Suntory Museum of Art

The Suntory Museum of Art is a private museum of mainly Japanese traditional art, on the 3rd floor of the Galleria in Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi. Its basic theme since opening has been "Art in Life", and it presents not only paintings but also lacquerware, ceramics, glass and textiles, the objects that were used in everyday life.

The museum first opened in November 1961 in the Palace Building in Marunouchi, Chiyoda. It moved to the Suntory Building in Akasaka, Minato, in 1975 and closed temporarily in 2005. On 30 March 2007 it reopened in Tokyo Midtown, built on the former site of the Defense Agency. From November 2019 to July 2020 it closed for renovation, during which the ceiling was made more earthquake-resistant, the lighting was changed to LED, and the entrance and the adjoining shops were renewed.

The collection numbers about 3,000 items. Unlike many Japanese museums of traditional art that grew out of a prewar businessman's collection, it was assembled after the war around a single theme. Its one National Treasure is a box decorated with a "fusenryo" pattern in mother-of-pearl inlay and maki-e, and it holds many further Important Cultural Properties and Important Art Objects. Ogata Kenzan's lidded container with a pale-blue ground and gold-colored decoration is an Important Cultural Property, and so is the screen "Arrival of the Southern Barbarians", painted in colors on gold-leaf paper. In the crafts, Edo kiriko, Satsuma kiriko and the glasswork of Emile Galle are representative, and the "Hitoyo-take lamp" is one of the best-known pieces.

The building was designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates and completed in 2007. The overall floor area is about 4,700 square meters, of which about 1,000 square meters are galleries. Kuma also supervised the design of the 2020 renovation.

Exhibitions are mainly special exhibitions, and their content changes greatly from season to season. If you have a particular theme in mind, check the schedule on the official website before you go. The museum is indoors and unaffected by weather, and a visit takes roughly one to one and a half hours. Together with the Mori Art Museum and The National Art Center, Tokyo, it forms the "Roppongi Art Triangle", so the three can be visited together.