About Oukoku Bunko in Kyoto Follow Me on Pinterest



Oukoku Bunko in Kyoto consists of three structures of Registered Tangible Cultural  Properties  and categorized as Japanese style painting artist Oukoku KONOSHIMA'sJapanese style former  residence, western style  gallery and repository andJapanese  style   huge atelier.These   strucures were  constructed in 1913. OukokuBunko Library stores   many calligraphic works and  paintings as  well as bookswritten on Confucianism    collected  by Oukoku and  Oukoku's  Japanese style  painting  works, drawing sketched and   created for practice.
Oukoku's former residence constructed in 1913

western style gallery and repository

huge atelier

Oukoku's Masterpiece "Tsurugi-no-Mai"
                                                                              created in  1901

Oukoku's Masterpiece "Kyochu-no-Aki"
                                                                              created in  1933

Oukoku KONOSHIMA was born in Kyoto in 1877. Entered private school of painting  organized by Keinen IMAO and at the same time started studying herbalism and Neo-Confucianism  under  Keigu YAMAMOTO at the age of 16. Since it was a common  belief among  Kyoto modern  Japanese style painters at that time that receiving anaward at an  exhibition sponsored by  the government was the starting point of apainter's  career, Oukoku entered his works in  the  exhibition sponsored by theMinistry of  Education while he was still young and almost   of all of them won awardsevery year.
Oukoku KONOSHIMA born in 1877

Oukoku's master of painting, Keinen IMAO was Japanese style painting artist of  Maruyama- Shijo School.  Maruyama-Shijo School is a name collectively referring to  Maruyama  School  founded by Okyo MARUYAMA and Shijo School  founded by  Goshun  MATSUMURA, which became famous in Kyoto from the late Edo Period. The  school which   had Okyo as its founder was called the MaruyamaShijo school,  and hasbecome a source of  Kyoto art circles,  which are in the line age of this  school.

Since Goshun MATSUMURA, the founder of Shijo School, was influenced in his  painting  style by the sketch style of Okyo MARUYAMA, the founder of Maruyama  School, these  two  schools were later combined in name to be collectively called as  "Maruyama-Shijo School".

It is also a fact that many Japanese painters after the early years of the modern  age were  influenced by the Kanoha group and started with the influence of the  Kanoha group;  initially, Korin OGATA, of the Rinpa group, and Okyo MARUYAMA of  the Shasei-ha group   had learned from the Kanoha group.




Oukoku Bunko's Present Address: 56 Higashi-machi,Tojiin, Kita-Ward, Kyoto, 603-8343  Japan

URL:  http://www.oukokubunko.org

Facebook URL:  http://www.facebook.com/okokubunko/

Contact :info@oukokubunko.org

Open to the public on every Friday, Saturday,  Sunday and Public Holidays fromOctober 26 to December 15 in 2013.  Hours are from 10am to 4pm.