# Sagawa Art Museum

> A serene museum near the Moriyama lakeshore whose low pavilions appear to float on a broad reflecting pool, showing works by Hiraku Sato, Ikuo Hirayama and the potter-artist Raku Kichizaemon.

- Prefecture: Shiga
- Type: Museum
- Address: Moriyama, Shiga, Japan
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun 09:30–17:00
- Admission: 1000 yen
- Official site: https://www.sagawa-artmuseum.or.jp/

The Sagawa Art Museum stands on reclaimed land near the Moriyama shore of Lake Biwa, its low, wide-eaved pavilions set amid a broad expanse of shallow water that mirrors the sky. Founded by the Sagawa Express company, it centres on three artists: the sculptor Churyo Sato, the Nihonga painter Ikuo Hirayama, known for his Silk Road subjects, and the fifteenth-generation Raku potter Kichizaemon, whose tea-bowl gallery lies partly below the waterline in a specially designed underground space. The architecture, the reflecting pools and the changing light make the building itself as much a draw as the collections, and a tea room and restaurant look out over the water.

## FAQ

### How do I get to the Sagawa Art Museum?

Take a bus bound for the Sagawa Art Museum or Moriyama Shimin Hall from JR Moriyama Station (about 25 minutes), or drive; there is free parking. It is closed on Mondays.

### What can I see at the Sagawa Art Museum?

The permanent galleries feature sculptor Churyo Sato, Nihonga painter Ikuo Hirayama and Raku Kichizaemon's tea bowls in a striking underground water-side space, alongside changing special exhibitions.

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Source: Sagawa Art Museum — Japan Voyage
