概要Overview

昭和51年（1976）11月、長野県北部の町に小さな美術館が開館しました。その美術館は葛飾北斎の専門美術館として「北斎館」と命名され、現在では「栗と北斎と花の町 小布施」を称する小布施町の象徴となる美術館になりました。
北斎が初めて小布施を訪ねたのは天保13年（1842）といわれています。小布施の豪商であり門弟の高井鴻山を訪ねた北斎は、当時印半纏に麻裏草履で職人のような恰好だったといいます。鴻山はそんな北斎を暖かく迎え入れ、後に碧漪軒というアトリエを設けて北斎の制作活動を支えました。理想的な環境の中で、北斎は東町・上町の祭屋台天井絵をはじめ、小布施で多くの肉筆画を制作したといわれています。

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  上町祭屋台天井絵「男浪」

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  上町祭屋台天井絵「女浪」

「富士越龍」

北斎館は開館以降、肉筆画を中心に年々所蔵品を増やしてきました。中でも最晩年の名品「富士越龍」は北斎亡きあと、鴻山が入手したのちに転々とし、北斎館が海外から買い戻したという里帰りの作品です。雄大な富士と駆け上がる龍の姿から北斎自身を照らし出した作品とも考えられる逸品です。また肉筆画だけでなく「冨嶽三十六景」や『北斎漫画』などの所蔵作品は、今日の世界的な評価からお宝といっても過言ではありません。
　本展では北斎館がこれまで蒐集してきた肉筆画や版画、版本などの作品群から名品とされるものを一堂にご紹介します。半世紀近い歴史をもつ北斎館の名品をぜひこの機会にご覧ください。

東町祭屋台天井絵「龍」

東町祭屋台天井絵「鳳凰」

English

Introduction

Dedicated to the work of Katsushika Hokusai, the Hokusai-kan Museum opened in Obuse—a small town in northern Nagano Prefecture—in November 1976. Today, the museum has become a symbol of the town, which prides itself on its chestnuts, its flowers, and its association with Hokusai.

Hokusai is thought to have first visited Obuse in 1842 when he called upon Takai Kōzan, a wealthy local merchant who was also one of his painting students. Wearing a workman’s livery coat and straw sandals, Hokusai was welcomed warmly by Kōzan, who prepared studio space where the artist could work. Provided with an ideal environment in which to pursue his creative efforts, Hokusai produced numerous paintings in Obuse including the ceiling panels for the Higashi-machi and Kan-machi festival carts.

The Hokusai-kan Museum has continued to add to its collection over the years, focusing its efforts on paintings. Some items were purchased from overseas and returned to Japan, such as Dragon Flying over Mount Fuji (Fujikoshi no ryū), which Kōzan acquired after Hokusai’s death and laterbefore passinged through the hands of a number of owners. Depicted ascending a magnificent Mount Fuji, the dragon in this masterwork is often thought to represent Hokusai himself. In addition to paintings, the museum’s collection also includes works such as Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) and Random Drawings by Hokusai (Hokusai manga) are now recognized as treasures around the world.

We hope you enjoy this exhibition of the finest works from among the paintings, prints, and block-printed books collected during the nearly half-century history of the Hokusai-kan Museum.

Title List