The Neiraku Museum of Art owns and displays more than two thousand art objects that survived the air raid of Kobe City in 1945. They were collected by NAKAMURA Junsaku, his son Junichi, and his grandson Junsuke. The Nakamura family maintained sea-transportation business. Junsaku purchased the Isuien Garden in 1939 from the Seki family, and Junsuke started to display a part of the collection of art objects in 1958.
The coverage of the collection is temporally and spatially diverse. The collection includes ancient Chinese bronzes, seals, bronze mirrors, and rubbings of Chinese stelae, as well as ceramics of Koryo Korea and porcelains of Yi Dynasty Korea, in addition to ancient rooftiles and utensils for Japanese tea ceremonies. Since we cannot display all the collection at once, what is displayed in the museum changes on regular bases. In spring and autumn, we exhibit different paintings in the Matamata Ichiraku jo, a collection of thirteen paintings by TANOMURA Chikuden (1777-1835), which has been designated as an important cultural property by the national government.
The building of the museum was designed by the architect TOHATA Kenzo. The projecting and curving roof of the building is an adaptation of the typical Nara style roof. The building was completed in 1969.
No exhibition now.
[Upcoming Thematic Exhibitions]
Thematic Exhibition
Special Exhibition in Commemoration of the Eightieth Anniversary of the Museum (Part I)
"Neiraku Museum and NAKAMURA Junsaku,the Founder"
The exhibition period is undecided. We will inform you on this page as soon as it is decided.
NAKAMURA “Katsusai” Junsaku 1876-1953
Junsaku was born as the third son of NAMIKAWA Gensaku in Yamato-K?riyama City, Nara Prefecture.
He married the daughter of NAKAMURA Ukichi and adopted the family name of NAKAMURA.
Junsaku built a fortune, owing companies of maritime transport and of insurance.
While being a successful businessman, he actively collected art objects of East Asia. In order to display his collection in his hometown of Nara, he purchased from another businessman,
SEKI Shintaro, the Isuien Garden, already well-known for its scenic beauty.
A part of the contract with SEKI was to open the garden to public and to display Junsaku’s collection of art in the park.
This led to the establishment of the Neiraku Art Foundation in 1940.
Description of some of the exhibits are on the right.（For smartphone users, below.)
Matamata Ichiraku jo(peony)
Important Cultural Propertiy
TANOMURA Chikuden Japan Edo period
Celadon Tray,docolated with inlaied Peony Design and incised Chrysanthemum Design
Korea Goryeo Dinasty
Rubbing
Wang Xizhi China Sung
Bronze Official Seal
China Jin photo: Yoshiro Hashimoto