[Fujita Museum and Amijima Chaya]

The Fujita Museum in Amijima, Osaka, houses one of only three “Yohen Tenmoku tea bowls” in Japan. At the adjoining tea house, visitors can enjoy Japanese tea and dango dumplings in an open-air setting.

Opened in 1954, the Fujita Museum's collection was built by Denzaburo Fujita, a prominent Meiji-era industrialist, and his sons, Heitaro and Tokujiro. Densaburo was not only a businessman but also an avid art collector—a passion he couldn't suppress despite his parents' warnings against materialism from his youth. Fearing the loss of cultural treasures to overseas markets or their neglect within Japan following the Meiji Restoration, Densaburo resolved: “Now is the time to collect artworks extensively and prevent the dispersion of our nation's treasures.” The collection amassed by Densaburo and his sons grew to encompass approximately 2,000 pieces, including 9 National Treasures, and 53 Important Cultural Properties. The Fujita Museum was born from his conviction that “these national treasures should not be kept hidden as the private possessions of one individual. They should be widely exhibited to the public, shared with fellow enthusiasts, and utilized as resources for researchers in the field.”

The Fujita Museum reopened in 2022 after renovation. The building housing the Fujita Museum from its opening until its temporary closure on June 11, 2017, due to facility deterioration, was a converted storehouse from the Fujita family residence built during the Meiji and Taisho periods, repurposed as an exhibition space. This storehouse miraculously escaped the flames during the 1945 Great Osaka Air Raid, which destroyed most of the residence, and protected the artworks stored within. The new Fujita Museum continues as the beloved “museum in the storehouse,” passing on the inherited art collection to future generations.

I'd long wanted to see the Yohen Tenmoku tea bowl, so I walked a short distance from Kyobashi Station to visit the Fujita Museum. Welcomed by a glass-walled, white-toned entrance, it proved a far more modern museum than I'd imagined, including its exhibitions and viewing methods. Following the guide, I first took a break at the Amijima Chaya beside the entrance. Here, I enjoyed a set of tea and dango for just one coin. You choose your tea from sencha, bancha, or matcha, and they grill two adorable dango on the spot for you – one with soy sauce and one with sweet red bean paste. After resting, I entered the museum, viewing the works while reading explanations on my smartphone. Unfortunately, it wasn't the Yohen Tenmoku's exhibition period, so I couldn't see it, but I could leisurely appreciate Rakuyaki tea utensils, Buddhist art, and more in the quiet museum.

The exhibition concluded with a passage to the storehouse and then the garden. I enjoyed strolling amidst beautiful autumn leaves, admiring the tea room and the “Tahoto” pagoda. Remarkably, this area also adjoins the “Fujita Residence Site Park” along the Okawa River, allowing direct access to the park. The route from the Fujita Museum to the Fujita Residence Site Park makes for a perfect Osaka stroll. Next time, I plan to revisit when the Yohen Tenmoku is on display.

Fujita Museum
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fCfSF6hwPUK2x2bE6
Amijima Chaya
https://maps.app.goo.gl/nXn6sVBqTAEPJQM67
Fujita Residence Site Park
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sTA3WZ94fNJq3M5SA
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/

References
https://fujita-museum.or.jp/
https://www.museum.or.jp/report/106566