Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art Main Building

The Museum Building on Jingu-michi

The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art Main Building (京都市美術館本館) is a public art museum building of 1933 in Okazaki, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 17, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was renovated in 2019 and now serves as the main building of the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art.

The Agency records a reinforced-concrete building, partly steel-framed, with 2 storeys above ground and 1 below, a copper roof and a building area of 4596 square metres; registration number 26-0598.

A Facade That Blends Japan and the West

The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art Main Building faces west onto Jingu-michi, with a porte-cochère entrance at the centre of each of its four sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The design was put out to competition on condition that it be based on Japanese taste; the municipal works section developed the building from the winning scheme by Maeda Kenjiro (Kyoto City).

The museum calls the main building a leading example of the Imperial Crown style and singles out its brick-tile cladding (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art). The plan is organised on a straight axis from the west entrance through the great exhibition hall to the east entrance, with a courtyard on either side.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered it as a model of design: a museum whose competition scheme, required to rest on Japanese taste, was praised for weaving Japanese and Western styles together. Kyoto City adds that the building combines grandeur with delicacy, and that its commanding form and refined detailing were what earned it recognition.

The 2019 Renovation

The renovation completed in 2019 followed a scheme by Aoki Jun and Nishizawa Tezzo (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art). The west forecourt was lowered into a gentle slope and the entrance moved beneath the west porch, so the main building still looks the same from Jingu-michi. The cut between plaza and building became the glazed Glass Ribbon, home to the shop and cafe.

The two courtyards, long filled with plant, were reclaimed: the south one returned to an open courtyard and the north one roofed in glass as an indoor space. The old great exhibition hall is now the Central Hall, linked by a new grand stair to the east entrance and the Japanese garden beyond (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art).

What to Look For

Start at the front of the forecourt and take in the west facade from the Jingu-michi side. The symmetrical front is flanked by the main gates and information boards, designed to match the building (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Inside, stand in the Central Hall and look east through the east entrance towards the Japanese garden. That west-to-east axis is the original backbone of the building (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art).

Visiting

The main building is open during museum hours, and the main entrance is below the forecourt (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art). The Collection Room is on the ground floor of the south wing, and gallery admission varies by exhibition.