This museum, which collects famous Japanese paintings centered on the works of Yokoyama Taikan, features two gardens designed by Nakane Kinsaku.

The First Building Garden is a hill-and-pond strolling garden, now called the “White Sand and Green Pine Garden.” Kinsaku described it as “the most fulfilling and accomplished work of my life.” It is composed of bold and powerful stone arrangements based on medieval Japanese garden design principles. To create a sense of horizontal expansion within the narrow, elongated site, the pond is designed in a wide horizontal shape, and the surrounding hills are gently formed to expand the visual landscape.

The Second Building Garden is a large karesansui (dry landscape) garden of about 1,500 tsubo. It deliberately applies dry garden techniques, typically used in small spaces, to a large-scale composition. Borrowed scenery of surrounding mountains is incorporated into the design. Three gently undulating lawn hills each have waterfall sources, and two upright stones in the center represent the origin of a waterfall. From there, the water flow is expressed as a gentle stream that leads into a vast white sand “sea.” The abstract forms of clipped shrubs and hills harmonize with the natural scenery in the distance, creating a clear, dynamic, and majestic landscape composition.