As “Gallery sowaka”, it was opened in April 1992. The name "sowaka" is taken from Boji-sowaka at the end of the Prajna core sutra, since it is located near the east gate of To-ji Temple. In May 1994, the first floor, the second floor, and the basement were combined, and the gallery was re-opened with four spaces. It was closed once in March 2006, and after that it published the book “Galley SOWAKA 1992-2006” describing its activities over 14 years in June 2007. In April 2008, the gallery was reopened as “sowaka” and actively holds project exhibitions that “dip” into the concept “art should exist in life”. Among the exhibited artists in the long actibity are Yoshiyasu Suzuka, Takashi Kunitani, Shigehiko Hongo, S+N, Takeshi Honda, Nobuya Houki, Nobuhiro Nakanishi, Kohei Nawa, Takako Hojo, Takashi Tanimoto, and Yasuyuki Mori.