※The museum will be closed for maintenance from Monday, December 4, 2023 to Friday, March 8, 2024.
The Kiyomizu Sannenzaka museum was opened in 2000 as the first museum in Japan to permanently exhibit cloisonne enamel ware, metalwork, mak-ie lacquerware, and kyo satsuma from the end of the Edo era and the Meiji era.
During the late Edo and Meiji eras, when decorative value was more important than practicality, maki-e and metalworkers used their advanced skills to produce many highly artistic furnishings, sword fittings, and ornaments. Thereafter, though, demand for maki-e in Japan declined rapidly as people's lifestyles became westernized. Due in part to the government's policy of promoting industrial development in order to obtain foreign currency, a large number of these works of art were exported overseas.
The Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Art Museum has been actively collecting such art works from the late Edo and Meiji eras. The museum has also collected many works by artists who were in the service of the Imperial Household Ministry (now the Imperial Household Agency), including the renowned lacquer craftsman Zeshin Shibata (1807-1891). The first floor is a permanent exhibition room and the second floor is a special exhibition room, where special exhibitions are held every three months.
Nearby are the Kyoto National Museum and the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum. We recommend that you enjoy visiting the museums while walking along the elegant Higashiyama streets.
Address | 337-1, Kiyomizu 3-chome, Sanneizaka-kitairu, Kiyomizu-dera-monzen, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto |
Tel | 075-532-4270 |
Access | Get off at JR Kyoto Station, City Bus No. 206, get off at "Kiyomizu-michi" or "Higashiyama Yasui", and walk about 7 minutes. |
Opening hours | 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Admission until 4:30 p.m.) |
Closed | Mondays and Tuesdays (open on national holidays), year-end and New Year's holidays, exhibition change periods, etc. |
Admission | General: 1,000 yen |
Note | No parking available |
Official Website |