ARTICLES
A Fire Destroyed Their Gallery, But Not Their Spirit: The 'PORT OF ARTIST' Mission to Support Young Creators in Ebetsu Continues
On January 7, 2026, a fire caused major damage to the Oasa Ginza Shopping Street in Ebetsu City. The "PORT OF ARTIST Gallery (POA Gallery)," which had just opened last November, was also burned to the ground. Despite this, the operating organization has not stopped, continuing its new challenge to protect a space for young artists to exhibit their work. We investigated their current situation and their hopes for the future to find out what support we can offer now.
The "PORT OF ARTIST Gallery" Destroyed by Fire: A Sudden Tragedy for the Young Artists' Hub
From the joint exhibition held last November (Photo: POA Gallery)
The "PORT OF ARTIST Gallery" opened in November 2025 within the Oasa Ginza Shopping Street as part of the "PORT OF ARTIST (POA)" project, which supports young artists and creators across all genres, including painting, illustration, sculpture, music, video, and literature.
▼Click here for a report on the first official exhibition by six registered artists held in November.
The "POA Gallery" is run by the NPO Minato Keikaku, which has a long history of supporting young people based in Ebetsu. After five years of preparation for "POA" and the opening of its gallery headquarters, a crowdfunding campaign to recruit supporters for "POA" was launched in December. Just as they were gearing up for a full-scale start, the fire broke out in the shopping street. Unfortunately, the gallery was completely destroyed.
The devastating state of the gallery's interior (Photo: POA Gallery)
Relaunching in the Same Oasa Ginza Shopping Street! A Joint Exhibition is Underway in a Donated Space
"Gallery Tegaku" inside Washoku Ichikawa. The restaurant is closed for the winter season (Photo: POA Gallery)
"I was stunned when the fire happened, thinking 'I can't believe this...' but thankfully, 'Gallery Tegaku' in the same Oasa Ginza Shopping Street offered to provide a venue for our February joint exhibition. When I reached out to our registered artists, they all said, 'Let's do it!'" says Masahiko Hashimoto of Minato Keikaku, who has been active in the shopping street for many years.
The exhibiting artists divided the tasks, such as flyer design and caption creation, and successfully opened the "Where the Footprints Lead" joint exhibition by PORT OF ARTIST affiliated artists on February 1st (running until March 1st).
Seven registered artists are exhibiting. Mr. Hashimoto is also present at the gallery during the exhibition (Photo: POA Gallery)
"The gallery was meant to be a symbolic space for the 'POA' project, but just because it burned down doesn't mean there's nothing we can do. In terms of providing a venue for our registered artists, we can now expand our thinking and discuss where they want to exhibit, both within and outside of Hokkaido. If anyone needs advice, I want them to feel free to contact us anytime." (Masahiko Hashimoto)
"PORT OF ARTIST" Joint Exhibition Vol. 2: "Where the Footprints Lead"
■Dates: Thursday–Friday, 11:00 AM–6:00 PM, from February 1 (Sun) to March 1 (Sun), 2026
■Fee: Free admission
■Venue: Gallery Tegaku (inside Washoku Ichikawa, Oasa Ginza Shopping Street, 13-37 Oasahigashi-cho, Ebetsu City)
Click here for details and map information for the '"PORT OF ARTIST" Joint Exhibition Vol. 2: "Where the Footprints Lead"'
Support for the Future: Championing the Expression and Creativity of the Younger Generation
Finally, we would like to introduce the POA funding campaign, which was halted due to the fire, and a new fund established for the shopping street in the wake of the disaster.
First is the crowdfunding campaign to recruit monthly supporters for POA.
A crowdfunding campaign to "recruit partners to run the project together"
"I believe there are quite a few people who want to support the expression and creativity of the younger generation. However, many may not know how to support them or what kind of connection they can have with young artists. I hope this POA crowdfunding campaign reaches those people." (Masahiko Hashimoto)
■Click here for the crowdfunding campaign to "recruit partners to run the project together"
Next is the Minato Fund.
The "Minato Fund" is a grant that young people under 30 can apply for 365 days a year.
"This is the foundational fund for our activities. It allows us to respond flexibly to any situation, such as when young people involved with POA or the shopping street are in trouble. If there are people who don't want young people to give up on their dreams for financial reasons, regardless of the genre, I would be grateful if they would first donate to this fund." (Masahiko Hashimoto)
■Click here for the "Minato Fund"
And finally, the Ebetsu Oasa Ginza Shopping Street Support Fund.
This fund is managed by the Hokkaido Disaster Recovery Support Fund.
"Because this shopping street exists, young people from various backgrounds can find a community (store) where they feel they belong, spend time there, and always have a place to return to even after they leave. It's important to have a place in town where young people can easily take on challenges, and at meetings for the shopping street's reconstruction, the opinion that this perspective is essential has been raised. Even if the exact same thing isn't rebuilt, a corner where the younger generation can gather and grow will surely be born again." (Masahiko Hashimoto)
■Click here for the "Ebetsu Oasa Ginza Shopping Street Support Fund"
The three funds above have different focuses—creative activities, general livelihood, and community—but they all share the same underlying desire to nurture the younger generation. If any of these resonate with you, we hope you will consider offering your support. While we hope for the day the "POA Gallery" returns as a physical space in the shopping street, please also visit the joint exhibition currently being held!
Writer's Profile
Writer Hitoo Matsuda
From 2007 to 2010, I published a free paper called "WG" and have been working as a freelance writer since 2010. I particularly love performing arts and fine art. I have been purchasing artworks, mainly paintings, from galleries since around 2002. I hope my reports here will help someone find that 'one piece' for themselves.
