Museum Guide（English）

Kaii Higashiyama (1908-1999) is a celebrated Japanese landscape painter.

After he passed away, his family generously donated more than 270 lithographs to Kagawa Prefecture, since the painter’s grandfather was from Hitsuishijima Island in Sakaide, Kagawa. The Prefecture therefore decided to build the Higashiyama Kaii Setouchi Art Museum to open his works to the public.

It was Higashiyama who proposed that light gray color would suit the Seto Ohashi Bridge. With a spectacular view of the bridge spread out before visitors, historic heritage with a romantic atmosphere of Man’yo Period, and the natural beauty of the Seto Inland Sea, the museum offers a place where visitors can relax their mind.

In this museum, explaining the association between Higashiyama and Kagawa Prefecture, the museum’s collections will be exhibited under specific themes. Moreover, we would like to promote exchange with other museums at various levels regarding Higashiyama, such as organizing special exhibitions of artworks by Higashiyama and other related Japanese style painters.

Museum Logo

Kijuro Yahagi, Logotype Designer

A logo must have a strong visual appeal. In addition, it has to impressively express the characteristics of the Kagawa Prefectural Higashiyama Kaii Setouchi Art Museum.

With these points in mind, when material for the logo is selected in the process of designing, it is his artworks and his unique seals that symbolize Kaii Higashiyama the best. Taking technical and expense problems into consideration, a single color logo is preferable to multicolor one. All things considered, I came to conclusion that the selection of material from the painter’s seals was the most appropriate.

Although Higashiyama used a number of seals when signing his works, this particular seal, with its friendly nature, is the most suitable design for the museum logo, since it also shows the powerful personality of the painter.

History

• 2001.4　Donation of artworks by Kaii Higashiyama to Kagawa Prefecture from Mrs. Sumi Higashiyama, the wife of the painter.
• 2002.2　Announcement of the Basic Plan of the Higashiyama Kaii Museum (tentative name).
• 2002.3　Commission of the Basic Plan and the construction work plan.
• 2002.12　Announcement of an outline of the basic building design.
• 2003.3　Completion of construction work plan.
• 2003.11　Commencement of the construction work.
• 2004.11　Completion of construction work.
  Implementation of “Kagawa Prefectural Higashiyama Kaii Setouchi Art Museum Regulation.”
• 2005.4　Opening of the Museum.

Construction Data

• Commencement of construction: November 7, 2003
• Completion of construction: November 10, 2004
• Structure: Reinforced concrete and Steel
• Stories: 2 above ground

• Building area: 717.41 square meters
• Total floor area: 583.15 square meters
• Exhibition area: 277.00 square meters
• Exhibition Gallery 1 (first floor): 140.00 square meters
• Exhibition Gallery 2 (second floor): 137.00 square meters

• Design: Taniguchi and Associates
• Contractors: Construction Takenaka and Sakaide Doken Construction Joint Venture
• Electrical: Yonden Engineering Company, Inc.
• Machinery: Shikoku Rolling Stock and Machinery Engineering Co. Ltd.

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