Visit Matsumoto

Tamura was born and raised in 1904 in what is now Nakano Ward, Tokyo.Aspiring to become a painter, he lived and worked at a picture framing shop while attending art school. After turning 20, he visited the Tateshina Highlands in Shinshu and was deeply moved by their grandeur. Following a 10-month research trip to Europe, Tamura realized anew that the subjects of his art lay in the Japanese landscape. From then on, he traveled throughout Japan, continuing to paint primarily mountain and highland scenery.

Tamura’s works stand apart from realistic landscape painting; they possess an air of “solitude” and “purity,” as if he had projected himself onto the canvas, and can be described as portraits of the mountains. It was precisely because Tamura continued to create his works outdoors even during the harshest winter that he was able to express the nature he perceived through his own eyes, ears, skin, and heart.

The Kazuo Tamura Memorial Exhibition Room showcases works from the museum’s collection, focusing on Tamura’s masterpieces and spanning his career from his early years to his final days. We invite you to enjoy the dialogue between this artist—who deeply loved the mountains and highlands of Shinshu and the landscapes of Japan—and nature itself.