User:YellowSmileyFace/Hakone Museum of Art

Hakone Art Museum (箱根美術館, Hakone Bijutsu-kan) is a pottery museum located in Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture. It opened on June 15, 1952, being the oldest art museum in Hakone.

Overview
The founder, Mokichi Okada, believed that "fine art has the power to purify people's souls, give them peace of mind, and induce happiness", and that "art works should never be monopolized, but should be shown and enjoyed by as many people as possible to improve human character and contribute greatly to cultural development". After WWII, he made efforts to collect excellent oriental art works to prevent them from being exported overseas. He opened the Hakone Art Museum in June 1952, and established the Tomei Art Conservation Foundation (later known as the Okada Mokichi Art and Culture Foundation) in September of that year.

Since the opening of its sister museum, the MOA Museum of Art, in 1982, the museum exhibits collections of "Japanese pottery" from Jōmon period pottery to Edo period pieces, with a focus on pots and jars from the powerful and massive Six Ancient Kilns crafted in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.

The architecture (three stories of reinforced concrete), the interior, and display cases were all designed by founder Mokichi Okada. The area where the museum is located in Gora, Hakone, has been developed as "Shinsenkyo" (a site area of approximately 99000 square meters). The area includes a "moss garden" with approximately 130 varieties of moss and 200 Japanese maples, a "bush clover path" and a "bamboo garden," which are especially famous for its autumn foliage in November, when all the maple trees in the garden change color at the same time. On weekends, national holidays, and in November, in addition to the regular garden, the "Ishirakuen" garden, which is mainly composed of huge rocks, is opened to the public as a special exhibition. These areas were registered as a national monument on August 1, 2013, and designated as a national place of scenic beauty on March 26, 2021.

Main Exhibits

 * Haniwa of a crowned male - Important Cultural Property, excavated at Hashie, Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture
 * Jōmon pottery (Flame-shaped Earthenware)
 * Old Tokoname Jar
 * Old Echizen jar
 * Old Tamba jar
 * Old Bizen jar with a fire tasuki
 * Old Seto jar with four ears
 * Old Shigaraki jar

Major Facilities

 * Main Building (Exhibition Hall)
 * Annex "The World of Mokichi Okada"
 * Shinwatei and Sangetsuan Tea Rooms
 * Fujimi-tei
 * Hagi-no-ya
 * Kanzantei
 * Museum Shop "Kohrindo"
 * Moss garden
 * Bamboo Garden
 * Hagi Path
 * Sekirakuen  (Kanzantei is located inside)

By Train

 * Take JR Tokaido Line or the Shinkansen bullet train to Odawara Station, transfer to the Hakone Tozan Line, get off at Gora Station, and take the cable car to Kōen-Kami Station.

By Car

 * Approximately 40 minutes from Odawara Station.


 * About 25 km from Gotemba Interchange on the Tōmei Expressway.