Idemitsu Museum of Arts

The Idemitsu Museum of Arts is a private museum housing works of East Asian and Japanese art collected by Idemitsu Sazo (1885–1981), founder of Idemitsu Kosan, and is located on the 9th floor of the Imperial Theatre Building in Marunouchi, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Since its opening in 1966 (Showa 41), it has housed approximately 10,000 objects centered on ceramics, calligraphy, and painting from Japan, China, and Korea, as well as lacquerwork, Japanese swords, and sword fittings, and is highly acclaimed internationally as one of Japan's representative corporate collections due to the quality of its holdings, which include numerous National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.

Regarding its Japanese sword collection, the Idemitsu Museum of Arts is particularly noted for its comprehensive holdings among museums located in central Tokyo. Its collection includes multiple Important Cultural Properties, with holdings centered on koto (swords from the Heian, Kamakura, Nanboku-chō, and Muromachi periods), encompassing major sword-making schools including Bizen, Yamashiro, Yamato, Soshu, and Mino. Its collection of sword fittings (tsuba, menuki, kozuka, and kogai) ranks among the finest in Japan, with masterpieces by various Edo-period schools and makers, including the Gotō family, Shoami, Yokoya Somin, and metalworkers affiliated with the Yagyu Shin Kage-ryu.

The Idemitsu Museum of Arts hosts specialized exhibitions several times a year featuring Japanese swords, armor, and sword fittings. Thematic exhibitions combining Edo-period metalwork arts with Japanese swords are particularly acclaimed. The 9th-floor gallery, which overlooks the stone walls of the Imperial Palace (former Edo Castle) and Hibiya Park, is renowned for commanding one of Tokyo's finest views, adding exceptional value to the art appreciation experience.

Its location in central Tokyo—adjacent to Nijubashi Bridge, the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Yurakucho, and Tokyo International Forum—makes it another key focal point for Japanese sword appreciation alongside the Tokyo National Museum (Ueno), and an important hub in sword-appreciation tourism routes originating in the city center.