Hikaru Museum is a comprehensive museum located at 175 Nakayamacho, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture. Formerly known as the Hikaru Memorial Museum, it is an officially approved exhibition facility and a registered museum in Gifu Prefecture. The museum aims to promote regional culture and encourage international exchange through its diverse collections and exhibitions.
The museum’s architecture is inspired by buildings of the ancient Maya civilization. Much of the interior was created through the efforts of Shūhei Hasado, a renowned plaster artisan known for his traditional plastering techniques.
The exhibition spaces are divided into three main sections: natural history, human history, and fine art. The natural history collection contains approximately 12,000 items, the human history collection around 2,000 items, and the fine art collection approximately 1,000 items.
The fine art galleries feature ukiyo-e prints and paintings, modern Japanese paintings, and Western art. The museum’s ukiyo-e collection comprises approximately 650 works, including around 420 hand-painted ukiyo-e paintings and 220 woodblock prints.
A central part of the hand-painted ukiyo-e collection is the Kohari Collection, formerly housed at the Nasu Royal Museum of Art. After that museum closed, Hikaru Museum purchased the collection in its entirety to prevent the works from becoming dispersed.
The modern Japanese painting collection includes works by renowned artists such as Taikan Yokoyama, Seiho Takeuchi, Shōen Uemura, Seison Maeda, and Shikō Munakata. The Western art collection features artists including Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.
The museum also holds an impressive collection of contemporary art, with works by Aurelia Muñoz and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as a substantial collection of calligraphy by artists such as Beian Ichikawa, Tenkai Hidai, and Ukei Teshima.
The human history galleries present artifacts from a wide range of ancient civilizations and historical periods. Exhibits include chipped stone tools from the Paleolithic period, objects from Mesopotamian, Greek and Mediterranean, Egyptian, Indus Valley, Mesoamerican, Chinese, and Andean civilizations, as well as Jōmon pottery from prehistoric Japan.
The Hida exhibition area explores the natural and cultural history of the Hida region. Visitors can see fossils and rocks, a diorama depicting ancient Hida, and life-size dinosaur models.
Hikaru Museum’s collections span three broad fields: natural history, human history, and fine art. Its art holdings include ukiyo-e, modern Japanese paintings, Western paintings, and modern art.
The museum is particularly noted for its collection of hand-painted ukiyo-e and modern Japanese paintings, offering visitors an opportunity to appreciate a wide variety of artistic styles and historical traditions.
Japanese sword inscribed “Yasutsugu” (銘 康次): A sword designated as a National Treasure.
Japanese sword inscribed “Ryōkai” (銘 了戒): A sword designated as an Important Cultural Property.
“Fisherman Under the Moon” by Buncho Tani, created in 1796.
“Fragment from the Sarumaru Collection”, traditionally attributed to Fujiwara no Yukinari.
Imperial Letter by Emperor Go-Yōzei.
“Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” by Hokusai Katsushika.
“The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō” by Hiroshige Utagawa.
“One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” by Hiroshige Utagawa.
“Imagined Portrait of Kinkō Sennin” by Chōshun Miyagawa, color on paper.
“Sun, Dragon, and Moon” by Hokusai Katsushika, a set of three hanging scrolls in color on paper.
“Nichiren” by Hokusai Katsushika.
“Portrait of Three Beauties” by Shōen Uemura.
“Peonies and a Sleeping Cat” by Gyoshū Hayami.
“Sacred Peak Fuji” by Taikan Yokoyama.
“Waterfall” by Shunsō Hishida.
“Poppies” by Seison Maeda.
“Cherry Blossoms at Night” by Matazō Kayama.
“Imayō Asazumabune” by Seihō Kaburagi.
Hikaru Museum opened on April 8, 1999, initially operating as the Hikaru Memorial Museum, combining the functions of an art museum and an archaeological museum.
From its opening, the building received recognition, including the Chubu Architecture Award. In 2002, the museum was officially registered by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education. In 2007, it received approval from the Agency for Cultural Affairs as an officially approved exhibition facility, enabling it to display National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.
In 2013, the institution changed its name to Hikaru Museum. In 2017, it was incorporated as a general incorporated foundation.
Today, Hikaru Museum offers visitors a broad perspective on the natural world, human civilization, and artistic expression, bringing together collections from Japan and around the world in one comprehensive cultural institution.