Highlights of the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi | National Treasures, Important Cultural Properties, and Masterpieces by Monet and Van Gogh

Claude Monet was one of the leading figures of Impressionism. In his later years, he lived in the small countryside village of Giverny in northwestern France. There, he created a large garden that included a Japanese-style arched bridge and a pond, which he called his “Water Garden.” Today, this garden is open to the public and attracts visitors from all over the world.

In this garden, Monet spent years painting his famous Water Lilies series. At first, he painted the bridge and the entire garden, but over time, he became fascinated with the reflections of light and color on the surface of the pond.

This 1907 painting is one of the works from that period. The canvas is filled with the water’s surface, dotted with floating lilies. Behind them, the trees are reflected on the water in bright, fiery tones, glowing under the backlight of the sun.

The result is a dreamlike scene where a quiet pond turns into a stage of shimmering colors and light. It captures both tranquility and dramatic beauty, making this masterpiece one of the highlights of Monet’s career.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, one of the great masters of Impressionism, is best known for his warm, glowing portraits. But the same charm and softness we associate with his figure paintings can also be found in his landscapes.

In his later years, Renoir suffered from severe rheumatism and moved to Cagnes-sur-Mer, a town in the South of France, to ease his condition. There, he rented a building known as the “Maison de la Poste,” which included a post office, and continued his creative work.

This painting shows the view from the terrace of that building. The town of Cagnes stretches across the hillside in the background, while a quiet figure of a woman appears in the foreground. Renoir’s soft brushwork blends the figure into the surrounding scenery, while the gentle touches of light on the trees and houses capture the peaceful atmosphere of southern France.

The painting was created just one year before Renoir bought land in Cagnes and built a new home. That house later became his final residence and is now open to the public as the Musée Renoir.

When people think of Vincent van Gogh, vivid paintings like Sunflowers often come to mind. But in the early years of his career, his style was completely different—darker in tone, quiet, and heavy with atmosphere.

Before becoming an artist, Van Gogh worked as a missionary in Belgium. This experience shaped his artistic vision, inspiring him to portray the lives of the poor and working class with empathy and intensity throughout his career.

“Woman Spinning” is one of Van Gogh’s early works. It depicts a woman quietly spinning thread inside a dimly lit room. The muted palette and heavy brushstrokes create a sense of calm strength, very different from the bright colors of his later years. It feels as if Van Gogh captured the dignity of everyday labor directly on the canvas.

The Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi owns not only this piece but also two other early works from the same period:

• Peasant Digging (1882)
• Weaver with Child in a Highchair (1884)

Together, these paintings reveal Van Gogh’s starting point as an artist—a rare glimpse into how he saw the world before his bold colors defined modern art.

This masterpiece of Heian-period calligraphy is filled with quiet elegance and refined beauty. Known as Kasen-uta-awase (Poetry Contest of the Immortal Poets), it contains 130 waka poems written by 30 of Japan’s most celebrated poets, including Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Ki no Tsurayuki, and Ono no Komachi, who were active from the 7th to the early 11th century.

The format is called uta-awase (poetry contest), where poets were divided into two sides and their poems were compared one by one. This elegant “contest of words” is presented across two horizontal sections.

The calligraphy was executed by Fujiwara no Yukinari, one of the famous Sanseki (Three Brush Traces) of Japanese calligraphy. His refined, flowing strokes remain breathtaking even today.

The poems are written on high-quality torinoko paper, a type of luxurious handmade Japanese paper. The paper is decorated with soft, cloud-like patterns, adding grace and nobility to the entire work.

Another fascinating aspect is that 29 of the 30 poets included here match the list of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets (Sanjūrokkasen) compiled by Fujiwara no Kintō (966–1041). This connection reflects a literary debate of the time: Prince Tomohira (964–1009) opposed Kintō’s original “Thirty Poets List” (now lost) and revised it, which later developed into the “Thirty-Six Poets List.”

Therefore, this manuscript not only shines as a work of art but also serves as a precious historical record of how poets were evaluated in the Heian period.

Truly, it is a “crystal of Heian beauty and intellect”—a work worthy of its status as a National Treasure.

The complete set of 18 pages is available online at the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi Digital Museum: Kasen-uta-awase (Japanese only).

Musashi Miyamoto is legendary as Japan’s greatest swordsman, famous for his “two-sword style.” But beyond his martial skill, Musashi was also deeply versed in calligraphy, painting, and sculpture, leaving behind a number of remarkable works of art.

“Shrike on a Withered Tree” is a powerful ink painting created when Musashi was in his fifties. On a single withered tree—thought to represent bamboo—perches a sharp-eyed shrike. If you look closely, you’ll also notice an inchworm slowly climbing along a branch.

The shrike, despite its small body, is known as a fierce hunter, sometimes even nicknamed “hawk-like shrike.” In contrast, the inchworm is defenseless and slow. This tension between predator and prey creates a dramatic sense of stillness, as if time itself has paused.

The composition suggests the imminent clash—the quiet before the decisive moment. It reflects Musashi’s philosophy of seizing openings in combat as well as his keen observation of nature.