Director Interview
We interviewed Director Sawahara Kazushi.
Please tell us how the museum came to open in 1953.
Sawahara (honorific omitted)
1953 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of Nariwa Town. The mayor apparently asked residents for suggestions on what would make a good commemorative project.
The idea that received the most support was honoring the local great figure Kojima Torajiro. Everyone in town respected Kojima Torajiro.
It was the postwar period, when even getting enough to eat was still difficult.
In those impoverished times, townspeople all contributed money to build this museum.
That’s remarkable. Why did the museum move to its current location 30 years ago?
Sawahara
The collection grew thanks to a donation from the Kojima family. Initially, the plan was to rebuild the building without relocating.
However, Ando Tadao took a great liking to this site and strongly wanted to build a museum here, so it was newly built and opened at its current location.
Many of Ando’s buildings use water.
When he came across this site, perhaps he envisioned a water garden with the mountains as its backdrop.
Ando had a poor childhood and became a boxer after graduating from high school.
After giving up boxing, he studied architecture at the expense of sleep, earned his first-class architect qualification through self-study, and in recent years became a professor at the University of Tokyo.
He must be someone with a strong hunger and determination, unwilling to be defeated by difficult circumstances. I wonder if that hunger influenced his museum architecture.
The long approach was the part Ando Tadao cared about most. I think it embodies a philosophy of overcoming life’s difficulties.
You can hear birds singing and see dragonflies flying. I love walking along this approach and feeling the breath of nature.
What criteria have you used to plan the many special exhibitions?
Sawahara
Our aim is to get as many people as possible to visit and learn about us.
When I talk with people from far away, they often have trouble pronouncing the name “Nariwa Museum” correctly.
First and foremost, we focused on welcoming a wide range of visitors.
Could you tell us which special exhibitions attracted the most visitors?
Sawahara
The special memorial exhibition for Ken Takakura attracted particularly large numbers.
We screened all 205 films he appeared in inside the museum.
Middle-aged and older men are the group that visits museums least often. We came up with this exhibition to bring them to the museum, and about 12,000 people attended.
We plan exhibitions for people of all ages and genders, including Georges Rouault for oil-painting enthusiasts and Miffy for children.
However, from 2025 onward, we want to place greater importance than before on our original mission of “honoring Kojima Torajiro.”
What kind of person was Kojima Torajiro?
Sawahara
He was a painter who pursued “oil painting as a Japanese person.”
He was born in Nariwa Town and went to Europe in 1908.
Paris did not quite suit him, so he studied the paintings of the Belgian Impressionists, who skillfully incorporated light.
He was also an outstanding art collector.
He collected excellent works by El Greco, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and others.
When I visited the Ohara Museum of Art as a middle school student, I too was deeply impressed by works by Hodler and El Greco.
Many people must have been inspired to pursue art by the works he collected, and I think Kojima Torajiro had a major influence on Western art in Japan.
Torajiro also traveled to Egypt, China, and the Korean Peninsula.
Egypt is the origin of human civilization and a treasure of humanity, while China and the Korean Peninsula are the roots of Japanese culture.
Our museum holds many ancient Egyptian and Oriental artworks collected by Kojima Torajiro, including European pottery and Chinese burial objects.
The collection he assembled in Egypt in the 1920s is extremely valuable.
Even while traveling primarily to collect art, he painted many pictures. When he died at the age of 47, he left about 700 works in his studio.
He was a serious, disciplined person with a passionate energy.
What is the significance of honoring Kojima Torajiro?
Sawahara
The most important thing is to help as many people as possible learn about Kojima Torajiro.
After seeing Torajiro’s copy on display, someone brought in a painting, saying, “We have a painting at home that we were thinking of throwing away. Could this be the original?”
We have received several donated works from local residents who said, “We have one of Torajiro’s paintings at home, too.”
We believe that exhibiting his work in his birthplace and sharing Kojima Torajiro’s achievements deepens the understanding of local residents and, in turn, helps preserve cultural properties.
Is there anything you keep in mind as a regional museum outside a major city?
Sawahara
We want to be a museum that leaves visitors thinking, “I’m glad I came.”
Getting here is certainly a challenge, so we try not to forget how grateful we are that people make the effort to visit.
All our staff strive not only to provide informative displays but also to ensure visitors can enjoy a comfortable experience. I can’t thank our staff enough for their continued efforts.
What message would you like to share with people thinking of visiting Nariwa Museum?
Sawahara
The beauty of the mountains and the murmur of the river. Finding courage or comfort in the artworks.
I hope that, whatever is happening in your everyday life, something here will touch your heart.
You don’t need to have a specific purpose—enjoy Ando’s building, the exhibitions, and the surrounding nature. By train, it’s about a two-hour little trip from Okayama City. You may see autumn colors on the mountains, or birds and turtles in the river, from the train window.
We hope you’ll take time to enjoy the journey, refresh yourself, and enjoy a little trip.
From the Writer
A museum where you can feel harmony with nature, and enjoy both the journey there and your time after arrival.
I love Kojima Torajiro’s paintings. They are bright, soft, and imbued with a gentle Japanese sensibility, and many of them give me a sense of happiness.
At Nariwa Museum, you can learn more about Kojima Torajiro, who had a major influence on Japanese Western-style painting as both an artist and a collector.
I’m looking forward to future exhibitions, too.
Nariwa Museum Information
| Name | Nariwa Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 1068-3 Shimohara, Nariwa-cho, Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0866-42-4455 |
| Parking | Available About 90 spaces (shared with the adjacent Taikomaru Plaza) |
| Opening hours | 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.) |
| Closed | Mondays Open if Monday is a public holiday; closed the following Tuesday |
| Admission (tax included) | Admission fees vary depending on the exhibition. |
| Payment methods |
|
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restrooms | Western-style restrooms, accessible restrooms |
| Childcare | Diaper-changing table, stroller rental |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair rental, ramps, accessible restrooms, elevator |
| Website | Nariwa Museum |
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