Torajiro Kojima Memorial Museum

Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall: A Meiji-Era Brick Warehouse Reborn as an Art Museum in Kurashiki

Standing within the grounds of the Kurashiki Ivy Square complex, the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall is a striking red-brick warehouse that dates back to 1906. Originally built as a product storehouse for the Kurashiki Spinning Company (Kurabo Industries), this building was designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1998. For over four decades, it served as a beloved museum honoring the painter Kojima Torajiro, the visionary collector whose efforts gave birth to the renowned Ohara Museum of Art. Today, the building stands as a testament to Kurashiki's remarkable tradition of transforming industrial heritage into cultural treasures.

Historical Background

The Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall was constructed in 1906 (Meiji 39) as a product warehouse for the Kurashiki Spinning Company, one of the leading textile manufacturers in western Japan. The two-story brick building features a distinctive U-shaped floor plan and comprises five connected storage bays, with a total building area of 792 square meters. Positioned at the northwestern corner of the factory grounds, it was an essential part of the industrial infrastructure that made Kurashiki a thriving center of the cotton industry.

After the factory ceased operations, the site was redeveloped in the early 1970s as the Kurashiki Ivy Square, a hotel and cultural complex. In 1972, exhibition spaces for works by Kojima Torajiro and his collected art began to open within the warehouse building. By 1981, it was formally named the Ohara Museum of Art Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall, serving as a satellite gallery of the Ohara Museum. For decades, visitors could admire Kojima's paintings alongside his impressive collection of ancient Egyptian, West Asian, and Chinese art in this atmospheric brick setting. The memorial hall operated here until 2017, when aging facilities made it difficult to maintain proper conservation conditions for the valuable works.

Why It Was Designated a Cultural Property

The building was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on December 11, 1998. Its significance lies in several aspects. Architecturally, the warehouse exemplifies Meiji-era industrial construction, with solid brick walls and a wooden truss roof structure that is notably more refined than the trusses found in the adjacent Kurashiki Spinning Memorial Hall. The entrance area features an impressive oversized frame motif that lends the utilitarian structure an unexpectedly grand character. As part of the Kurashiki Ivy Square complex, the building also contributes to the broader cultural landscape of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, which was recognized as a Japan Heritage site in 2017 under the theme of Kurashiki's textile industry heritage.

Kojima Torajiro: The Painter Behind the Museum

Kojima Torajiro (1881–1929) was a gifted Western-style painter born in what is now Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture. He entered the Tokyo Fine Arts School (now Tokyo University of the Arts) in 1902 and completed the four-year program in just two years through double grade-skipping. His painting "Nasake no Niwa" (Garden of Compassion) earned the honor of being purchased by the Imperial Household Agency.

Supported by the industrialist Ohara Magosaburo, Kojima traveled to Europe three times between 1908 and 1923. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium, where he graduated at the top of his class. While abroad, he not only refined his own artistic practice in the Impressionist tradition but also undertook the extraordinary task of selecting masterpieces for Ohara's growing collection. Among his acquisitions were works by Claude Monet, El Greco, Paul Gauguin, and Henri Matisse—paintings that would become the core of the Ohara Museum of Art.

Kojima also collected ancient Egyptian faience vessels, West Asian ceramics, and Chinese antiquities, driven by a desire to trace the roots of civilization. He passed away in 1929 at the age of 47, and the following year Ohara Magosaburo established the Ohara Museum of Art in his memory—the first private museum in Japan focused on Western art.

Architectural Highlights and Atmosphere

The red-brick exterior of the memorial hall evokes the industrial energy of Meiji-period Japan. Ivy creeps along its walls, lending the structure the romantic, weathered character that gives the Ivy Square complex its name. The oversized frame design around the entrance adds a touch of Western decorative influence to the otherwise functional architecture. Inside, the wooden truss roof creates a spacious, cathedral-like interior that once provided an intimate and atmospheric setting for viewing art. The combination of sturdy brick walls and delicate natural light filtering through upper windows made the warehouse a surprisingly suitable gallery space.

The New Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall (2025)

While the original warehouse building at Ivy Square remains an important cultural property, the museum function has been relocated. In April 2025, a new Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall opened in a renovated former bank building in the heart of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. This new facility, housed in the former First Godo Bank Kurashiki Branch (built in 1922 and also a registered cultural property), was designed by the same architect who created the Ohara Museum main building—Yakushiji Kazue. It features Renaissance-style columns, stained glass windows, and three exhibition rooms displaying Kojima's paintings and his collection of ancient Egyptian and West Asian art. The new memorial hall is accessible with an Ohara Museum of Art admission ticket.

Visitor Information

The original brick warehouse building can be viewed as part of the Kurashiki Ivy Square complex, which is open to the public as a hotel and cultural facility. The Ivy Square is located a short walk from the main canal area of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. To see the art collection formerly housed in this building, visitors should head to the new Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall, about a one-minute walk north of the Ohara Museum main building. The Ohara Museum admission fee (2,000 yen for adults as of 2025) covers entry to the main building, the Craft and Asian Art galleries, and the new Kojima Torajiro Memorial Hall.

Surrounding Attractions

The Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is one of the most picturesque districts in western Japan. The willow-lined canal, white-walled storehouses, and elegant Meiji and Taisho-era buildings create a landscape that seamlessly blends Edo-period townscape with modern cultural facilities. Within walking distance are the Ohara Museum of Art main building, the Kurashiki Museum of Folk Crafts, the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum, and the Ohara Residence (Yurinso). The Ivy Square complex itself houses shops, restaurants, and the Kurabo Memorial Hall, which tells the story of the local textile industry. For those with more time, the hillside Achi Shrine offers panoramic views over the historic district.