Sen-oku Hakuko Kan, Art museum in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
Sen-oku Hakuko Kan is an art museum in Kyoto that displays ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, and historical paintings from China and Japan. The galleries organize these works by type and region, allowing visitors to trace how different artistic practices developed across East Asia.
The museum opened in 1960 using bronze objects the Sumitomo family had gathered over generations, many from China's Ming and Qing eras. The family, also known as Izumiya during the Edo period, continued acquiring artworks for centuries before donating the collection.
The collection gathered by the Sumitomo family spans centuries and shapes how visitors understand Asian artistic traditions. Walking through the galleries, you notice how Chinese and Japanese craftspeople influenced each other's techniques and created distinctive regional styles.
The museum is located in the Shimogamo neighborhood and stays open throughout the year with rotating exhibitions on display. Plan your visit around the current exhibition to see the works that interest you most, and allow enough time to explore the galleries thoroughly.
The museum's name blends Izumiya, the trading name used by the Sumitomo family during the Edo period, with Hakuko, a reference to an ancient Chinese bronze catalog. This naming choice reflects how the family balanced business interests with scholarly pursuit of Chinese metalwork.
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