Museums and Art Galleries in Ueno: From The National Museum of Western Art to Tokyo National Museum and Kan'ei-ji Temple

History and Regional Appeal

The area of Ueno Park was originally part of the grounds of Kan'ei-ji Temple. Kan'ei-ji Temple was founded in 1625 (Kan'ei 2) on the Ueno plateau, which corresponds to the demon gate (the northeastern direction considered inauspicious) of Edo Castle. At its peak, the precinct covered roughly 305,000 tsubo (around 100 hectares), centered on what is now Ueno Park. Most of the temple structures burned down during the Boshin War at the end of the Edo period, and the grounds were confiscated by the Meiji government, with the majority subsequently becoming Ueno Park.

Museums and art galleries eventually gathered in this park. Tokyo National Museum relocated to Ueno Park in 1882 (Meiji 15), and Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum opened in 1926 (Taisho 15) as Japan's first public art gallery under the name "Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum." The National Museum of Western Art opened in 1959. This course visits these three institutions in sequence and concludes with a visit to the present main hall of Kan'ei-ji Temple. Exploring all four locations thoroughly takes a long time, so it is recommended to walk through them by selecting the exhibitions you wish to see.

Main Highlights

• ​The National Museum of Western Art​​: Founded on the basis of the Matsukata Collection assembled by entrepreneur Matsukata Kojiro, this is the only national museum broadly devoted to Western art as a whole. The main building, designed by Le Corbusier, is registered as a World Cultural Heritage site. Rodin's The Gates of Hell stands in the front garden, and the permanent exhibition displays works from the Matsukata Collection as well as art spanning from the Renaissance through the early 20th century throughout the year.
• ​Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum​​: This museum hosts special exhibitions, thematic exhibitions, and open-call exhibitions featuring renowned masterpieces from Japan and abroad. The current building opened in 1975 and was designed by Maekawa Kunio, who had assisted with the design of The National Museum of Western Art. The brick-like exterior walls are actually tiles; because the building height was restricted, nearly 60% of the total floor area was constructed underground.
• ​Tokyo National Museum​​: The museum with the longest history in Japan, dealing with cultural properties centered on Japan and widely covering regions across Asia. Exhibits are divided among separate buildings: the Main Building (Honkan) for Japanese art, the Heiseikan for Japanese archaeology, and the Toyokan for Asian art. The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures houses treasures donated to the Imperial Household by Horyu-ji Temple, characterized by a large number of 7th-century artifacts.
• ​Kan'ei-ji Temple​​: A grand head temple (daihonzan) of the Tendai Buddhist denomination. Its mountain name, Toeizan, signifies the "Hieizan of the East." The present main hall, Konpon Chu-do Hall, was reconstructed in 1879 by relocating the Honji-do hall from Kitain Temple in Kawagoe. The principal image, the Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai statue, is a hidden Buddha not shown to the public. The mausoleums of the Tokugawa shoguns are ordinarily closed to the public.

Recommended Route and Estimated Time

The approximate required time to visit all four spots is about 6 hours. Attempting to see everything in one day takes a long time, so choose based on the exhibitions you want to see. Allocate more time to The National Museum of Western Art if you wish to see Western art or Le Corbusier's architecture, to Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum if you are interested in the ongoing special or thematic exhibitions, and to Tokyo National Museum if you wish to view Japanese art or the Horyu-ji treasures. Tokyo National Museum also offers a 60-minute "Architecture Course" exploring its buildings.

Start walking from The National Museum of Western Art, located a 1-minute walk from the Park Gate of JR Ueno Station. Proceed northwest for about 310 meters to reach Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and from there head northeast for about 330 meters to Tokyo National Museum. The Main Building of Tokyo National Museum can be seen across the fountain plaza of Ueno Park. This fountain plaza is the site where the Konpon Chu-do Hall stood during the Edo period. That hall, built in 1698 (Genroku 11), reached a height of 32 meters.

From Tokyo National Museum, walk north-northwest for about 320 meters to arrive at Kan'ei-ji Temple. You can see the site of the former main hall and the current main hall in succession. For the return journey, it is a 10-minute walk to the South Gate of JR Uguisudani Station.

Experience Summary

A museum designed by Le Corbusier, an art museum with tiled exterior walls, a museum main building combining concrete construction with a tiled roof, and Konpon Chu-do Hall relocated from Kawagoe—the buildings themselves reflect their respective eras. Take a stroll through Ueno Park, once the precinct of Kan'ei-ji Temple, while selecting the exhibitions you wish to see.