Uehara Museum of Art

The Uehara Museum of Art houses Buddhist artworks from the Heian and Kamakura periods alongside Western impressionist paintings under one roof. The collection includes Buddha statues, ancient Buddhist texts, and European artworks that together span different epochs of art history.

The museum was formed in 2017 through the merger of two separate institutions: the Uehara Museum of Buddhist Art established in 1983 and the Uehara Museum of Modern Art created in 2000. This combination allowed Buddhist art treasures to be displayed alongside Western works for the first time.

The museum displays how Eastern and Western artistic traditions stand side by side and enrich each other. Visitors can see how Buddhist sculptures and European impressionist paintings share the same spaces, bridging different artistic worlds.

The museum offers art classes throughout the year including Buddha statue carving, manuscript copying, sketching, and Japanese painting techniques. Classes serve visitors of different experience levels and allow for hands-on learning during your visit.

The museum's research team documents Buddhist artworks across six temples on the Izu Peninsula and contributes to preserving these works in the Shizuoka region. This behind-the-scenes work makes the institution an active steward of local cultural heritage.