Kumagai Morikazu Museum

In short

The Kumagai Morikazu Museum is a small art museum built on the site of the former residence where the painter Kumagai Morikazu lived for 45 years until his death. It was opened in 1985 by his second daughter, Kaya, and became a Toshima City museum in 2007. The permanent exhibition displays works by the artist, who depicted living creatures around him using distinct outlines and vivid colors.

• ​"Red Ants" on the Exterior Wall​​: Nine large ants carrying sugar are carved into the building's exterior wall.
• ​Outlines and Paint Texture​​: You can observe outlines created by leaving unpainted lines, as well as the uneven texture of the paint unique to original works.
• ​Museum Anniversary Special Exhibition​​: Held annually around May 28, this exhibition introduces works by Kumagai from various locations.

History and Highlights

Kumagai Morikazu was a painter who lived for 97 years, spanning from the Meiji to the Showa period. Born into a wealthy family in Gifu, he entered the Tokyo Fine Arts School (now Tokyo University of the Arts). Although Aoki Shigeru was among his classmates, Kumagai graduated at the top of his class. Afterward, he moved between rented houses for many years. In 1932, around the time he passed the age of 50, he built a one-story wooden house in Chihaya, Toshima City, where the museum stands today, and settled there.

Around the time he passed the age of 70, Kumagai established the "Morikazu style," which uses simplified colors and distinct outlines. It is a painting style that depicts living creatures around him with clear contour lines and vivid colors. After suffering a stroke in his 70s, he stopped going out and spent days observing living things in his home garden, continuing to paint. It is also said that he would lie down in the garden to watch ants walking.

Following Kumagai's death in 1977 and his wife Hideko's passing in 1984, his second daughter and painter, Kaya, opened an art museum on the site of the former residence in 1985. In 2007, Kaya donated 153 works by Kumagai in her possession to Toshima City, and it became the Toshima City Kumagai Morikazu Museum. Kaya served as director for 36 years until her passing in February 2022. The first and second floors serve as exhibition rooms, where visitors can view 50 to 60 works by Kumagai in the permanent exhibition.

Viewing and Experience Points

• ​"Red Ants" on the Exterior Wall​​: Nine large ants are carved into the concrete exterior wall of the building. Originating from Kumagai's work "Red Ants," which captures ants carrying sugar, it serves as the museum's landmark.
• ​Observing the Outlines​​: Kumagai frequently used a technique of sketching underdrawings on wooden panels with a pencil or red pencil, then applying paint in a way that left those lines unpainted. Take note of the outlines across various works while observing the uneven texture of the paint unique to original paintings.
• ​Concentric Circle Doorknobs​​: Paintings featuring concentric circles, such as "Dusk," which is said to be a self-portrait, have also been adapted into the museum's doorknobs. Look out for the door handles while inside the building.

Tips for Exploring

The museum is about a 9-minute walk from Exits 1 and 2 of Kanamecho Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho and Fukutoshin Lines. It is also about a 9-minute walk from Senkawa Station and about 13 minutes from Shiinamachi Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. After walking for a short while through a quiet residential area, the large ants on the exterior wall will come into view. The building has three floors and no elevator. The second and third floors are accessed by stairs. The third floor is a special exhibition room that also doubles as a rental gallery. Around the museum's anniversary on May 28 each year, a special exhibition is held introducing Kumagai's works from across the country. The Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum is located about 1.1 kilometers to the south.