
Makiko Matsumoto (Matsumoto’s daughter and the current president of his production company Leijisha) shared the following message:
It has been two years since my father, Leiji Matsumoto, departed for the sea of stars, and thanks to the efforts of all concerned, we are pleased to present an exhibition of his original drawings. Although Matsumoto left without even a single pen, which he cherished so much, each of the many original drawings he left behind, as many as a star, clearly reflect his life as it was at that time. I grew up watching my father’s face as he sat at his desk and worked single-mindedly with his pen. When I was a child, I missed him because he was always working, but now, through the original drawings he left behind, I am happy and blessed to be able to see my father as he was then, and the miracle of meeting him as a young boy. Matsumoto always used to say, “We will meet again in the distant place where the wheels of time connect,” which may exist not only in the future but also in the past. We hope that through this exhibition, each and every one of you will have the opportunity to encounter Matsumoto at a “place where the wheels of time connect” of your own heart.
A video interview between manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, a close friend of Leiji Matsumoto, and Naoko Yamazaki, who was inspired by Galaxy Express 999 and Space Battleship Yamato to become an astronaut, is also now streaming on Toei Animation’s official YouTube channel under the title “Thinking of Leiji Matsumoto”.
Sources: “The Galaxy Express 999 50th Anniversary Project Leiji Matsumoto Exhibition -Journey of Creation” official website, Press Release©Matsumoto Leiji / Leijisha, Toei Animation
