Suntory Museum of Art
The Suntory Museum of Art is a private art museum in Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi, owned and operated by the Suntory corporation. Founded in 1961 by Suntory president Keizō Saji, the museum centres its collection on the theme “Art in life,” with over 3,000 cultural objects — including one National Treasure, sixteen Important Cultural Properties, and twenty-one Important Art Objects — spanning Japanese lacquerware, glass, ceramics, textiles, and paintings from antiquity through the Edo period.
At a glance
- Type
- Private art museum
- Period
- Founded 1961; current Tokyo Midtown location from 2007; renovation 2019–2020
- Style
- Contemporary; Kengo Kuma interior design, Tokyo Midtown complex
- Location
- Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan
- Coordinates
- 35.6664° N, 139.7305° E
Overview
The Suntory Museum of Art occupies a purpose-built gallery space within the Tokyo Midtown complex in Roppongi, forming one corner of the “Roppongi Art Triangle” alongside the Mori Art Museum and The National Art Center, Tokyo. The museum mounts approximately six to seven temporary exhibitions per year, all drawn from its permanent collection and organised around the concept of art as part of everyday life rather than elite connoisseurship. Its holdings concentrate on pre-modern Japanese applied arts: lacquer, glass, ceramics, textiles, and folding screens.
History
Suntory president Keizō Saji established the museum in 1961 in the Palace Building, Marunouchi, as an expression of the company’s longstanding commitment to arts patronage. The museum relocated to Akasaka in 1975 and again moved to its current Tokyo Midtown home in 2007, when the former Japan Defense Agency site in Roppongi was redeveloped. Architect Kengo Kuma designed both the museum interior and the surrounding Tokyo Midtown Garden Site. A further renovation in 2019–2020, again supervised by Kuma, introduced earthquake-resistant ceiling systems, updated LED lighting, and refreshed public spaces including entrance areas, shops, and cafés.
What you see
Kengo Kuma’s interior makes extensive use of natural materials — pale wood lattice screens, washi-textured surfaces, and warm ambient lighting — creating an atmosphere that complements the pre-modern Japanese works on display. The collection ranges from ancient bronze mirrors and Tang-dynasty ceramics through Heian lacquerware, Muromachi ink paintings, and Edo-period illustrated manuscripts. The single National Treasure and sixteen Important Cultural Properties appear in rotation, ensuring that even regular visitors encounter works they have not previously seen. Glass and metalwork from historical Islamic and European traditions supplement the Japanese core.
Cultural significance
The Suntory Museum’s “Art in life” framework has been influential in Japanese museum practice, framing applied and decorative arts as equal in cultural importance to painting and sculpture. Together with the adjacent Mori Art Museum and National Art Center, it has helped transform Roppongi from a nightlife district into one of Tokyo’s foremost cultural quarters, drawing millions of visitors annually to a single walkable neighbourhood.
Practical information
- Address
- Tokyo Midtown Galleria 3F, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8643
- Opening hours
- Generally 10:00–18:00 (Fri–Sat to 20:00); check official website for closures
- Website
- www.suntory.com/sma
Getting there
The museum is a short walk from Roppongi Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line; Toei Oedo Line) and a few minutes from Nogizaka Station (Chiyoda Line). Tokyo Midtown is well-signposted from both exits. Buses connect Roppongi to Shibuya, Shinjuku, and central Tokyo.
Sources & resources
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