Kuroda Memorial Hall (黒田記念館)

Kuroda Memorial Hall

At the northwestern corner of Ueno Park (上野恩賜公園) in Tokyo, next to the International Library of Children's Literature, stands the Kuroda Memorial Hall (黒田記念館).

The hall was built to honor Seiki Kuroda (黒田清輝, 1866–1924), an artist often regarded as the father of modern Western-style painting in Japan. After studying painting in France, Kuroda helped introduce Western painting techniques to Japan and played a major role in the development of modern Japanese art.

Before his death in 1924, Kuroda stipulated in his will that part of his estate should be used to promote the arts. In response to his wishes, the Kuroda Memorial Hall was completed in 1928. The Kuroda Memorial Room was established inside the hall to display works by Kuroda donated by his family.

In 1930, the Art Research Institute, the predecessor of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, was established in the hall. The institute conducted scholarly research on art and collected research materials.

The building was designed by Shin'ichiro Okada (1883–1932) and is considered a valuable example of museum architecture from the early Showa period (1926–1989). When the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties moved its operations to a new building in 2000, the hall was restored to its original appearance. Following renovations, mainly on the second floor, it reopened in September 2001. The following year, it was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.

The hall closed again in April 2012 for renovation work, primarily to improve its earthquake resistance, and reopened on January 2, 2015.

Admission: Free

Normal operating hours:
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.