Yamatane Museum of Art

The Yamatane Museum of Art is a private museum in Hiroo, Shibuya, Tokyo, devoted to nihonga, the modern Japanese style of watercolour painting. Established in 1966 by the Yamatane Art Foundation, it holds one of the most respected collections in its field, numbering over 1,800 works. The museum presents seven to eight exhibitions annually and maintains an active publishing and touring exhibition program that extends its influence beyond Tokyo.

The museum was founded in 1966 by the Yamatane Art Foundation, an organization built from the personal collection of Yamazaki Taneji (1893-1983), a securities dealer, and the corporate collection of Yamatane Securities, now SMBC Friend Securities. Yamazaki was personally acquainted with Yokoyama Taikan and collected nihonga with an eye toward investment as well as connoisseurship. The collection was first displayed near the company headquarters in Kabutochō, Tokyo's banking district. In 2007 the museum relocated to its present site in Hiroo, Shibuya, chosen for easier public access. A major acquisition came in 1976, when the museum purchased 105 works from the Ataka Collection, significantly strengthening its holdings.

The collection of over 1,800 works is centered on modern and contemporary nihonga from the Meiji period onward, while also encompassing classic calligraphy, early modern paintings, ukiyo-e, and Western-style paintings. Its particular strengths lie in depth rather than breadth: 120 paintings by Hayami Gyoshū, seventy by Kawai Gyokudō, and 135 by Okumura Togyū, including the majority of works he exhibited in the postwar Inten (Japan Art Institute Exhibition). The collection spans the Edo period through the late twentieth century, with notable Edo-era holdings including works by Sakai Hōitsu of the Rimpa school. The museum's publications program, active since at least 2010, has produced catalogues on Gyoshū, Seihō, Taikan, Kokei, Togyū, and thematic volumes on flowers, cherry blossoms, and animals.

The museum holds six works designated as Important Cultural Properties. These include Court Ladies Enjoying Wayside Chrysanthemums by Iwasa Matabei (1578-1650), View of Mt. Kunō by Tsubaki Chinzan (1801-1854), Tabby Cat by Takeuchi Seihō (1864-1942), Nude by Murakami Kagaku (1888-1939), and two works by Hayami Gyoshū (1894-1934): Dancing in the Flames and Camellia Petals Scattering. Among Important Art Objects is Autumn Plants and Quails by Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828). Other significant works include Sakuemon's House and Divine Spirit: Mt. Fuji by Yokoyama Taikan, Ancient Pine Tree and White Wisterias by Shimomura Kanzan, Scene from the Noh Play Kinuta by Uemura Shōen, Agalloch Pillow by Kaburaki KKKiyokata, Scenes from the Legend of Kiyohime by Kobayashi Kokei, and End of the Year by Higashiyama Kaii. The Gyoshū holdings are especially notable, with Dancing in the Flames and Camellia Petals Scattering ranking among the most celebrated nihonga of the early twentieth century.

The museum occupies a purpose-built facility in Hiroo, an upscale residential district in Shibuya, Tokyo. The move from Kabutochō to Hiroo in 2007 was undertaken specifically to improve accessibility for the general public, shifting from a location in the financial district to a more visitor-friendly neighborhood. The building houses long-term display space for lesser works alongside galleries for temporary exhibitions.

The Yamatane Museum of Art is located in Hiroo, Shibuya, Tokyo, and is operated by the Yamatane Art Foundation. It presents seven to eight exhibitions per year, combining long-term displays of works from its permanent collection with periodic special exhibitions. The foundation also organizes traveling exhibitions that circulate works from its holdings to other venues. The museum maintains both Japanese and English websites and has a presence on Google Arts & Culture. Its active publishing program issues exhibition catalogues and collection studies that serve as reference works for scholars and collectors of nihonga.