KAITA EPITAPH Zanshōkan is an art museum located in Maeyama, Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture. Opened in 2020, the museum carries on the spirit and collection of the former Shinano Dessin Museum, creating a new space where the art and memory of artists who died young can continue to be experienced.
Set quietly in the mountains of Ueda, the museum offers visitors an intimate encounter with works created by artists whose lives and careers were cut short. Its collection reflects the passion and dedication of Seichiro Kubo, a writer and art critic who spent many years collecting and preserving these works.
In 1979, Seichiro Kubo established the Shinano Dessin Museum. Over the following decades, he devoted himself to collecting works by artists who died at a young age, bringing together paintings and other works that might otherwise have been lost or forgotten.
The collection eventually grew to more than 1,000 works. Among the artists represented were Kaita Murayama, Seiji Sekine, Hideo Noda, Kogan Tobari, Aikō, Shunsuke Matsumoto, and Hideo Oguma.
One of the museum’s best-known works was Naked Monk Urinating (1915) by Kaita Murayama, a brilliant artist whose short life left a lasting impression on modern Japanese art.
The Shinano Dessin Museum also had a café, giving visitors a peaceful place to reflect on the works they had seen.
In 1997, the War-Dead Student Artists Memorial Museum, Mugonkan, opened as a branch of the Shinano Dessin Museum. It was created to preserve and present the works and memories of young art students who lost their lives during World War II.
Mugonkan later became an important place of remembrance in its own right, while the Shinano Dessin Museum continued its mission of preserving the work of artists who had died young.
By the end of 2015, declining visitor numbers and financial difficulties, together with Kubo’s health problems, made it increasingly difficult to continue operating both museums.
Mugonkan remained open, but the main Shinano Dessin Museum and its annex, Kaita-an, were placed on indefinite closure on March 15, 2018.
In response to requests from visitors and people involved in the art world, the museum was temporarily opened for a special period during the summer of that year. However, restarting the museum as an independent institution remained difficult, and the future of its collection was uncertain.
After the closure of the Shinano Dessin Museum, Kubo struggled with the loss of a place where the collection could be experienced. While recovering from illness, he once again reflected on his relationship with art and became determined to create a new museum.
That determination led to the opening of KAITA EPITAPH Zanshōkan on June 6, 2020.
The name “KAITA” pays tribute to Kaita Murayama, the gifted Japanese artist whose work became one of the central symbols of Kubo’s collection.
“EPITAPH” means an inscription or words commemorating someone who has died. Together with the Japanese word “Zanshō,” meaning “afterglow,” the name expresses the idea that the spirit of these artists continues to shine even after their lives have ended.
The museum therefore represents more than the preservation of paintings. It is also a place for carrying the memory of artists forward into the present and future.
The museum houses and displays works associated with a number of artists. The collection includes works by Kaita Murayama, as well as a memorial exhibition room dedicated to Michizō Tachihara.
Works associated with artists such as Aikō are also part of the museum’s collection, with some works subject to plans for repurchase or future exhibition.
Examples of other artists represented include Egon Schiele, Chimei Hamada, Yasuki Kanayama, Takeo Tsuruoka, Minio Palwello Sylvia Yasuda, Taketake Funakoshi, Ken Yoshioka, Mizuki Asano, and Susumu Kinoshita.
KAITA EPITAPH Zanshōkan is characterized by its intimate atmosphere. Rather than functioning simply as a conventional gallery, it invites visitors to consider the lives, aspirations, and artistic journeys behind the works.
The museum’s location in the quiet mountains of Ueda adds to this contemplative experience. Away from the bustle of a large city, visitors can take their time looking at individual works and thinking about the artists who created them.
Mugonkan, located in Furu-Aso, Ueda City, continues the memorial mission associated with the Shinano Dessin Museum. It preserves and exhibits works by student artists who died during World War II and provides a place to remember their lives and unfinished artistic dreams.
The two museums offer different perspectives while sharing a connection through Kubo’s long-standing efforts to preserve the memory of artists whose lives were cut short.
Kaita-an, originally built as an annex of the Shinano Dessin Museum, is currently closed indefinitely. Its name comes from Kaita Murayama, reflecting the important place he holds within the history of the collection.
KAITA EPITAPH Zanshōkan is open on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Admission is free.
KAITA EPITAPH Zanshōkan is not simply a place to view paintings. It is a place where the memories of artists who lived intensely, even if only for a short time, continue to be passed on through their work.
The paintings preserved here connect the past, the present, and the future. They allow visitors to encounter the individuality, creativity, and aspirations of artists whose lives ended before their artistic journeys could fully unfold.
For travelers exploring Ueda, a visit to KAITA EPITAPH Zanshōkan offers a quiet opportunity to discover another side of the city’s cultural landscape—one shaped not only by historic temples and samurai heritage, but also by the enduring power of art and memory.