Koryo Museum

Koryo Museum of Art 高麗美術館

Overview

Koryo Museum of Art

 

The Koryo Museum of Art is a small gem in northern Kyoto.

The Koryo Museum is a the brainchild of Chong Jo Mum, a first generation Korean-Japanese who came to Kyoto as a very small child, in 1924.

The late Chong enjoyed business success and spent forty years collecting Korean art. In particular, he amassed works of ceramics, images of the Buddha, stone figures, calligraphy, and furniture.

It has to be noted that when he began the steps toward realizing his lifelong dream - creating a museum devoted to Korean art in Kyoto, which has a large population of Korean-Japanese - Korea and Koreans were openly despised in Japan.

How things change.

Today half of the DVD shop shelf space in Japan has been colonized by Korean melodramas. Korean pop stars are eclipsing Japanese stars - in Japan - and Korean culture is all the rage. A mere twenty years ago, the exact opposite was true.

Chong tore down his house, and built what was the original Koryo Museum. However, he died shortly thereafter.

His wife and a group of prominent Japanese and Korean-Japanese however carried on his mission. A large tract of land in Kitayama was donated, and on it the present museum was built.

Today it houses a permanent collection on the second floor, and rotating exhibits on the first floor.

Relevant Routes

The Koryo Museum of Art is close to the Kitayama to Kamigamo Route. 

Address

Kamigishi-cho Shichiku, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8108
Tel. 075 491 1192

Hours

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (last entry 4:30 pm)

Map

Koryo Museum of Art Map

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