Outline

The Hotel New Otani opened in the year of the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Its founder, Yonetaro Otani and his son Yoneichi had long dreamed of owning a private museum, and their dream eventually came true many decades later.
Yoneichi Otani was appointed the first Director of the New Otani Art Museum, which opened in February 1991 on the 6th floor of the New Otani Garden Court office building. This building itself is a symbolic structure, representing a 21st century international office complex, complete with advanced information technology combined with hotel services and facilities. The art museum is a realization of the Otani’s fundamental concept for hotel business - that a hotel is not just a facility for staying but is an independent cultural city. The museum plays an essential role in the cultural and social aspect of the Hotel New Otani.
The museum's collections include modern art from France and Japan, as well as priceless pieces of Japanese traditional *"Ukiyo-e" paintings collected by the hotel's founder, Yonetaro Otani.

What is "Ukiyo-e" ?

Ukiyo-e is a style of Japanese art created and developed during the Edo era (1603-1867) and has more than 300 years of history.
"Uki" means floating and "yo" means world. The "e" in Ukiyo-e refers to picture(s). Therefore, Ukiyoe literally means "pictures of the floating world."
There are two types of Ukiyo-e; one is the large amount of wood block prints which were enjoyed by many Edo commoners, the other is the original Ukiyo-e paintings created through individual orders to professional painters. Ukiyo-e often portrays Japanese landscapes, everyday life of commoners, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers and beautiful women.
The Ukiyo-e collection at the New Otani Art Museum is mainly those invaluable original Ukiyo-e paintings, and the numerous pieces which illustrate beautiful Japanese women are exceptionally well known. The paintings are all from the 17th century to the 19th century and a special exhibition from this collection is held once a year.