The founder of the museum is a successful businessman, Adachi Zenko, who was born in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture. Bringing together the modern Japanese paintings of renowned artists such as Yokoyama Taikan, Yokoyama Seiho, Uemura Shoen, Hashimoto Kansetsu, Sagakibara Shiho, the museum stores about 2000 artworks, including ceramic arts and wooden sculptures. These artworks are exhibited in rotation. In particular, they collected about 120 works by Yokoyama Taikan, and are often called the "Taikan Art Museum.” In the specialized exhibition room, approximately 20 works by Taikan are always displayed.
Their outstanding Japanese garden has been repeatedly voted the best garden in Japan since 2003 by an American magazine specializing in Japanese gardens. The main karesansui garden (dry garden), moss garden, and pond garden encompass the museum, covering a vast area of over 16.000 ha. The famous White Gravel and Pine Garden were inspired by Taikan’s masterpeices.
As the founder Adachi believed “the garden is also a painting,” resident gardeners and museum staff spend one-hour gardening every morning. Don't miss the "living hanging scroll" and "living framed painting," which are built into the wall of the alcove and can be viewed in the magnificent garden as a single hanging scroll and painting.
The showcased artworks are rotated four-times annually so that different pieces are displayed in each season. The museum also has a large collection of ceramics and calligraphy by Kitaoji Rosanjin, and a new facility, the Rosanjin Hall, which opened in 2020.
Highlights
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Extensive collection of Japanese painters including the prominent artist, Yokoyama Taikan.
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Their well-maintained garden has been ranked no.1 in Japan.
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The Living Hanging Sroll and the Living Framed Picture are built by cutting into the museum wall.
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The new Rosanjin Hall was opened in 2020 to exclusively showcase Rosanjin’s artworks.
