Itsuo Art Museum

In short

An art museum named after "Itsuo," the pen name of Kobayashi Ichizo, a businessman known as the founder of Hankyu Corporation. In 1957 (Showa 32), the year Ichizo passed away, it opened using his former residence, "Gazoku Sanso Villa," and in 2009 (Heisei 21), it was newly built and relocated to its current building. Its collection of approximately 5,500 works of art and craft, including ancient calligraphy, ancient Buddhist scriptures, picture scrolls, medieval and early modern paintings, ceramics, and lacquerware, includes 16 national Important Cultural Properties.

• ​Paintings by Buson and Goshun​​: The collection is particularly well-stocked with works by Yosa Buson, Goshun, and the Maruyama-Shijo school. The scroll of "Oku no Hosomichi Zu" painted by Buson and the folding screen of "Hakubai-zu" (White Plum Blossoms) painted by Goshun are national Important Cultural Properties
• ​Teahouse Recreating Soku-an​​: "Soku-an Teahouse," devised by Ichizo himself, has been recreated inside the museum as "Sokushin-an." It is a space where visitors can casually enjoy tea, with chairs surrounding a sanjo-daime (three full tatami mats plus a three-quarter mat) room
• ​Magnolia Hall​​: Equipped with a Steinway grand piano made in 1905, which is referred to as the "ancestor of modern pianos," it hosts concerts and lectures

History and Highlights

​Itsuo Art Museum​ is an art museum named after "Itsuo," the pen name of Kobayashi Ichizo, a businessman known as the founder of Hankyu Corporation. In 1957 (Showa 32), the year Ichizo passed away, it opened using his former residence, "Gazoku Sanso Villa," and in 2009 (Heisei 21), it was newly built and relocated to its current building. The original Gazoku Sanso Villa is now open to the public as the Kobayashi Ichizo Memorial Museum.

Ichizo was an entrepreneur who was active in various fields, starting with Hankyu Corporation, and at the same time, he was a sukisha, a connoisseur of tea and the arts, who made a name for himself in the world of culture and art. He began collecting artworks in his twenties, and his aesthetic eye was further refined as he entered the way of tea. While showing his collection at tea gatherings, he also planned to open it to the public, but passed away before this could be realized, and the museum was established to carry on his wishes.

The collection includes approximately 5,500 works of art and craft. Ranging from ancient calligraphy, ancient Buddhist scriptures, picture scrolls, medieval and early modern paintings, to ceramics from Japan, China, Korea, the Orient, and the West, as well as lacquerware from Japan and China, it includes 16 Important Cultural Properties and 19 Important Art Objects designated by the national government. Based on these, special exhibitions are held several times a year.

Viewing and Experience Highlights

• ​Paintings by Buson and Goshun​​: Among medieval and early modern paintings, the collection is particularly well-stocked with works by Yosa Buson, Goshun, and the Maruyama-Shijo school. Goshun was a painter who studied haikai poetry and painting under Buson. He moved to Ikeda in 1781 (Tenmei 1) and changed his name to Goshun after "Kureha-no-sato," an old name for Ikeda. He is said to have later founded the Shijo school. The scroll of "Oku no Hosomichi Zu" painted by Buson and the folding screen of "Hakubai-zu" (White Plum Blossoms) painted by Goshun are national Important Cultural Properties.
• ​Teahouse Recreating Soku-an​​: "Soku-an Teahouse," devised by Ichizo himself and preserved at the Kobayashi Ichizo Memorial Museum, has been recreated inside the museum as "Sokushin-an." It is a space where visitors can casually enjoy tea, with chairs surrounding a sanjo-daime (three full tatami mats plus a three-quarter mat) room.
• ​Magnolia Hall​​: A multipurpose hall within the museum. Equipped with a Steinway grand piano made in 1905, which is referred to as the "ancestor of modern pianos," it hosts concerts and lectures.

Walking Tips

It is about a 10-minute walk north from Ikeda Station on the Hankyu Takarazuka Main Line. Ikeda Bunko (Ikeda Library), operated by the same foundation, is about the same walking distance from the station. About 190 meters to the east is the Kobayashi Ichizo Memorial Museum, and about 180 meters to the north is the site of Ikeda Castle. The path running behind the north side of the museum is the site of the Otemichi (main castle road) of Ikeda Castle, and vehicles cannot pass through. Walking through both the residence where Ichizo lived and the castle ruins allows visitors to sense the historical journey of the town of Ikeda.