Tomihiro Hoshino Museum

Posted on May 23, 2007 by Lauren Hudgins

Tomohiro Hoshino’s youth was focused on being very physically active. He was a gymnastics teacher at a junior high school when, at age 24, he injured his neck teaching his students a routine maneuver. Afterwards, he was completely paralyzed from the neck down. He remained in the hospital for nine years. During this time of incapacitation and therapy he learned to write poems and paint flowers using his mouth with the aid of his mother. As his talent developed, his practice became a world famous collection of work.

A new Tomihiro Hoshino art museum opened in April of 2005 in his hometown, Azuma Village, Seta, GunmaOne of Japan's 47 prefectures. It forms the Northwest corner of the Kanto area. Prefecture. It takes a long and winding trip up in the mountains to get to it, but the views along the way are stunning and the work of Tomihiro Hoshino is inspiring. Hoshino has delightful, creative insight into the dynamics between the human and natural world. For him, flowers provoke deep anecdotes and lovely epiphanies.

The written material at the museum is all in Japanese, but a recorded guide in English is available for free at the information desk. It begins with a brief prologue about the life of Tomihiro Hoshino. Each subsequent track is a translation of Hoshino’s writings. Most of the works exhibited in the museum come with a translation on the English guide. Small numbers on the bottom right corner of the title cards will tell you which track is the corresponding recorded translation.

The recording itself is a bit of a disaster. A dry, male Australian voice reads the translations with absolutely no emotion or personality. He manages to slaughter even the simplest and most moving pieces. Try to get past his unnerving speech and just remember the words. You can construct your own interpretations from there.

The building itself is a brilliant modern architectural work, the result of an international design competition. Appropriately, the Tomihiro Hoshino museum is one of the few places in Japan with handicapped facilities. Outside the museum is a small but tasteful garden and a beautiful view of the river below.

The gift shop has a few books with very good English translations.

The Tomihiro Hoshino art museum can be reached by car off road 122 or by public transportation by taking a bus from the Godo station on the Watarase Keikoku Railroad.