Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka

The Museum of Oriental Ceramics has one of the largest collections of Asian ceramic pottery and artifacts in the world. Its collection consists of 14 objects that have been declared as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties.

The Museum of Oriental Ceramics was founded to commemorate the donation of the ceramic collection consisting of 965 pieces called the Ataka collection to the City of Osaka in 1982. It is located within the Nakanoshima Park which is the oldest public garden in Osaka. The Museum has an impressive display of ceramics from Japan, Korea and China. It is also a research facility and collaborates with other museums within Japan and around the world and conducts education programs and seminars on ceramics. The museum has continuously enriched its collection by acquisition and donations from renowned Japanese collectors.

The Museum of Oriental Ceramics permanently displays the Ataka collection, a valuable ensemble of ceramic objects belonging to a wealthy merchant and businessman. It was donated to the city by the 21 companies belonging to the industrial giant called the Sumimoto Group. In 1999, the museum received another large donation called the Rhee Byung-Chang collection of Korean and Chinese ceramic objects from Korea. From the initial 962 exhibits, it has over 2000 ceramic artifacts today.