A master of the early modern period, Konoshima Ōkoku (1877–1938) inherited artistic traditions while incorporating greater realism by sketching from life. He created his own distinctive realm of painting. Now, several years after our 2021 Konoshima Ōkoku Exhibition, the Fukuda Art Museum (Venue 1) and Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture (Venue 2) are jointly holding a long-awaited comprehensive retrospective.

Here in Fukuda Art Museum, we are showcasing an ambitious work from Ōkoku’s younger days, Misty Rain and Fallen Leaves. You can also see Peace and Harmony, Winter Moon, and Spring on a Main Road, renowned Bunten (Ministry of Education Art Exhibition) favorites that were created after years absorbed in painting. More recent museum acquisitions include, on public display here for the first time in 110 years, Arashiyama Crystal Flow a joint work created by Ōkoku and Kishi Chikudō.

Konoshima Ōkoku was born in Sanjō Muromachi, Kyoto. When he was 16, he began studying under flower-and-bird painting specialist Imao Keinen. He honed his observation by sketching from life and his paintings soon attracted faborable attention. Exhibiting at the first annual Bunten Ministry of Education national exhibition, Ōkoku won second prize for Wintry Shower. Then, show after show from the second to the sixth Bunten, with another three second prizes and two third prizes, he kept on winning: an extraordinary achievement.

At the age of 37 he moved to Kinugasa, north-west of Kyoto, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. With a painting room of 80 tatami mats, Ōkoku had one of the largest painting rooms of any artist living in Kyoto. This gave him an environment in which he could concentrate on his work, and he devoted himself to it, producing a variety of masterpieces.

Held jointly by close-neighbor museums, this large exhibition is a great chance to more fully experience the charm of Ōkoku.

 

Exhibition Overview

Title	A Life Absorbed in Painting: Kyoto Master Artist Konoshima Ōkoku
Dates	April 26 (Sat.) 2025 – July 6 (Sun.)  　1st period: April 26 (Sat.) – June 2 (Mon.) 　2nd period: June 4 (Wed.) – July 6 (Sun.)
Opening Hours	10:00 – 17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed	Mary 13 (Tue.) and June 17 (Tue.) for facility inspection June 3 (Tue.) for exhibition exchange
Venue	Fukuda Art Museum: 3-16 Susukinobabachō Saga-Tenryuji, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto
Entry Fee	General / University student: ¥1,500 (¥1,400) High school student: ¥900 (¥800) Elementary / Junior high school student: ¥500 (¥400) Disabled person and up to one helper: ¥900 (¥800) * Prices in parentheses are for groups of 20 or more. * Free for preschool children   <Combo Tickets with Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture> General / University student: ¥2,300 High school student: ¥1,300 Elementary / Junior high school student: ¥750 Disabled person and up to one helper: ¥1,300 *If you purchase an online ticket of the Fukuda Art Museum, you will get a discount for the entry fee of the Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture. Therefore, you can enter both museums as the same price of the combo ticket.
Supported by	Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, Kyoto City Board of Education