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川崎造船所四十年史 / 国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション

Matsukata Kojiro

Businessman from the Meiji and Showa periods who collected art works and established the Matsukata Collection

Person Meiji era Tokyo Kanagawa Kagoshima Arts History of Japan Online Exhibition

1865-1950 (Keio 1-Showa 25)

Matsukata was born in Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture) in 1865 as the third son of Matsukata Masayoshi. Matsukata's father and older brothers studied in Europe, and Matsukata went to the United States in 1884 (Meiji 17) to study law at Rutgers University and Yale University. After obtaining a doctorate in civil law, Matsukata returned to Japan and became the first president of Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd. in 1896 (Meiji 29).

 Matsukata began his art collection during World War I in the 1910s, using the profits from the war as a source of income. Matsukata continued his extensive art collection in Europe, purchasing works not only from galleries but also directly from artists. He also became good friends with Claude Monet, the master of Impressionism, and in 1922 purchased masterpieces such as "Water Lilies" and "Water Lilies, Reflections of Willows". Matsukata was not only a private collector, but also aspired to create a full-fledged museum of Western art in Japan, and his collection is said to have numbered more than 10,000 pieces, including 8,000 ukiyo-e prints.

However, due to the bankruptcy of Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd. in 1927, much of the Matsukata collection was scattered both domestically and internationally. At the end of World War II, part of the Matsukata Collection (about 400 pieces), which had been kept in France, was confiscated by the French government. After World War II, the French government decided to donate 375 works to Japan for the sake of friendship between France and Japan, and the National Museum of Western Art was established in 1959 (Showa 34) as the receiving institution. However, Matsukata had already died in 1950 (Showa 25) without seeing the museum opening. Of the Matsukata collection, approximately 8000 ukiyo-e works were donated to the Tokyo National Museum and form the core of the museum's ukiyo-e collection.

Related People, Things and Events

  • A painter who had a relationship with the Matsukata family

  • Businessman of the same era as Matsukata

  • Exposition that led to the establishment of art galleries and museums in Ueno

Matsukata Collection

  • 歌川国芳筆,By Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861),東京国立博物館,Tokyo National Museum

    One of a series of pictures of famous place drawn by Utagawa Kuniyoshi with Western-style expressions, titled "Toto no Zu (Pictures in the Eastern Capital)" published by Yamaguchiya. Each of the works in this series shows ingenuity in the expression of the sky. In this picture, in addition to the west bank of the Sumida River, the east bank, smoky from the heavy rain, are silhouetted. The ground is painted with bouncing spray.

  • 菊川英山筆,By Kikukawa Eizan (1787-1867),東京国立博物館,Tokyo National Museum

  • 歌川広重筆,By Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858),東京国立博物館,Tokyo National Museum

  • 葛飾北斎筆,By Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849),東京国立博物館,Tokyo National Museum

    A big wave rising up and a small boat being tossed by the swell. Mt. Fuji is placed at the center of the spiral-like composition as if we are watching a drama of nature versus man. Rather than portraying nature as it is, the dynamic composition with exaggeration is highly effective. This woodblock print was designed by the ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai in the latter half of the Edo period, which lasted from 1603 to 1868. It is one of a series of works called “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”. It is probably the most famous Japanese artwork in the world. Although the title is "Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji", there are 46 sheets because it was so popular that 10 prints were added from the original plan. Hokusai was included in the United States' Life Magazine's '100 People in the World who Left the Most Important Achievements in the Past 1,000 Years.' With Mount Fuji in the background, a huge wave unfurls against a dark sky that hints of an approaching storm. Boats with many oarsmen are swept up in the waves. In real life, boats like this wouldn't stand a chance in waves this big. The artist has probably eschewed realism in favor of a more exaggerated, dramatic representation. The contrast between the violent dynamism of the waves and the calm, triangular shape of distant Fuji give perspective to this work. This print and other early works in the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series often feature “Berlin Blue”, a pigment that was introduced to Japan from Europe during this time. As such, these works speak volumes about Hokusai's interest in the latest things of the time.

  • 歌川国芳筆,By Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861),東京国立博物館,Tokyo National Museum

    The series “One Hundred and Eight Heroes from the Chinese Tale” is well known as Utagawa Kuniyoshi's breakthrough work and was the forerunner of the Suikoden (Water Margin) boom that followed. Kuniyoshi's powerful depictions of the heroes and their indigo tattoos are the essence of his work. Among them, this painting is as one of the best-known.

  • モネ、クロード (1840 - 1926),MONET, Claude (1840 - 1926)

  • ロダン、オーギュスト (1840 - 1917),RODIN, Auguste (1840 - 1917)

Books

Related Works

Past Exhibitions

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People related to Matsukata Kojiro

  • 黒田清輝筆,By Kuroda Seiki (1866–1924),東京国立博物館,Tokyo National Museum

    Matsukata Masayoshi was Kojiro's father and a politician who served as prime minister.

  • 山本実彦 著,吉松定志

    Written by Yamamoto Sanehiko, Yoshimatsu Sadashi Kawasaki Shozo, the founder of Kobe Kawasaki Zaibatsu (zaibatsu: a financial group, or company syndicate), was the businessman who selected Matsukata as president of Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd.

  • 岡田秀 著,興文社

    Written by Shu Okada, Koubunsha Claude Monet was a master of Impressionism and formed a friendship with Matsukata, who visited his studio.

Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • An art museum established in 1959 based on the Matsukata collection. It has many representative works such as Claude Monet's "Water Lilies".

  • The first Western art museum in Japan, founded by Ohara Magosaburo, a businessman who was active mainly in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture. Among the scattered and lost Matsukata collection, it holds Claude Monet's "Haystacks".

  • A private art museum based on the art collection of Ishibashi Shojiro, the founder of Bridgestone Corporation. The museum holds a portion of the Matsukata Collection, which was scattered and lost after the bankruptcy of Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd.

External Links

  • The website of the National Museum of Western Art provides a detailed description of the Matsukata Kojiro Collection and information on exhibitions related to the Matsukata Collection.

  • This website has a page summarizing the life of Matsukata Kojiro, the first president of Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

References

  5. データベース「JapanKnowledge」にて参照。最終アクセス日：2020年3月24日
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Last updated
February 29, 2024