There is cultural life thriving outside Kanto and Kansai. As proof of this, if proof were needed, the new Iwate Museum of Art in Morioka City opened to the public last month. Its core collection -- of 20th-century prints, paintings and sculptures by artists born, trained or resident in the region -- gives visitors a chance to appreciate the immense contribution of rural regions to Japan's cultural wealth.
As Hideya Sasaki, the museum's director, said in his opening address, "Growing interest in art among the residents of Iwate Prefecture led to the desire to establish a prefectural art museum as a new focal point for artistic activities in Iwate."
In 1991, an organization was set up to work toward this goal and, after a decade of preparation -- including the purchase of more artworks -- IMA was designed and purpose-built by Nihon Sekkei Co. to exhibit most of the collection in its spacious upstairs galleries.