Wonderful little museum. Tea demonstrations are available on Sundays during exhibitions. Definitely get there when they open to get a spot though! Exhibition piece descriptions are almost all in Japanese.

The Pinnacle of Business and Culture】A place where you'll be overwhelmed by the "genuine aesthetic eye" of Hankyu founder Ichizo Kobayashi The "Itsuo Art Museum" stands in a quiet residential area of Ikeda, Osaka. This is not merely a place to exhibit artworks; it embodies "the very philosophy" of Ichizo Kobayashi (Itsuo), the extraordinary businessman who built Hankyu Railway, Toho, and the Takarazuka Revue. About a 10-minute walk from "Ikeda Station" on the Hankyu Takarazuka Line. It's also very close to Ichizo Kobayashi's former residence (Gazoku Sanso), and it's worth visiting for the refined atmosphere that flows through the whole area as well. His true greatness lies in the fact that, while making huge businesses succeed, he seriously contributed to the development of Japanese culture and the arts. He supported the activities of local artists both materially and morally, and with his sure aesthetic eye collected first-class pieces, including Important Cultural Properties. On top of that, he even created a one-of-a-kind culture, the "Takarazuka Revue," from scratch. Setting itself firmly apart from the "nouveau-riche hobby collections" that abound in the world, this space condenses the footprints of how one genius raised up Japan's cultural infrastructure. This is a masterpiece of a museum that I strongly recommend to people who seek the real thing and are fed up with cheap "Instagrammable spots" made for social media, or to those who want to experience the ultimate fusion of business and art.

Itsuo is the pen name (gagō) of Ichizo Kobayashi, founder of the Hankyu Group. This museum mainly exhibits artworks collected by Mr. Kobayashi. On the day I visited, works featuring birds had been gathered under the title "Torimania." It's mostly hanging scrolls, but including ceramics and other crafted objects, all kinds of birds appear—from familiar birds like sparrows, swallows, white-eyes, and ducks to birds admired for their beauty like peacocks—making for an enjoyable exhibition. For a museum, the exhibition space isn't very large, but with a different theme each time, it makes you appreciate anew just how rich Mr. Kobayashi's collection is.

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2026/3/13 Went to the "Torimania" exhibition. I visited around noon on a weekday, and there were only a handful of people in the museum including me, so I could look around very calmly and take my time. It's an exhibition I'd highly recommend to anyone who wants to find their own "favorite bird" in a quiet space. ・Truly "cuteness lined up one after another" Not only the loveliness of the sparrows and Japanese tits, but the elegance of the golden pheasants and cranes also catches the eye. My favorite was a bush warbler (uguisu) with a sharp, determined expression, and I bought its magnet as a souvenir. You can feel the confident strength of a bird that has practiced and mastered its "hō-hokekyo" call. ・Details you can't afford to miss Down to every single feather (especially the egret's tail!), and spots like birds holding insects or twigs in their beaks—things you might miss at a glance—are all depicted in great detail. Since it was quiet, I could enjoy these details up close to my heart's content. ・Fun you only get at this exhibition The combination of "a full set of bird-themed tea utensils," which apparently would never happen at an actual tea gathering, was a concept unique to this exhibition and very interesting. It warmed my heart to realize that the feeling of finding birds "cute" hasn't changed from past to present.

It was a very refreshing museum. The collection, which lets you sense Itsuo's aesthetic eye, was distinctive and a real pleasure to view. Be sure to have tea in the tea room! ⋯ The seasonally changing arrangements and sweets make for a wonderful experience. Both the museum and the memorial hall are in a residential area, but the parking facilities were well thought out, which was a big help.