About FUJITA MUSEUM
The items of Fujita Museum was collected by Fujita Denzaburō, a businessman active in the Meiji era, and his sons Heitarō and Tokujirō. Denzaburō felt a sense of crisis when many of the cultural properties that had been handed down in the old families of feudal lords and temples and shrines were either shipped overseas or treated roughly in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. Denzaburō was not only a businessman, but also a lover of art, a trait he could never change despite his parents' warnings against his curiosity since he was young. He embarked on gathering the pieces with the determination, "At this time, I will collect art works to the fullest and at the same time prevent the national treasures from being dispersed". His heirs inherited his passion for art works opened the Fujita Museum in 1954 with the hope that ”these national treasures should not be kept as private possessions. They should be made widely available to the world to share their joys with like-minded friends and to be used as materials for researchers in the field.”
From its opening until its temporary closure on June 11, 2017, the building of Fujita Museum was a renovated treasury of the Fujita family house built during the Meiji and Taishō periods, and was reused as exhibition rooms. The treasury fortunately survived the 1945 Osaka air raid, which destroyed most of the house, but the art works stored in the treasury were preserved. The new Fujita Museum, as a "museum of a treasury" that has been loved for over 60 years, hopes to pass on the inherited art works to the next generation.
About Fujita Denzaburō
Fujita Denzaburō was born in Chōshū (present Yamaguchi Prefecture) Hagi city in 1841 at the end of the Edo period. At the beginning of the Meiji era (when he was 30), he left for Osaka and established businesses such as military shoes manufacturing, a supply business of military supplies and laborers, and civil engineering and construction related to tunnels, bridges, and hydraulic work. In 1884, the mining business, which began in earnest after the Kosaka Mine (Akita Prefecture) was disposed of, became the core of the company's business, and the scale of the business developed further. He was also involved in the reclamation of Kojima Bay (Okayama Prefecture), spinning, railroads, electricity, newspapers, and other businesses that formed the foundation of modern Japan, and served as the second president of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, leaving a significant contribution to Osaka business circles. Denzaburō had a deep knowledge of antiques from a young age, and was said to have had a particularly keen eye for tea ceremony utensils. He loved Noh plays, tea ceremonies, and other Japanese cultures, and he had a Noh stage and many tea rooms in his residence and used to enjoy them. He was concerned that many historical Buddhist artifacts were being shipped abroad due to the influence of the anti-Buddhist movement after the Meiji Restoration, and he invested a great deal of money to prevent it. It is said that he continued to collect antiquities until shortly before his death. He died on March 30, 1912 (age 70).
Looking at the state of affairs at the time, I believed that the order of society would soon be fixed in combination with the establishment of the cultural and material system, and that the art orientation also would be elevated as the nation's wealth increases. So we should be able to avoid regrets of another day by collecting art works and preventing the loss of national treasures.
From "The Words and Deeds of Mr.Fujita"
Opening hours: 10:00AM-6:00PM
Closed: 29th December - 5th January
Admission fee 1,000 yen (Free for under 19 years old)
*Under 19 years old must present any identification.
*Cashless payment is recommended.
〈All major credit cards, Quick pay, Transportation system IC (except PiTaPa)〉
TEL +81(0)6-6351-0582
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Fujita Museum of Art
10-32, Amijima, Miyakojima, Osaka 534-0026
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