Hakone Open-Air Museum

The Hakone Open-Air Museum (箱根 彫刻の森美術館, Hakone Choukoku no Mori Bijutsukan) is Japan's first open-air museum, located in Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture. Opened in 1969, it occupies more than 70,000 square meters within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The institution holds over 1,000 works and presents approximately 120 sculptural works in permanent outdoor display across its grounds. Affiliated with the Fujisankei Communications Group media conglomerate, the museum has established itself as a significant venue for the presentation of modern and contemporary sculpture in Japan, combining international and Japanese artists across its indoor and outdoor spaces.

The museum's inception dates to 1968, with its formal opening in 1969. At that time, it became Japan's first sculpture park and open-air museum, establishing a model for presenting three-dimensional art within a landscaped environment. The French source indicates that the Picasso Pavilion was added to the museum in 1984, initially built around a collection of 188 works. This dedicated space has since expanded to hold approximately 300 works by Pablo Picasso. The museum's development reflects a broader postwar Japanese interest in integrating Western modernist sculpture with public, outdoor viewing experiences.

The collection encompasses over 1,000 pieces by Japanese and Western artists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The holdings are distinguished by their international range, featuring prominent modernists alongside significant Japanese sculptors. The French source notes that the Henry Moore collection comprises 36 works and ranks among the most important worldwide. The museum is divided between its outdoor sculpture park and five indoor exhibition spaces. The indoor galleries complement the open-air presentation by protecting more sensitive works and providing curated thematic displays.

The museum's signature holding is the Picasso Pavilion, which contains around 300 works by the Spanish artist. The outdoor collection includes sculptures by Constantin Brâncuși, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Joan Miró, Auguste Rodin, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Alexander Calder, among others. Japanese artists represented include Taro Okamoto, Yasuo Mizui, Churyo Sato, Susumu Shingu, Rokuzan Ogiwara, and Kōtarō Takamura. The Dutch source additionally lists Hans Aeschbacher, Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, Robert Erskine, Pericle Fazzini, Naum Gabo, Bukichi Inoue, Phillip King, Marta Pan, and Antoine Poncet. The museum also provides outdoor interactive sculptures for children, including an area known as the woods of net.

The museum is situated in Ninotaira within the town of Hakone, occupying a total area of over 70,000 square meters. The site lies within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, providing a mountainous natural setting for the display of sculpture. The grounds are divided between open-air installations and covered buildings, with five indoor exhibition halls supplementing the outdoor park. The museum incorporates a naturally fed onsen footbath for visitors, integrating the local thermal landscape into the visitor experience.

The Hakone Open-Air Museum is located in Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates under the affiliation of the Fujisankei Communications Group. Visitors can access information through the museum's official website at https://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/. The institution maintains both Japanese and English language resources for visitors. The combination of outdoor sculpture viewing, indoor galleries, interactive children's spaces, and the onsen footbath positions the museum as a multifaceted cultural destination within the Hakone region.