Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art

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Facts & Figures

The Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art can be found in the Sakyo Ward in Kyoto within Okazaki Park. The museum went through 3 name changes over the years. It started with the Kyoto Enthronement Memorial Museum of Art, later it was renamed to Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art and since 2020 it has been the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art, named after its sponsor the multinational Kyocera Corporation. The building with a floor space of 9349 square meters represents a great mixture of Japanese and Western style (teikan style) architecture. Enjoy a huge collection of approx. 4200 artworks covering various periods (from the Meiji era to the present) and styles this includes traditional Japanese masterpieces and contemporary works. Take your time (at least 1 to 2 hours) to explore beautiful paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and much more. My tip: On the first floor of the building there are many times throughout the year free shows available to the public.

• Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art:
• Opening Hours - 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Closed - on Mondays, during the New Year holidays (28th of Dec. - 2nd of Jan.)
• Admission Fee - 730 yen (Adults), 300 yen (Junior High and High School Students), 520 yen (Kyoto City residents), free (Junior High and High School Students based in Kyoto), 620 yen (for groups with 20 or more people)

My tips for local activities

How about exploring the best parts of my favourite city Kyoto with a local guide? The personalized tour by our partner GetYourGuide can take between 2 - 8 hours. For more details check out this page >

History

Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art was constructed in 1933, which makes it the oldest existing public art museum in the country. It was a commemoration of Emperor Hirohito's (1901 - 1989) coronation. The design plan came from architect Maeda Kenjiro (1892 - 1975). In 2017 a major renovation started and it took till 2020 before it was open to the public again. The two leading architects for the project were Aoki Jun and Nishizawa Tetsuo. They added to the existing building 3 new exhibition rooms the Higashiyama Cube Hall, Collection Room, and The Triangle, a plaza with a glass roof, and a new underground space right below the main hall. The new design was highly praised and received the - Grand Prize - at the 8th Kyoto Architecture Awards in 2020.

Sightseeing spots

Top:

Collection of Kyoto Gadan school - Artists like Shoen Uemura (1875 - 1949), Seiho Takeuchi (1864 - 1942), and Keigetsu Kikuchi (1879 - 1955) are featured with their collections.

Works from the Kyoto art world - Well-known artists like Kono Umelei (1881 - 1965), Takeuchi Seiho (1864 - 1942), and Uemura Shoen (1875 - 1949) are featured in this exhibition.

Main Building of the Museum - It represents the Imperial Crown Style, which mixes Japanese traditional architecture and Western-style buildings.

Collection Room - Here are seasonal exhibitions held with the focus on showing the museum's collection of masterpieces of Japanese-style paintings.

Higashiyama Cube - The main focus here is on contemporary art.

The Triangle - This exhibition space gives up-and-coming artists a chance to show their work and do some networking.

ART RECTANGLE KYOTO - The stylish museum store offers a huge variety of products for visitors. Opening Hours - 10:30 am to 6:30 pm

Festival & Events in Kyoto (dates can change without notice)

April

Miyako Odori (1st - 31th)
The traditional annual spring dance of the Kyoto district Gion Kobu performed by Geiko and Maiko is a must-see on your Kyoto visit. Don't miss the most popular dances the Miyako Odori "Cherry Blossom Dances" or "Dances of the Old Capital" at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theater (located close to Gion Corner).

May

Aoi Matsuri (15th)
The highlight of this festival is a large parade from the Imperial Palace through the Shimogamo Shrine to the Kamo Shrines. More than 500 people wearing aristocratic costumes from the Heian Period (794 - 1185). The Aoi Matsuri belongs with the Gion Matsuri and Jidai Matsuri as the three most famous festivals in Kyoto.

Kyo-ten exhibit (late May into early June)
The exhibition at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art features the best living artists based in Kyoto. They show their art like oil paintings, lacquerware, or textiles.

June

Aoba Matsuri (Green Leaf Festival) at Chishaku-in (15th)
The festival is an ancient ritual of followers of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, which is called Yamabushi. They participate in a series of ceremonies like celebrating the birth of founder Kobo-Daishi (744 - 835).

July

Gion Matsuri (whole month)
The month of July is full of different events like the Yoiyama - Kyoto's Magical Night (locals in kimonos look at the giant Gion floats the day before the parade) or the famous Yamaboko Junko (float procession on the 17th of July).

October

Jidai Matsuri ("Festival of Ages") (22nd)
People celebrate with a large parade between Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine the anniversary of the foundation of Kyoto. App. 2000 participants wearing historical costumes from different time periods. Enjoy this great festival which lasts around 2 hours. Illumination event at Kodai-ji (end of October - beginning of December)

December

New Year's Bell-Ringing Ceremony at Hokoji (31st)
Come here on New Year's Eve and listen to the sound of this gigantic bell.