To Collect and Protect Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e was born in the early Edo period and developed as a popular art form unique to Japan. However, from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era, a huge number of excellent Ukiyo-e prints were leaked to Europe and the United States, leaving Japan without access to these valuable prints and paintings.
Lamenting this situation, Seizo Ota V (1893-1977), a businessman and former chairman of Toho Mutual Life Insurance Company, began collecting Ukiyo-e prints at the beginning of the Showa era (1926-1989) for more than half a century. His collection amounted to more than 14,000 pieces.
Before his death, Seizo V strongly wished to make this collection available to the public and to contribute to the development of emotional education. The Seizo V family, who inherited his wishes, decided to exhibit the works that had not yet been on display to the public and to help promote art in Japan more broadly.
ⒸOta Memorial Museum of Art
Open:Tuesday – Sunday
10:30-17:30
（Last admission 17:00）
Colsed:
Mondays, New Year holidays: December 29 – January 1
(The museum will be closed for renovation from January to March 2024.)
Address: 1-10-10 Jingu-mae Shibuyaku Tokyo, 150-0001
Tel: +81-(0)50-5541-8600
Official website: http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/eng/
See also What is ‘Ukiyo-e’? Art of the Edo Period (1615–1868)
One of the world’s leading museums specializing in Ukiyo-e
The collection of Seizo Ota V not only includes representative Ukiyo-e works from the early to the late Edo period, but also includes many works with beautiful colors and in excellent preservation condition.
As one of the world’s leading museums specializing in Ukiyo-e, the museum holds monthly exhibitions on a variety of themes and is active in research and exchange with museums overseas.
The museum’s collection includes not only Ukiyo-e prints and woodblock prints, but also Ukiyo-e-related printed books, about 900 fan paintings from the former Konoike Collection, and about 600 paintings and prints donated by Ukiyo-e researcher Takeo Nagase, for a total of over 14,000 works.
ⒸOta Memorial Museum of Art
Open:Tuesday – Sunday
10:30-17:30
（Last admission 17:00）
Colsed:
Mondays, New Year holidays: December 29 – January 1
Address: 1-10-10 Jingu-mae Shibuyaku Tokyo, 150-0001
Tel: +81-(0)50-5541-8600
Official website: http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/eng/
See also What is ‘Ukiyo-e’? Art of the Edo Period (1615–1868)
