incorporated a Noh stage and developed his own style of performance, called . He also encouraged performances of , a theatrical style with much in common with Noh but a focus on modern works. Sometimes kimono were specially made for performances; other times works from the 'Universe' or 'Mount Fuji' series would appear on stage. Exhibitions Kubota first exhibited his artistic kimono in 1977 in Tokyo. Shortly following this, after having held several shows around Japan, Kubota and his creations drew interest from the rest of the world, and his work was exhibited first in the USA in 1980, and then in France in 1983. His work was exhibited in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands in 1989, before being shown in Spain and then France for a third time in 1990; his work was exhibited in the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. In 1994 and 1995, Kubota's work returned to Japan, where it found a permanent home in Kawaguchi-ko, in the Kubota-designed and financed museum which preserves and showcases them to the present day. The following year, Kubota's work created a sensation at the Smithsonian, Washington, USA and the Canadian Museum of Civilizations, Hull; Kubota's works were also exhibited in Germany in 2000. Following a large programme of exhibitions, the exhibition "Kimono as Art: the Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota" were exhibited between 2008 and 2009 in the San Diego Museum of Art and the Canton Museum of Art in Ohio, with over 100,000 guests enjoying the exhibition. Since the acquisition of the Kubota Collection in 2011 by Dr. Patokh Chodiev, Founder of the International Chodiev Foundation, the international promotion and preservation of the artworks were conducted by the Foundation. As a result, the collection was received to critical acclaim in Kazakhstan and Russia in 2013-2014, the Netherlands, France and Belgium in 2015 – 2016, and Canada and USA in 2018. In 2020, some of the Collection's key pieces were featured in "Kimono: Fashioning Identities" exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum. Kubota's work can be seen year-round at the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum in Kawaguchi-ko in Yamanashi. The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum is located in the wooded hills along the northern coast of Lake Kawaguchi, in Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan. It is the former residence and workshop of the artist, and is now a permanent home to the Kubota Collection. For many years, Kubota