🗺️ Nakagawa Town Bato Hiroshige Museum of Art那珂川町馬頭広重美術館

The art museum houses and displays over 4,000 artworks donated by entrepreneur Aoki Tōsaku, who hails from Tochigi Prefecture, primarily featuring hand-painted originals and prints by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige. Approximately six planned exhibitions and special events are held each year, showcasing Japanese ukiyo-e, prints, and works by Japanese Western-style painters. Although the museum is not very large, it attracts many visitors, partly due to its beautiful architecture. The museum was designed by the world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma. Its traditional and stable appearance seamlessly integrates into the urban landscape, featuring a spacious single-story structure with a large gabled roof, extensively utilizing local materials such as Hachigo cedar, Utsunomiya washi paper, and Ashino stone. People from around the world come to admire Kengo Kuma's architectural masterpiece, and many return due to their appreciation of Utagawa Hiroshige's works and the easily navigable exhibition layout.

You can see the original works of Utagawa Hiroshige. The museum, which is a representative work of the world-class architect Kengo Kuma, is also worth a visit. To promote the local charm, the building itself incorporates a large amount of materials from the area. At the same time, you can enjoy the beautiful rural scenery of Nakagawa Town.