The "Ohara Museum of Art" is the architecture that gives a full presence in Okayama's Kurashiki-Bikan district. It contains many masterpieces of ancient and modern art, collected from the world. It reports on the charm of each building, with its sights and topics.
The "Ohara Museum of Art" was established by Kurashiki businessman Magosaburō Ohara in 1930 as Japan's first private art museum with a focus on Western art. It consists of the main building, a branch hall (only the exterior can be visited for long-term closure), a craft/Toyo-kan, and a memorial hall for Kojiro Kojima, and representative works of Western art, Japanese Western paintings, sculptures, crafts, etc. It stores and displays as many as 3000 works from across countries and ages.
It was Western-style painter Torajiro Kojima who collected the outstanding works of the "Ohara Museum of Art". Mgosaburo Ohara recognized Torajirō's talent and personality, financially supporting her three-time study in Europe, and also accepted the collection of Western art works, which Torajirō recommended. To expose those works and those of Torajirō, he created a museum.
The main building, which has a symbolic appearance in the style of an ancient Greek-Roman temple, seems to have retained its appearance at the time of its opening. You can't miss designs such as round windows on the second floor of the building, which have the sense of design of the architect, Yakushiji Kazue, who designed the building.
Among the main buildings lined up with a number of world-class masterpieces purchased by Torajiro, "Annunciation" is said to be a miracle in Japan. As if the Archangel Cabriel, which heralds the conception of the Virgin Mary and Christ, is right there! The work of El Greco, one of Spain's three great painters, was expensive enough to be purchased by Torajiro after consulting with Magosaburo at the time. It is emotional when you consider that if it were not for the passion and financial strength of the two, it might not have been seen in Japan.
There is an anecdote about Torajiro's visit to Monet's home, which was already famous at the time, and was directly given over in the "Ohara Museum". It is one selected by Torajiro from multiple paintings prepared by Monet. When viewed from a distance, the delicate touch of clouds and sky reflected on the surface of the water is characteristic. In the pond at the entrance of the craft hall, you can also see water lilies divided from Monet's garden.
The vivid color catches the eye of Paul Gauguin, a native of France, on his first visit to Tahiti. Gauguin's bold use of color, which had gained vitality in art by touching the life of the southern countries before it was defiled by civilization, was recognized after his death and influenced the art of the 20th century.
The main building still has a large number of masterpieces, sculptures and other must-see works.
The art museum is a renovation of a building that used to be a rice brewery in the Edo period with the design of a dyer, Serizawa Keisuke. A red-walled storehouse stands in a corner surrounding a courtyard with a white-walled storehouse unique to Kurashiki.
At the kōgei-kan, the works of six writers who are related to the Mingei movement, such as Kawai Kanjiro and Munakata shiko, are exhibited room by room. Please also pay attention to the building, including wood brick floors and Kurashiki glass stained glass. The Toyo Hall is lined with Chinese stone Buddhas and so on.
After enjoying the art, at the museum shop, you can enjoy the art of the gift. This "Soebumi-Sen" is an original with figures from the buildings of the Ohara Museum of Art and the famous paintings in the collection. It is the perfect item to convey a message.
Stoles and T-shirts designed such as sculptures and paintings are also reputed. I'm happy to wear my favorite works.
The bottle stopper, which is based on the image of a cat from ancient Egypt, is very popular with cat lovers! There are also two bronze statues of Rodin standing in front of the main building in the same series.
You can enter the museum shop without an entrance ticket.
The duration is approximately one hour in the main building and the Crafts and Toyo-kan. The Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall, which opened its grand opening in 2025, is about a one-minute walk from the main building. It is a converted building of the former Bank of China Kurashiki Honcho Branch Office. The "Ohara Museum of Art", which is full of places to see. Don't miss the masterpieces and enjoy the art appreciation.
Address: 1-1-15 Chuo, Kurashiki, Okayama
TEL:086-422-0005
Opening hours: 9-17: 00 (entry to 16:30); 12-February 9-15 (entry to 14:30)
Holidays: Mondays (open for public holidays/transfer holidays), no holidays from late July to August, there are winter holidays and temporary holidays.
Price: Entrance (common to the main building, Kogakutan/Toyo-kan, Kojima Torajirō Memorial Hall) 2000 yen for general, 500 yen for elementary, middle and high school students (under 18 years old)
In the center of Okayama city, a large collection of seafood in Setouchi and local dishes using local ingredients! We picked up recommended menus from popular restaurants that have been loved for many years, such as Ebimeshi, Demikatsu-don and Bara sushi in Okayama.
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