Yamagata

Museum

Gallery

p001-3

University or Educational Facility

There are exhibition rooms within the building holding records of the restoration works and otherwise introducing the history and culture of Yamagata. While the grand meeting hall, the courtyard, the gallery and the conference room can be rented, the Bunshokan is also used for various cultural activities, including concerts, plays, exhibitions or local events held in its garden. Open to the public, it is beloved by the people of Yamagata prefecture.

972169 581306698571994 1714181661 n

museum img01

Event Space

The Sakata City Museum of Art opened its doors on October 3, 1997. With a site area of approximately 30,000 square meters and a facility area of approximately 3,000 square meters, the museum makes the most of its spacious site and scenic view. The permanent collection includes works of Shigeru Morita, a leading figure in the Japanese Western-style painting scene, works of a Western-style painter Tsunero Kokuryo, works of Western-style painters from Sakata City Chozo Saito and Shosuke Sato, and sculptures of Tsuyoshi Takahashi.

Ken Domon Museum of Photography opened in 1983 as Japan's first museum specializing in photography, housing approximately 130,000 works by Ken Domon, a photographer from Sakata, Yamagata. The museum introduces his masterpiece "Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples" series, as well as his documentary photographs that vividly depict the turbulent Showa period, such as "Kazabo," "Hiroshima," and "Chikuho Children," and his immortal masterpieces that pursue the beauty and spirit of Japan from a variety of angles. In addition to the spirited photographic work, the museum also features a variety of work by artists associated with Domon, including architecture by Yoshio Taniguchi that blends beautifully with the surrounding natural environment, a sculpture by Isamu Noguchi entitled "Domon-san," a nameplate designed by Yusaku Kamekura, and a garden created by Hiroshi Teshigawara. In 2009, the museum was awarded two stars by the Michelin Green Guide Japon. In Iimoriyama Park, where the museum is located, the double-flowered cherry blossoms bloom in late April, and the hydrangeas and irises are at their best from late June to early July.

IMG0010

Yoshio Hattori, former president of the Yamagata Shimbun (Newspaper) and Yamagata Broadcasting Co., was a central figure in the establishment of a foundation which led to the Yamagata Museum of Art being opened in the August of 1964.　The Yamagata Art Club had been hoping for an art museum in Yamagata since after the Second World War. The concept of a municipal art museum was broadened to a museum for the residents of the whole prefecture. After much consideration, a suitable site was found and it was decided that the museum would be
managed by a privately run foundation with the full cooperation of both the prefecture and the city.

The annex opened in 1968, and then in 1984 a new building was planned as a 20th anniversary project. The design of the new building was modern yet echoed the style of the steep roofed multi-level houses found in the snowy, mountainous areas of the region. The new three-story museum opened on August 10, 1985. The annex was renovated the following year in October, bringing the museum to its present state. The total floor space is 6400㎡ with eight exhibition rooms (2100㎡).

Since the museum opened, the Japanese and Oriental Art Collection, the Regional Art Collection, and the French Art Collection have formed the three pillars central to the museums activities of continued research and collection of works, and also continuing plans to enrich the archive and the permanent exhibition. Moreover the museum holds exhibitions in a variety of disciplines, and also hosts group, individual, and touring exhibitions. The museum plays an active role in the promotion of the arts and lifelong learning for the residents of the prefecture. In April 2011 the foundation switched from a private to a public foundation. The hopes for the role of the museum were increased with its 50th anniversary in 2014.

Yamagata

Yamagata Prefectural Museum

famAA

Higashine Art Museum

Bunkyounomori Nagai (Marudai-Ogiya, Naganuma Kozo Sculpture Gallery)

Tendo City Museum of Art

Tohoku University of Art and Design

Yamagata Prefecture Local Museum Bunshokan

Homma Museum of Art

Tsuruoka Art Forum

Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum

Sakata City Museum of Art

Ken Domon Museum of Photography

Yamagata Museum of Art