10 Museums in Toyama Prefecture That You Shouldn't Miss

The Suiboku Museum, Toyama was opened in 1999, with a primary focus on exhibiting modern Japanese ink paintings, or “suibokuga.” The word “suiboku” in the museum’s name doesn’t just mean “ink paintings,” but evokes the fullness of Japanese aesthetics. The building was constructed in the Japanese style, a single story with a garden and a tea room, and is intended to be a serene place where visitors can experience the richness of nature. In the permanent exhibition rooms, you can see works by leading artists like Takeuchi Seihō, Yokoyama Taikan, Hishida Shunsō, as well as others with a connection to Toyama Prefecture such as Kaho Akira, Takamura Gyūjin, and Iwasaki Hajin. Exhibition rooms 1 and 2 are used for a wide range of special exhibitions focusing on Japanese arts and crafts.

Mori Shusui Museum of Art showcases works of fine art collected by Lead Chemical Co., Ltd. "Shusui" means clear autumn water, which represents the clean, well-honed nature of the Japanese sword. This name was selected because the museum has one of the greatest Japanese sword collections in the nation, and the museum`s logo symbolizes its signature "sword." Lead Chemical Co., Ltd houses many Japanese swords and other nationally important cultural properties and art treasures such as paintings, Japanese and Chinese pottery, and calligraphy, including masterpieces of representative painters of Japanese modern art history such as Taikan Yokoyama and Gyokudo Kawai. Historically, Toyama prefecture was an important center of sword production, and home to famous sword smiths such as Norishige and Gou no Yoshihiro. The Uda Ha School of Sword Making actively produced swords during the Muromachi period. This museum`s collection of swords is designed to captivate your eyes and minds.