Museum Architecture – When Art and Architecture Embrace Each Other

Blessed with a mild climate, Chigasaki has been loved by many artists and cultural figures as a vacation home and resort. In this favorable environment, they have been active and have left behind many excellent works. The Chigasaki City Museum of Art opened in April 1998 as a facility to widely introduce these local artists and their works through exhibitions and other events, as well as to support the creative activities of local citizens. Takasago Ryokuchi Park, where the museum is located, was once the home of Kawakami Otojiro and Sadayakko Sadayakko, a Meiji-era shinpa actor known for their song Oppekepe-bushi, and the vacation home of businessman Hara Yasusaburo, and still retains the scenery of the past. The park is lush with greenery throughout the year and also features an authentic Japanese garden, making it one of the city's leading plum blossom viewing spots and a place of relaxation for local residents.