October 22, 2021

Konoshima Ōkoku – Captivating dedication: Ōkoku-san

Ōkoku  Exhibition of Unprecedented Scale

Konoshima Ōkoku (1877–1938) was a leading master of modern Japanese painting. In recent years, Ōkoku’s popularity has grown beyond the borders of Japanese-style painting fans, particularly for his animal paintings. This exhibition, co-organized by the Fukuda Museum of Art and the Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture, features over 100 works, including 52 newly discovered works, as well as works exhibited at the Bunten and Teiten exhibitions. Please enjoy a complete overview of Ōkoku’s art.

KonoshimaOkokuBanner1

Born in Kyoto, Konoshima Ōkoku (1877–1938) was a leading master of modern Japanese painting. From the age of 16, he studied under Imao Keinen (1845–1924), whose finely detailed bird-and-flower paintings were very popular in Kyoto. While inheriting his master’s style, completely absorbed by art, Ōkoku rigorously explored how to paint animal, human, and historical subjects.

In mid-career, Ōkoku had a broad range of works, including paintings of animals, historical subjects, and scenes from daily life, selected for Bunten, the annual Ministry of Education Art Exhibition that began in 1907. He was awarded major prizes for six years in a row, an astounding achievement. When Bunten was reorganized as Teiten (Imperial Art Academy Art Exhibition), Ōkoku served on the jury.

KonoshimaOkokuBanner5

 

The First Venue : Fukuda Art Museum

The first venue, the Fukuda Museum, will exhibit approximately 60 works, including large-scale folding screens such as Spring on a Main Road (Fukuda Art Museum) and Peace and Harmony (Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art), both of which were exhibited at the Bunten exhibition, and Misty Rain and Fallen Leaves (Fukuda Art Museum), which will be exhibited for the first time in approximately 110 years. The exhibition traces Ōkoku’s career as a painter through a wide range of works, including animal paintings that made him famous, portraits, and landscapes.

KonoshimaOkokuBanner4

 

The Second Venue : Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture

“Ōkoku-san” and painters based in Kinugasa

At the age of thirty-seven, Ōkoku moved to Kinugasa, northwest of Kyoto City, and in his later years, he devoted himself to his hobby of writing Chinese poetry. At the second venue, the Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture, with the full cooperation of the Ōkoku Bunko, there will be an exhibition of works and artifacts that remind us of the personality of “Mr. Ōkoku”. Twenty-four of the pieces will be on display for the first time. Works by Kikuchi Hōbun, Kikuchi Keigetsu, Dōmoto Impression, and Fukuda Heihachirō, who were based in Kinugasa following Ōkoku, will also be introduced.

KonoshimaOkokuBanner3

KonoshimaOkokuBanner2

List Of Works

Exhibition Introduction on YouTube (in Japanese)

Exhibition Overview

Title Konoshima Ōkoku Captivating dedication: Ōkoku-san
Dates October 23 (Sat.) 2021 to January 10 (Mon.) 2022
    1st Period: October 23 (Sat.) to November 29 (Mon.)
    2nd Period: December 1 (Wed.) to January 10 (Mon.) 2022 
Opening hours 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (last entry 4:30 pm)
Closed

Tuesdays

Entry fee

General / University student: ¥1,300 (¥1,200)
High school student: ¥700 (¥600)
Elementary / Junior high school student: ¥400 (¥300)
Disabled person and up to one helper: ¥700 (¥600)

<Combo Tickets with Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture>
General / University student: ¥2,000
High school student: ¥1,000
Elementary / Junior high school student: ¥550
Disabled person and up to one helper: ¥1,000

* Prices in parentheses are for groups of 20 or more.
* Free for preschool children

Organizers Fukuda Art Museum, Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture & Kyoto Shimbun