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Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Museum

Hishikawa Moronobu, called the “father of ukiyo-e”, was born in Hota, now Kyonan-machi, around 1630.  His father was a noted brocade artisan, and as a child he helped his family drawing rough sketches.  At the age of sixteen or so, Moronobu went to Kyoto to train himself in painting.  Studying the Kano-Tosa school and Kanga, Chinese style painting, he created his own style (Hishikawa art), pioneering the ukiyo-e painting style of the Edo period.  His art focused on the customs and manners of the Yoshiwara, a pleasure quarter at the time, and Kabuki theater.  Applying the techniques of wood-block printing, he succeeded in mass-producing and popularizing wood-block printed pictures.

The Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial is engaged in collecting and exhibiting ukiyo-e works and other works of Moronobu and his school.  The memorial was founded on March 21, 1985.　(Open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.)

 

Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Hall

516 Yoshihama, Kyonan Town, Awa District, Chiba Prefecture

Tel 0470-55-4061

 

 

"Juodo", a designated cultural property of Kyonan Town

A sitting statue of Juodo is enshrined in "Juodo" in Kamisakuma, Kyonan Town. The Ten Kings sitting statue is ten judges of the afterlife. It is said that when a person dies, he is sent to the Ten Kings every seven days to check if he has done anything wrong in his lifetime. Whether you go to heaven or hell, you are on this trial.

 

These ten statues have an ink book from the middle of the Muromachi period, and since the date of production is clear and there are ten statues, they are designated as a cultural property of Kyonan Town.

 

The Ten Kings Hall was built during the Kamakura period and prospered as the center of the Ten Kings worship. At the Sakuma festival, the custom of visiting local people remains.

 

The book will open on July 16th and August 15th and 16th.