Facility Description
Information

There are a variety of ways to enjoy the art museum, including art
studio for holding workshops, a museum shop that sells goods
and catalogues, an information corner, Cafeteria TARO , etc.

■ Hours: 9:30 -17:00 (Admission until 16:30)■C losed: Mondays (if Monday is a holiday, then the next weekday), the day

Permanent Collection Gallery Entrance

after national holidays, December 29 through January 3, and temporary
closing days.
■A dmission fee varies according to exhibitions. Children up to junior highschool students are admission free. Please refer to our homepage formore details.

2FWorkshopStudio■ Transit Information● Mukogaoka-yuen Station, Odakyu Line

1F
PermanentCollection
Gallery

PlanningExhibition
Gallery

LightCourt

Entrance Hall
Permanent Collection Gallery

Guidance
Hall

Information Desk

Information Corner
Nursing Room

Planning Exhibition Gallery
Cafeteria TARO

Inao Bridge
Japan Open-air
Folk House
MuseumFuchu Kaido

Ikuta Ryokuchi ParkWest Park
OfficeWest Gate
Parking Lot

Tokyowasaki In-Nag tercha
oya Highwnage,y→Kawasaki MunicipalScience Museum

Taira 2-chome

The Taro Okamoto
Museum of Art Kawasaki
Senshu University Bus Stop

TARO OKAMOTO MUSEUM OF ART,KAWASAKI● Museum Shop ｜ Hours: 9:30〜17:00 (open on days that the museum is open) ｜ Direct phone number: 050-3728-3992

Symbol monument – Tower of the Mother● Cafeteria TARO ｜ Hours: 10:00〜17:30 (December to February 〜17:00) ｜ Direct phone number: 044-900-6155

Kawasaki→Ikuta Ryokuchi Bus Stop
East Gate Parking Lot Ka

East Gate Visitor Center↓Odakyu Line Machida←FuchuKawasaki→JR Nambu Line

Mukogaoka-Yuen Station

TamaPoliceStation

Coin Locker

Museum Shop

Noborito Station←Tachikawa↓
Setagaya Machida
Prefectural Road Machida

Guidance HallEntrance
HallCafeteria
TARO←
Shinjyuku

MuseumShop- 17 minute walk from the South Exit of the station.
-	Please take the Kawasaki city bus for Mizonokuchi Station South Exitfrom the bus depot No. 5 (one to two buses available per hour) to “Ikuta
Ryokuchi Iriguchi” bus stop, and walk for about eight minutes.
-	Four-minute taxi ride from the South Exit to the Japan Open-air Folk House
Museum, and walk for five minutes.
-	Please take Odakyu bus for Senshu University from the bus depot No. 2,(two to six services available per hour) to the last stop, and walk for about
six minutes through Ikuta Ryokuchi West Gate Passage. Please note thatthe passage is open from 8:00 to 17:30.
● Parking space is available in the east and the west side of Ikuta Ryokuchi
Park. A Parking fee is charged.

←KomaeTARO OKAMOTOMUSEUM OF ART, KAWASAKI

EnglishIkuta Ryokuchi Park 7-1-5, Masugata, Tama-Ku,
Kawasaki-Shi 214-0032
TEL 044-900-9898 FAX 044-900-9966
http://www.taromuseum.jp/index.htm

Chronology of Taro Okamoto

Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki“Myth of Tomorrow” 1968 oil painting on canvas

Nowadays, art
should not be basedon technique, nor onbeauty, nor comfort.

Following in his footsteps, the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art was
founded as an Art Museum to publicly showcase Okamoto Taro’s
art philosophy and ideas.
It is located in Ikuta Ryokuchi Park, the largest park in Kawasaki
with a rich natural environment creating a beautiful harmony withart. Based on the concept of an “interactive museum” that allows
visitors to enjoy artwork created by Okamoto and other artists withthe five senses, the museum shows you Okamoto’s energy toward
creating artwork while enjoying wonderful nature that constantly
changes and shows a different face to match each season.
For our exhibition projects, “Art by Taro Okamoto and his parents,Ippei & Kanoko” is held as a regular exhibition. We are also planning
to present other exhibitions such as “A Deeper Commendation”,“Okamnoto’s Relationship with Other Artists and His Era”, and “TheRelationship between Art and Society” throughout the year. In order
to find artists who will inspire future generataions, we are publicly
holding the “Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art” (also known
as the TARO Award) open to the public.
In addition to these activities, the museum collects and preserves
artwork, conducts research on archives, runs art education
programs for all ages, and promotes Okamoto’s art in Japan as well
as overseas using a variety of media.
Ikuta Ryokuchi Park and the surrounding area is known as apopular natural/cultural zone to citizens, and is also home to the“Japan Open-air Folk House Museum”, the “Kawasaki Municipal
Science Museum”, and the “Fujiko F. Fujio Museum”.

