Koryo Museum of Art

The Koryo Museum of Art is a Korean art museum located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Opened on October 25, 1988, it holds the distinction of being the only museum outside of Korea exclusively dedicated to Korean art, according to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. The institution stands as a significant cultural bridge, preserving and presenting Korean artistic heritage within Japan while bearing witness to the complex history of Korean-Japanese relations. Its founder, the ethnic Korean collector Jeong Jo-mun, established the museum to counter historical Japanese narratives that marginalized Korean culture.

The museum was founded by Jeong Jo-mun (1918-1989), whose father had served as an official in the Korean government prior to Japanese colonization. Jeong's family moved to Japan around 1924, when he was six years old. After working in manual labor including as a dockworker, he amassed considerable wealth through a pachinko business in Kyoto and began collecting Korean art. In 1969, he launched a quarterly magazine to showcase his relics, producing fifty issues through 1981. The magazine deliberately contrasted Japanese claims of Korean cultural backwardness with the sophistication of Korean art, earning praise from publications such as the Kyoto Shimbun. In 1972, Jeong organized a nationwide search for Korea-related relics in Japan, involving approximately 500 people. The objects acquired through this effort formed the core of the museum collection. Jeong converted his own residence into the museum, which opened to the public in 1988, though he died the following year.

The collection comprises approximately 1,700 objects spanning multiple categories and historical periods. Its strengths lie particularly in ceramics, with the bulk of the pottery collection dating from the Unified Silla period (668-935) through the Joseon period (1392-1897). The holdings encompass Goryeo celadons, Joseon white porcelain, Buddhist art, Korean folk art, archaeological materials, and paintings. This chronological and material breadth allows the museum to present a comprehensive survey of Korean artistic production across more than a millennium.

Among the collection's highlighted works is the painting Heron by Kim Myeong-guk, which carries an inscription by the Japanese Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan. This piece exemplifies the cultural intersections that the museum documents. The Goryeo celadons and Joseon white porcelain represent particularly significant categories within the holdings, reflecting the peak achievements of Korean ceramic technology and aesthetics.

The museum occupies a property of 400 square metres (4,300 square feet) in the Shichiku Kaminokishi-cho neighborhood of Kita-ku, Kyoto. The building consists of one underground floor and three floors above ground. The structure was originally Jeong Jo-mun's private residence, which he converted for museum use.

The Koryo Museum of Art is located at 15 Shichiku Kaminokishi-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto. The museum maintains a website at http://www.koryomuseum.or.jp and can be contacted by telephone at 075-491-1192. Visitors should consult the museum's website for current information on opening hours, admission fees, and other practical details. As a private institution founded through the initiative of an individual collector, the museum continues to serve as a specialized venue for the study and appreciation of Korean art in Japan.