Asakura Museum of Sculpture, Art museum in Yanaka district, Japan
The Asakura Museum of Sculpture is a three-story house in Yanaka that combines a traditional Japanese residence with a Western-style studio space. Bronze sculptures, paintings, and pottery are displayed throughout the rooms, with a historic rooftop garden visible from upper levels.
The house was built in 1908 as both home and studio for sculptor Fumio Asakura and remained his working space until his death in 1964. It opened as a museum in 1967 and has preserved its connection to his life and artistic practice.
The rooftop garden served as both a teaching space and a place where art and everyday life merged together. Visitors today can see how this mixing of creative work with vegetable growing shaped the character of the space.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and is within walking distance of Yanaka Station. The building is arranged over three levels, making it easy to move through the galleries at your own pace.
The rooftop garden here is one of Tokyo's oldest and shows how Asakura linked sculpture with gardening as a single learning practice. This connection was central to how he taught and makes this place stand out from other art museums.
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