The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, was founded in November 1982, commemorating the donation of the world-renowned “Ataka Collection” by the twenty-one companies of the Sumitomo Group. In addition to the Collection which comprises nearly one thousand pieces of Chinese and Korean ceramics, the Museum accepted generous donations including the Korean ceramics of the Rhee Byung-Chang Collection, works by Hamada Shoji, Persian ceramics and Chinese snuff bottles. The Museum also acquired several Japanese ceramics. Among the whole museum collection, two works are registered as National Treasures and thirteen works are Important Cultural Properties of Japan. In terms of both quality and quantity, our collection of oriental ceramics ranks as one of the finest in the world.
In the galleries, we systematically display approximately four hundred notable pieces of Chinese, Korea and Japanese ceramics. In addition to the permanent exhibition, we organize special exhibitions covering specialist themes that are informative for further academic research and also enhance art appreciation.
The galleries are equipped with various useful devices including the natural-light-drawn display room, displaying platform with a turntable and shock-absorbent platforms.
Our Museum, located in the peaceful vicinity of Nakanoshima park in the heart of metropolitan Osaka, aims to be a new type of urban museum making the best use of our rich collection and latest displaying equipments to ensure visitors an enjoyable museum experience in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere.