Gyokudo Art Museum 玉堂美術館

The museum has a collection of more than 300 works, including detailed studies of animals and flowers. Gyokudo was a master of the Nihonga style, using traditional Japanese painting techniques with a modern approach to themes and subject matter. His landscapes often included people going about their daily work, adding a sense of scale and narrative to the scenery. The works at the museum are rotated to match the seasons.

A replica of Gyokudo’s studio in the museum includes a partially completed work on a large easel. The studio is filled with the brushes, pots of paint, mixing dishes, and other paraphernalia of a professional artist.

The studio looks out across a well-tended karesansui (dry landscape) garden, which is composed of boulders from the river beyond the garden. A large Japanese maple tree shades the corner near the studio. The garden has been recognized as one of the best examples of karesansui design in Tokyo.