Interview with Miura Atsushi, Director of the Ohara Museum of Art
To mark the grand opening of the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery, we spoke with its director, Miura Atsushi.
How do you feel now that the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery has grand-opened?
Miura (hereafter, without honorifics)
I can only say that I am overwhelmed with emotion.
The reason is that Ohara Magosaburo, founder of the Ohara Museum of Art, originally hoped to create an art museum celebrating Kojima Torajiro’s achievements.
However, after many twists and turns, the current main building of the Ohara Museum of Art came to house a collection centered on Western paintings that Kojima purchased overseas.
This building was also used as the Kurashiki Bank and as the Kurashiki Honmachi Branch of Chugoku Bank, and it has ties to the Ohara family.
I believe there is historical significance in using this place as the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery.
I am delighted that, 95 years after the opening of the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art, we can preserve the proof of friendship between Ohara Magosaburo and Kojima Torajiro in the form of a memorial gallery.
The main building of the Ohara Museum of Art is nearby. What kinds of exhibitions do you plan to present at the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery?
Miura
As you can see in Exhibition Room 1, our gallery holds many works of antique art collected by Kojima Torajiro.
We would like to present high-quality collected works, including representative pieces, while rotating the exhibits in turn.
The Ohara Art Foundation also retains a vast amount of material related to Kojima Torajiro. This material includes not only artworks, but also letters and diaries.
It is also our mission to organize these materials.
In March 2025, we published the “Kojima Torajiro Oil Painting Catalogue” on the Ohara Museum of Art website.
Going forward, we hope to present exhibitions at our gallery that allow visitors to view the artworks and materials together.
You received donations from 69 companies through the corporate hometown tax program.
Miura
We are deeply grateful to have received donations from more companies than we expected.
I believe this is one of the results of the Ohara Museum of Art’s activities over the years.
We hope to welcome people who want to support the activities of the Ohara Art Foundation and continue sharing the appeal of Kojima Torajiro with the whole country from Kurashiki.
What kinds of people would you like to visit the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery?
Miura
First, we would like people who live in Kurashiki—the local community—and those who supported the corporate hometown tax program to visit.
We would be delighted if local residents came here to appreciate Kojima Torajiro’s works, and if people throughout Japan and around the world could learn about the feelings they experienced here.
We hope this will become a place that gradually spreads the flame of culture from Kurashiki to the whole world.
How would you like to make use of the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery?
Miura
Kojima Torajiro’s achievements are of great importance to the history of Western-style painting in Japan, but his collection of antique art and his own works are not widely known.
For that reason, we would first like as many people as possible to learn about Kojima Torajiro’s works themselves.
It is also said that, at the time, painters who purchased Western paintings and antique art for their collections were pioneers and the first of their kind in Japan.
We would also like people to take an interest in Kojima Torajiro as a cosmopolitan.
Cosmopolitan
A person with a global outlook and the ability to act, unconstrained by nationality or ethnicity
In addition to exhibition rooms, we have also added a lecture room to the gallery.
We hope to carry on the commitment to social contribution cherished by the founders of the Ohara Museum of Art, including Kojima Torajiro, and devote even greater effort to public education.
From the Writer
At both the pre-opening and grand opening, it was striking to see so many visitors arriving at the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery dressed a little more stylishly than usual, with friends or as couples.
It blends into everyday life in the heart of the Bikan Historical Area, yet the moment you step inside, you can immerse yourself in the extraordinary world of art.
From Kojima Torajiro’s small, charming collection pieces to vivid paintings filled with light and color, every work draws you in and makes you lose track of time.
Admission to the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery is included with a ticket to the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art.
Why not visit and enjoy a full day of art?
Articles about the Ohara Museum of Art
Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery Information
| Name | Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery |
|---|---|
| Hours | 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. ※Last admission is at 3:30 p.m.; from December to February, closes at 3:00 p.m. |
| Location | 3-1 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | Combined admission to the Ohara Museum of Art Main Building, Craft and Oriental Art Gallery, and Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery Adults 2,000 yen High school, junior high school, and elementary school students (under 18) 500 yen |
| Website | Ohara Museum of Art Official Website |
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