This course tours various museums in Kyoto.
1. The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art was founded as the second largest public museum in Japan. This museum, which opened in 1933, features a 2100 piece plus strong collection of modern art related to Kyoto. The museum frequently also exhibits artworks from artists from aboard. Lectures, meetings, and workshops are occasionally held during exhibitions.
The National Museum of Modern Art features famous modern artwork from the world over in every genre. It places particular emphasis on the development of Japanese modern art in Kyoto's home region, Western Japan. The Kyoto school of painting gets special attention, but there are also a number of works by renowned western artists such as Matisse on display. Exhibits are rotated approximately twenty times per year to show the 6,000 works in the museum's possession.
3. Hosomi Museum
The Hosomi Museum, opened in 1998, presents a comprehensive collection of traditional Japanese art from all nearly all periods and fields. Buddhist and Shinto artwork from the Heian and Kamakura Periods, Muromachi Period Negoro-nuri lacquer ware and teapots as well as Momoyama Period cloisonne ware and ceramics are all available for viewing. Many excellent works by Rimpa School painters and Ito Jakuchu are on display as well. Regardless of the field, the Hosomi Museum is known for its leading collections of Japanese art. In addition, the museum presents a number of planned exhibitions and holds lectures and seminars with the aim of popularizing traditional culture.
This museum aims to introduce Kyoto, the hometown of Japan, in an easy-to-understand fashion. It is a space to experience the city's culture in all its aspects. Japanese and Western style paintings, sculptures, and crafts, and a film library center all feature prominently. A volunteer English guide service is also available in the museum. Please inquire at the front desk for details.
The Costume Museum offers a chance to see up close in three dimensions an element of Japanese history that is usually confined to books and paintings. In this museum life-size mannequins model beautiful, faithfully reproduced costumes from throughout Japanese history. The dress and settings of the Tale of Genji and Heian Period make up a large proportion of the exhibits. A 1:4 scale re-creation of Rokujo Palace, one of the major settings of the Tale of Genji, a Heian Period wedding ceremony, and many other memorable scenes are recreated for visitors.
This museum, originally founded under Imperial mandate, showcases a wide selection of Japanese and Asian artwork from ceramics, paintings, sculptures and calligraphy to textiles, metalwork, and more. The works on display are mainly from the pre-modern period, but a number of pieces up to the 20th century are on display as well. It is said that the museum's collection of Heian Period artifacts and artworks is the largest anywhere.
