Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art
The Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art near Kyoto houses an extensive collection of Mingei craft works collected by Tamesaburo Yamamoto (1893-1966).
Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art アサヒビール大山崎山荘美術館
Jake Davies
Oyamazaki Villa houses an extensive collection of Mingei craft works
Rokan-do, the entrance into the estate of Oyamazaki Villa
Located in an elegant villa on a quiet wooded hillside in Yamazaki near Kyoto, the core of the museum's exhibits are artworks from the collection of Tamesaburo Yamamoto (1893-1966).
Yamamoto was the first president of Asahi Breweries, and an avid collector of Mingei, the Japanese folk art movement of the early twentieth century, as well as modern European art.
One of the galleries on the second floor of the Oyamazaki Villa
View from the second floor terrace of the Oyamazaki Villa
Collection
The Mingei collection is primarily of ceramics, and includes the most well known artists and potters of the movement including Shoji Hamada, Bernard Leach and Kanjiro Kawai. Other non-Mingei ceramics from Korea, China, Japan and Europe are also represented. As well as ceramics, other crafts including furniture, textiles and other types from both Japan and abroad are also represented.
The museum also has a collection of modern fine art with a few Japanese pieces but most from Europe. The highlight of the collection are numerous paintings by Monet as well as pieces by Klee, Miro and Modigiani. Around the interior and also in the gardens are some sculptures, notably pieces by Giacometti, Isamu Noguchi and Henry Moore.
Only a selection from the museum's collection is on display at any one time, and large special exhibitions are also regularly held.
Pond with water lilies outside the main house of Oyamazaki Villa
Stream running down the side of the Underground Jewelry Box annex at Oyamazaki Villa Art Museum
Villa
The villa, based on British mountain villa architecture, is set in 4,000 acres. It was built over a period of twenty years starting in 1912 for wealthy businessman Shotaro Kaga who oversaw the design. Inspired by time he spent in Europe, specifically England, the villa incorporates various European styles including English Tudor as well as a coal miner's cottage that impressed him.
The original structure was built of wood but later additions used stone as well as more modern materials.
Three rooms of the two storey main villa are galleries, and on the first floor is a museum shop. On the second floor is a cafe and a terrace with views.
To increase the amount of gallery space two annexes have been built, both designed by Tadao Ando. The first is called the Underground Jewelry Box and is a concrete cylinder, mostly below the ground so as to not to be too intrusive into the natural surroundings.
From the main house a narrow corridor descends below ground level to the entrance. The collection of Monet paintings is on permanent display in this annex. The second annex is called Dream Box, and is a concrete cube though it is partly hidden by vegetation and also has vegetation on the roof. It is reached via a glazed corridor that originally led to the villa's greenhouse.
Surrounding the villa are large gardens of trees and some lawns as well as several water features including a water lily pond. There are plenty of cherry trees for blossom viewing in the spring as well as maples and others for fall colors viewing.
Overall the museum has good displays though foreign visitors may not be as impressed with the European-style villa as Japanese visitors are. It is also worth checking what exhibition is current when you visit as the special exhibitions do take a lot of the display space.
Access
Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art
www.asahibeer-oyamazaki.com
Zenihara-5-3 Oyamazaki, Oyamazaki-cho, Otokuni-gun, Kyoto 618-0071
Tel: 075 957 3123
The museum is open 10 am to 5pm. It is closed Mondays, over the New Year, and when exhibitions are being changed. Consult the website for details.
Admission: 900 yen for adults, 500 yen for university and high school students. Free for younger children.
The museum is a ten minute walk from either JR Yamazaki Station or Hankyu Oyamazaki Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line between Osaka and Kyoto.
It is quite steep in places. A free shuttle bus runs from both stations though it starts at the Hankyu station so may be full when it gets to the JR Station. Priority is given to senior citizens. From where the bus stops it is still a 5 minute walk uphill to the villa, though there is a rest area in the former garage.
The Yamazaki Whisky Museum is a short walk away.
