Nezu Museum

The Nezu Museum is situated at the end of a street lined with high-end boutiques such as Cartier and Chloe. You'll enter the museum through a long straight tunnel that looks like a bamboo forest, where you'll find a peaceful and soothing environment. The museum is an urban art gallery where you may relax while admiring antique Asian art.

Old Japanese and Asian items of art collected by entrepreneur Kaichiro Nezu Sr. (1860-1940) were preserved and presented here. Nezu, who had a lifelong passion for antique art, relocated his headquarters from Yamanashi Prefecture to Tokyo, where he not only operated a training firm but also got involved in politics and education to much success. He devoted himself to the study of the tea ceremony at the time, which prompted him to begin collecting art pieces, which he is reported to have amassed quite a collection. After that, Nezu said in his will that his assets would be "enjoyed by a great number of people", so Kaichiro Nezu Jr. released the collection to the public in 1941. The Nezu Museum had its beginnings here.

A bulk of the museum, including galleries and the tea room, was destroyed by fire during WWII in 1945 but was reconstructed in 1954. Following then, other expansions and restorations were made, resulting in the current structure. The museum's collection began with 4643 works, but it has grown to 7414 works, including 7 National Treasures, 87 Important Cultural Properties, and 94 Art Treasures, thanks to the purchase of additional artifacts and philanthropic gifts. Paintings, literature, sculptures, ironworks, ceramics, lacquerware, woodworking, dyeing and weaving, and firearms are among the various genres represented. There is also a sizable collection of tea implements.

Address: 6-5-1 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0062

Website: nezu-muse.or.jp