Japan Ukiyoe Museum 日本浮世絵博物館

Delve into the world of ukiyo-e painting with the largest private collection on the planet. Don't miss out on works from the masters, Hokusai and Hiroshige.

The Japan Ukiyoe Museum is a 12-minute walk from Matsumoto's Oniwa Station on the Alpico Kotsu Kamikochi Line or 25 minutes by bus from JR Matsumoto Station.

Ukiyo-e is a Japanese genre of painting and woodblock printing that flourished between the late 17th and 19th centuries. Ukiyo-e translates as "pictures from the floating world," in reference to what the pleasure districts of Tokyo were called. The artform favored depictions of mundane themes preferred by the merchant classes, including scenes of life in town, beautiful women, and travel landscapes. Ukiyo-e's particular Japanese aesthetic had an influence on the Western art world, including masters like Monet and van Gogh.

The Japan Ukiyoe Museum houses over 100,000 pieces that a local merchant family accumulated over the centuries. It's the world's largest private collection, featuring an array of genres, artists and mediums, including woodblock prints, painted screens, hanging scrolls and more.

Delve into a stellar display of the genre. You'll be amazed by some of the museum's treasures, like early ukiyo-e pieces and works by the masters Hokusai and Hiroshige. Parts of the collection have been exhibited at art institutions around the world.

While in town, be sure to visit the National Treasure of Matsumoto Castle . Nearby, you'll find the quaint and quirky riverside Frog Street and the atmospheric Nakamachi district with its distinct architecture. Across town, the Matsumoto Museum of Art features city native Yayoi Kusama's acclaimed polka-dot creations.

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