Our museum was built on the site of the former residence of Kiyokata Kaburaki, a master of modern Japanese painting, in Yukinoshita, Kamakura, where he died. A Japanese-style building stands out in a quiet residential area in the ancient capital of Kamakura.
Kiyokata Kaburagi was born in Kanda, Tokyo in 1898. I grew up familiar with literature from an early age, and my career in painting began as an illustrator. Later, he turned to hand-drawn paintings, and his works, which mainly depict pure and graceful female figures, the lively lives of common people, portraits, and literature by his favorite authors, such as Higuchi Kazuyo and Izumi Kyoka, were popular among ordinary people. You can feel the gaze of empathy and compassion. Our connection to Kamakura dates back to 1945, when we settled in Zaimokuza. In Showa 29, the year he received the Order of Culture, he opened a painting studio here in Yukinoshita, where he lived until his death at the age of 93 in 1971. In his later years, Kiyokata referred to his career as ``playing with the tastes of citizens,'' and produced many works based on the lives of ordinary people. He left many works of Japanese paintings full of emotion, as well as essays written in an elegant style.
In 1994, works of art, materials, and land and buildings were donated to Kamakura City by the bereaved family, with the intention of passing on the place of painting and creation to future generations. In response to this, it opened as a memorial art museum in April 1998. We hope that everyone who visits the museum can spend a moment of peace while remembering Kiyokata's art and life.
