TAB Venue - The Nezu Museum

The Nezu Museum

Museum in The Omotesando, Aoyama area

The Nezu Museum was founded to conserve and exhibit the collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art that Nezu Kaichiro (1860-1940) had passionately built. The museum's collection, which was quite large at the start, comprised of 4,642 works, also expanded, now consists of approximately 7,400 works. These include seven National Treasures, 87 Important Cultural Properties, and 94 Important Art Objects.
The majority of the collection is the result of Kaichiro Sr.'s ardent acquisition, beginning in his twenties, of superb pre-modern art. He was unusual among private collectors in gathering works from a wide range of genres, including painting, calligraphy, sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, lacquerware, wooden and bamboo craft, textiles, armor, and archaeological specimens. In his latter years, he adopted Seizan as his tea name and collected tea wares to enjoy during the tea ceremony; these works are a major pillar of the collection. In addition to purchases made after Kaichiro Sr. passed away, the collection includes many works donated by generous private individuals, in a demonstration of their great trust in this museum. Those purchased and donated works have further enhanced this compelling collection.