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Ume plum trees have an elegant and graceful appearance and a noble fragrance. In Ota Ward, there are plum viewing spots such as "Seiseki Kamata Umeyashiki Park" and "Ikegami Plum Garden," which are crowded with visitors during the height of the blooming season.
Kamata was known as a famous plum blossom viewing spot in the Edo period (1603-1868), so much so that it was called "Ume-no-Kimura" (plum tree village). In particular, the "Kamata Umeyashiki" (梅屋敷), which was visited by the shoguns of the Edo Shogunate and the Emperor Meiji, remained a bustling place until the beginning of the 20th century.
On the other hand, the Japanese-style painter Ito Shinsui once had his home and studio in the quiet garden "Ikegami Ume-en" located on the hillside to the west of Ikegami Honmonji Temple. Fascinated by the plum grove there, Shinsui moved to Ikegami and devoted himself to sketching the garden trees and researching his works, but the building was destroyed by fire during the war. After the war, the land belonged to Makoto Ogura, who ran an eel-farming wholesale business in Tsukiji, and after his death, it was transferred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in accordance with the will of his bereaved family, and in 1978 （ the garden became managed by Ota Ward. More than 350 plum trees are planted in the garden, which attracts many visitors every year when the flowers are at their best.
Going back in time, there were other plum viewing spots in Ota Ward, although they have disappeared now. Because of this deep historical connection with the plum tree, the plum tree was designated as the "ward flower" in 1976 ）.
The ume, the flower of early spring, is said to be "the first of a hundred flowers," and has attracted many people since ancient times as a flower that reminds us of the arrival of spring. This exhibition introduces ume (plum) viewing spots scattered or formerly scattered in the Ota Ward area. We hope that visitors to the museum will experience an early taste of spring while learning about the close ties between Ota Ward and the ume tree.