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A collection of masterpieces of Japanese art, aiming to become a “museum that will last for 100 years”

This art museum opened in Saga/Arashiyama in October 2019 as a facility where people can casually enjoy art surrounded by beautiful nature. The core of the collection is Japanese art, with approximately 2,000 pieces, primarily of excellent Japanese paintings from the Edo period to the present day. The concept put forward at the time of the museum's opening was to “become a museum that will last for 100 years” and to have exhibits that “will impress even people who are not familiar with art.” The project is based on the desire to actively promote the beauty of Japanese painting from Kyoto, in order to preserve it for future generations. The museum's main holdings include works by artists active in Kyoto during the Edo period, such as Itō Jakuchū and Maruyama Ōkyo, painters from the Kyoto art world, such as Takeuchi Seihō and Uemura Shōen, ukiyo-e artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, and painters who dominated the postwar era, such as Higashiyama Kaii and Kayama Matazō. The museum presents this magnificent collection, featuring works by many great artists, from a unique perspective that only the Fukuda Art Museum can offer.

The building was designed by Kōichi Yasuda, professor emeritus at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The modern architecture incorporates the image of a Kyoto townhouse, and Kyoto-style elements can be seen everywhere, such as the exhibition room reminiscent of a storehouse and the corridors resembling a veranda. The Oi River is in front of the museum, and the cafe inside the museum offers a panoramic view of Togetsukyo Bridge and Arashiyama, making it a popular photo spot.