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Okura Museum of Art

Coordinates: 35°40′1″N 139°44′36″E / 35.66694°N 139.74333°E / 35.66694; 139.74333
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Okura Museum of Art
大倉集古館
Exhibition Hall (1927) by Itō Chūta; reinforced concrete with bronze roof; Registered Cultural Property
Map
Alternative namesŌkura Shūkokan
General information
Address2-10-3 Toranomon
Town or cityMinato, Tokyo
CountryJapan
Coordinates35°40′1″N 139°44′36″E / 35.66694°N 139.74333°E / 35.66694; 139.74333
OpenedAugust 1917 / October 1928
Design and construction
Architect(s)Itō Chūta
Architecture firmŌkura Doboku
Website
shukokan.org

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

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. Closed for renovation since April 1, 2014,[2] the museum reopened alongside the rebuilt hotel in 2019.

History

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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

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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 (Zuijin Teiki Emaki in Japanese) 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

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Okura Shukokan.

References

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  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Museums" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 671-673.
  2. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Moran, Sherwood F (1965). "The Statue of Fugen Bosatsu Okura Museum, Tokyo" (PDF). Contemporary Religions in Japan. 6 (4). Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture: 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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