Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya

The Tokugawa Art Museum, or Tokugawa Bijutsukan, is a prominent private art museum located on the historical Ōzone Shimoyashiki compound in Nagoya. Renowned for its extensive and unique collection, the museum boasts over 12,000 items, including swords, armor, Noh costumes and masks, lacquer furniture, ceramics from China and Japan, as well as calligraphy and paintings from the Chinese Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368).

Unlike many private museums in Japan that feature collections assembled in the modern era by corporations or entrepreneurs, the Tokugawa Art Museum houses the hereditary collection of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan. This distinguished clan once ruled the Owari Domain, which is now part of Aichi Prefecture. The museum's operation is overseen by the Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation, established in 1931 by Yoshichika Tokugawa (1886–1976), the 19th head of the Owari clan. Yoshichika founded the foundation to preserve the clan's invaluable collection of art objects, furnishings, and heirlooms.

The museum's main building, constructed in the 1930s, features a blend of classic Japanese architectural style with Western elements. Among its most prized treasures are three illustrated handscrolls of "The Tale of Genji" from the Heian period, dating back to the 1130s. These scrolls are among the earliest extant depictions of the epic tale and are designated as National Treasures of Japan. Due to their fragility, these scrolls are only displayed to the public for one week each November.

The Tokugawa Art Museum serves as a vital cultural institution, preserving and showcasing the rich artistic heritage of the Tokugawa clan and providing a unique window into Japan's historical and cultural past.