Okura Museum of Art

Okura Museum of Art (大倉集古館, Ōkura Shūkokan) is a museum in Tokyo, Japan.[1]

Okura Museum of Art
大倉集古館
Exhibition Hall (1927) by Itō Chūta; reinforced concrete with bronze roof; Registered Cultural Property
Alternative namesŌkura Shūkokan
General information
Address2-10-3 Toranomon
Town or cityMinato, Tokyo
CountryJapan
Coordinates35°40′1″N 139°44′36″E
OpenedAugust 1917 / October 1928
Design and construction
ArchitectItō Chūta
Architecture firmŌkura Doboku
Website
shukokan.org

The museum opened in Toranomon, Tokyo in 1917 to house the collection of pre-modern Japanese and East-Asian Art amassed since the Meiji Restoration by industrialist Ōkura Kihachirō. The museum collection includes some 2,500 works, among which are three National Treasures and twelve Important Cultural Properties.[2]

The museum is located within the grounds of the Hotel Okura Tokyo. It has been closed for renovation since April 1, 2014.[2]

History

The Okura Museum of Art was the first private museum in Japan.[3][4] The museum and all the exhibits on display were destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake although works then in storage survived.[5] The exhibition hall was rebuilt in 1927 by leading architect and architectural historian Itō Chūta and is a Registered Cultural Property.[5][6] The museum collection was subsequently augmented by the founder's son, Ōkura Kishichirō.[2]

Collection

The three National Treasures in the collection are a Heian-period wooden statue of Samantabhadra (Fugen Bosatsu in Japanese) riding on an elephant;[7][8] a scroll painting Imperial Guard Cavalry dating to 1247;[9] and a copy of the preface to the Kokinshū attributed to Minamoto no Shunrai.[10] Losses in the 1923 earthquake include one of the dry lacquer statue group of the Ten Great Disciples of which six survive at Kōfuku-ji (National Treasures).[8]

See also

References
  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Museums" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 671-673.
  2. "Okura Shukokan - Outline". Okura Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  3. "Prominent People of Minato City: Kihachiro Okura". Minato Ward. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  4. Tseng, Alice Y (2008). The Imperial Museums of Meiji Japan: Architecture and the Art of the Nation. University of Washington Press. p. 224. ISBN 9780295987774.
  5. Watanabe Hiroshi (2001). The Architecture of Tōkyō. Edition Axel Menges. p. 93. ISBN 3930698935.
  6. 大倉集古館陳列館 [Ōkura Shūkokan Exhibition Hall] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  7. 木造普賢菩薩騎象像 [Wooden statue of Fugen Bosatsu riding on an elephant] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  8. Moran, Sherwood F (1965). "The Statue of Fugen Bosatsu Okura Museum, Tokyo" (PDF). Contemporary Religions in Japan. Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture. 6 (4): 348–381.
  9. 紙本淡彩随身庭騎絵巻 [Imperial Guard Cavalry, emaki (colours on paper)] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  10. 古今和歌集序（彩牋三十三枚） [Preface to the Kokinshū (33 sheets)] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
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