Tamura Kazuo was born and raised in 1904 in what is now Nakano Ward, Tokyo. Aspiring to be a painter, he visited the Tateshina Plateau in Shinshu when he was in his early 20s and was deeply impressed by its grandeur. He continued to paint Japanese landscapes, particularly plateau landscapes, until his death at the age of 92. Tamura's works are distinct from realistic landscape paintings and exude an air of solitary and pure beauty, as if Tamura himself had been projected onto the canvas, making them what could be called portraits of mountains.

Tamura traveled all over Japan to create his works. Our museum has over 100 sketchbooks with over 1700 pages of material in its collection. Tamura is a painter who confronted himself by immersing himself in the landscapes he encountered on his travels.
Our daily lives have changed dramatically. People's movements are restricted and traveling is difficult. It has changed people's mindsets and even the scenery we see every day.
The dazzling new greenery, the bright red sun and blue sky, the autumn leaves on the mountains illuminated by the setting sun, the deep snowfall and other seasonal scenery have never felt more precious than they do now.
This exhibition will introduce mountain peaks that Tamura created during his visits to various parts of Japan. We hope that you will enjoy looking at the paintings and feeling at ease as you recall the encounters and memories he had on his travels.

List of works