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# A Typhoon Swept This Yayoi Kusama Sculpture Away to Sea
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/typhoon-swept-yayoi-kusama-sculpture-away/
- Published: 2021-08-09T20:32:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-27T15:35:05.000Z
- Description: The artwork was installed on a pier on the shore of Naoshima in Kagawa Prefecture.
- Author: Hakim Bishara
- Tags: News, Japan, Yayoi Kusama, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 09:11 (2021, 2022, part 1)

Earlier today, August 9, a typhoon on the island of Naoshima in southeastern Japan washed away and severely damaged an iconic yellow and black dotted pumpkin by famed artist Yayoi Kusama.

The artwork was installed on a pier on the shore of Naoshima in Kagawa Prefecture in 1994 and has since become a popular tourist attraction. [Video footage](https://www.instagram.com/p/CSWcGcZr1mY/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&ig%5Frid=e98d4f43-d454-4bad-b1a2-b996f0a082ce) from the island shows the dislodged pumpkin sculpture tumbling on the waves of the Seto Inland Sea, ripped from its base by the high tide and strong winds. According to the [*Asahi Shimbun*](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14414357?ref=hyperallergic.com), the sculpture also slammed into the pier several times.

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/CSWcGcZr1mY/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by Avant Arte (@avant.arte)](https://www.instagram.com/p/CSWcGcZr1mY/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

[https://www.instagram.com/p/CSWcGcZr1mY/](https://www.instagram.com/p/CSWcGcZr1mY/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

Staff from the local Benesse Art Site have retrieved the damaged artwork from the ocean, the [*Washington Post*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/09/yayoi-kusama-pumpkin-typhoon/?ref=hyperallergic.com) reported. The organization said the artwork will be sent to restoration and eventually put back on display.

Typhoon Lupit hit southwestern Japan on Sunday night with heavy rainfall and high winds reaching up to 50 miles per hour. It is the [ninth typhoon](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210809/p2g/00m/0na/013000c?ref=hyperallergic.com) to hit Japan this year.