The Ohara Museum of Art is one of Kurashiki’s proud cultural institutions.
Directly opposite it stands a building distinguished by its green tiled roof. The building is called “Yurin-so Villa.”
It is usually closed to the public, but special openings will be held in spring and autumn 2025.
Because the special opening was canceled in fiscal 2024 due to renovation work, this is the first one since October 2023.
The title of the spring 2025 special opening of Yurin-so Villa is “Welcome to Yurin-so Villa! Hospitality with Contemporary Art.” We went to take a look.
Photography is normally prohibited inside Yurin-so Villa. Special permission to take photographs was granted for this visit.
The information presented was current when this article was published in April 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is Yurin-so Villa?
Yurin-so Villa is the former secondary residence of the Ohara family, completed in 1928.
Their main residence is what is now Ohara House Katalyzer. Although it was a historically distinguished building even then, apparently people could enter and leave from anywhere, making it difficult to have a private living space just for the family.
So Ohara Magosaburo, concerned for his wife Sueko, commissioned the construction of a Western-style residence where the family could live privately.
The original plan was for a family home in Western style, but it was given the function of a “guest house,” something Kurashiki had not had at the time. As a result, it was transformed into a “full-fledged mansion” combining a spacious Western-style entertainment room with large-scale Japanese-style architecture.
This is the Yurin-so Villa we see today.
However, nearly 100 years have passed since it was built, and signs of aging had become noticeable. Renovation work was therefore carried out in 2024, with repairs to the walls, ceilings, tatami mats, rain gutters, and other features, while preserving their original appearance as much as possible.
Spring 2025 Special Opening of Yurin-so Villa: “Welcome to Yurin-so Villa! Hospitality with Contemporary Art”
Titled “Welcome to Yurin-so Villa! Hospitality with Contemporary Art,” the Spring 2025 Special Opening of Yurin-so Villa showcases the villa, newly refreshed by renovation work, alongside works by contemporary artists.
This time, the event is also participating in the Setouchi Triennale Art Museum Collaboration Project in conjunction with the 2025 Setouchi Triennale, so the exhibition period is longer than usual.
Special openings since 2019 are listed below.
Tap to display
Special openings were canceled from spring 2020 through spring 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exhibited Works
The exhibited works are as follows.
- Fukuda Miran, “Monet’s Water Lilies”
- Fukuda Miran, “Sparrows in Millet on a Square Dish with Overglaze Enamels”
※A collaborative work paired with Tomimoto Kenkichi’s “Square Dish with Millet Design in Overglaze Enamels” - Fukuda Miran, “Sake from a Horse-Shaped Pottery Rhyton”
※A collaborative work paired with the Iranian “Horse-Shaped Pottery Rhyton” - Iba Yasuko, “UNTITLED”
※Two works in the Western-style room - Ozawa Tsuyoshi, “Vegetable Weapon—Bara-zushi / Kurashiki”
※Photographs and recipe board - Aida Makoto, “Ai-chan Bonsai (Pine)”
- Aida Makoto, “Ai-chan Bonsai (Pine) in the Garden”
- Yamaguchi Akira, “Kurashiki Konpira Map”
- Fukuda Miran, “Sesshu’s ‘Landscape’”
- Watanabe Osamu, “Sanctuary: Swan”
- Hanazawa Takeo, “Goldberg (View of Kurashiki)”
- Fukuda Miran, “Yurin-so Villa’s Roof Tiles and Bamboo Grass”
- Iba Yasuko, “UNTITLED”
※One work in a Japanese-style room
The Venue
Here is a brief introduction to the venue, mainly through photographs.
Apparently, Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” was displayed when Yurin-so Villa was first built
From the Writer
Hasegawa Yuri, a curator at the Ohara Art Foundation who was in charge of the project, said the following:
The spring 2025 special exhibition at Yurin-so Villa will be held from Friday, April 18, to Sunday, May 11, 2025.
Also, as it is being held as part of the Setouchi Triennale Art Museum Collaboration Project, the dates for the autumn special opening have already been announced.
Autumn 2025 Special Opening at Yurin-so Villa: Yasumasa Morimura Exhibition (tentative title)
Tuesday, October 7–Sunday, November 9, 2025
It seems you can enter once with the Setouchi Triennale 2025 common passport, so whether you are a contemporary art fan visiting the Triennale or simply want to see the beautifully renovated Yurin-so Villa, be sure to stop by.
Articles about Yurin-so Villa
Spring 2025 Special Opening of Yurin-so Villa: “Welcome to Yurin-so Villa! Hospitality Through Contemporary Art” Information
| Name | Spring 2025 Special Opening of Yurin-so Villa: “Welcome to Yurin-so Villa! Hospitality Through Contemporary Art” |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 18 (Fri) to May 11 (Sun), 2025 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. ※Last admission at 3:30 p.m. ※Open every day during the event |
| Location | 1-3-18 Chuo, Kurashiki City |
| Admission (tax included) | 【Yurin-so Villa admission】 Adults: ¥1,000 High school, junior high school, and elementary school students [under 18]: ¥500 【Combination ticket】 ※Admission to Yurin-so Villa and the Ohara Museum of Art Adults: ¥2,500 High school, junior high school, and elementary school students [under 18]: ¥1,000 |
| Website | Spring 2025 Special Opening of Yurin-so Villa: “Welcome to Yurin-so Villa! Hospitality Through Contemporary Art |
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This time, works are on display on the first and second floors, in the Western-style room, dining room, and Japanese-style room.
The works on display express the distinctive features of each room. For example, in the Western-style room, some works evoke dining, such as teacups, while others are displayed as homages to works that were exhibited when the building was first constructed.
I hope you will enjoy the contemporary works while appreciating the distinctive features of each room.
This is also the first time Yurin-so Villa has been open to the public since renovation work was carried out last year (2024), so please take a look at the villa and its interior.