“Wounded Arm” 1936, ( re-touched in 1949) oil painting on canvas

To live insolitude isto live asa human.
“Law of the Jungle” 1950, oil painting on canvas

The most genuine
proof of being
human is tobe resentful,persevere, andexpress yourfeelings.
“Chair Refusing to Seat Anyone”,
1963, pottery“Afternoon” 1967, bronze

Play withthe universe
usingimagination.

“Tree of Children” 1985, FRP“Tower of the Sun” 1970, FRP

1911 Born in Kawasaki as the eldest son of Ippei and Kanoko Okamoto.
1929 Enters the Oil Painting Department at Tokyo School of Fine Arts
Accompanies his parents to Europe in December.
1932 Inspired by paintings of Picasso to pursue abstract arts.
1938	Studies ethnology under professor Marcel Mauss at the Universityof Paris.
1939	Enjoys friendship with Georges Bataille, a prominent thinker at thetime.
1940 Returns to Japan following the German invasion to France.
1942 Sent to China as a private and returns to Japan in June,1946.
1947	Establishes his studio in Kaminoge. Begins to emphasize Taikyokuism (“polarism”) as the core of his artistic principle.
1948	Establishes Yoru-no-kai (the Night Society) with Kiyoteru Hanada
and others to explore various themes to integrate avent-garde art.
1952	Publishes “Thoughts on Jomon Earthware” in the Mizue art magazine.
1954	
Moves his studio to Aoyama and establishes the Gendai Geijyutu
Kenkyusho (Institute of Esthetic Research), Today’s Ar t is
published, and becomes a bestseller.
1957 Releases “Geijutsu Fudoki” in the Geijutsu Shincho Magazine.
1961 Leaves Nika-kai, an artists’ association in Japan.
1962	Creates a literary monument commemorating Kanoko Okamoto
titled Pride on the Tamagawa riverfront.
1970	
Tower of the Sun (designed for the Symbol Zone in the Expo 70 inOsaka) is completed.
1981	Holds a solo exhibition at the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum ofArt.
1991	“Taro Okamoto – Outstanding Talent from Kawasaki” is held at theKawasaki City Museum. Donates approximately 1800 principal
works to Kawasaki City.
1993 Becomes an honorary citizen of Kawasaki City.
1996 Dies on January 7th at the age of 84.
1996 A Memorial Exhibition is held at Art Garden Kawasaki in June.
1998	Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum is opened in Minami-Aoyama,
Tokyo. The building used to be his studio.
1999	The Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki is opened in October.	An Opening Exhibition called “TARO, a truly multifaceted individual”
is held.
2008	A mural of The Myth of Tomorrow is placed in Shibuya Station.
2009	An exhibition titled as “The Paintings of Taro Okamoto” is held incommemoration of the 10th anniversary of the museum.
2011	“Taro Okamoto: The Man-The 100th Anniversary of His Birth”
exhibition is held.	“Okamoto Taro-The 100th Anniversary of His Birth” is held at theNational Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
2012 Records 1 million visitors from the opening in March.
A West Gate Passage is established in Ikuta Ryokuchi Park.
2014	The “Taro Award II Recipients” exhibition is held in commemorationof the 15-year anniversary of the museum.
2018 Inside tour of the “Tower of the Sun” is re-opened to the public.
1.5 million visitors are recorded since the opening in November.
2019	The “Taro Okamoto Museum of Art 20th Anniversary Exhibition A
showcase of special exhibitions from the past for everyone to see “exhibition is held in commemoration of the 20-year anniversary ofthe museum.