What to know
The Ohara Museum of Art (大原美術館, Ōhara Bijutsukan) is Japan's oldest private museum dedicated to Western art. It comprises three adjacent buildings beside the canal.
The Main Gallery, built when the museum opened, houses most of the highlights. Masterpieces by Picasso, El Greco, Gauguin, Modigliani, Rodin, Klee, Pollock, and Kandinsky are on display, spanning diverse periods and nationalities.
Next to the Main Gallery are the Annex and a building containing the Craft Art Gallery and the Asiatic Art Gallery. The Annex is currently closed to the public. The Craft Art Gallery features ceramics, woodblock prints, stencil dyeing, and other crafts, while the Asiatic Art Gallery exhibits Egyptian artifacts and Chinese antiques.
The Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall, a one-minute walk from the main museum, is housed in a former bank building. It is dedicated to Kojima Torajiro (1881-1929), a Japanese Western-style painter. Kojima acquired much of the museum's art on behalf of Ohara Magosaburo, owner of the Kurabo textile company and museum founder. Ohara built the museum in 1930 to commemorate Kojima, who had died the previous year.
The main buildings of the Ohara Museum sit at the northern end of Kurashiki's historic canal area.
Visitor information
Practical details to check before planning this stop.
- Hours
- 9:00 to 17:00 (until 15:00 from December to February)
- Closed
- Mondays (unless Monday is a national holiday) and some irregular closing days in winter
- Admission
- 2000 yen (~$12.8)
- English name
- Original name
- Ohara Museum
Verify details before visiting. Currency conversion is indicative and may vary over time.