Tokyo National Museum

Coordinates: 35°43′8″N 139°46′35″E / 35.71889°N 139.77639°E / 35.71889; 139.77639
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tokyo National Museum
東京国立博物館
Honkan building, Tokyo National Museum
The Honkan (Main Gallery)
Map
Interactive fullscreen map
Established1872 (Yushima Seido Exhibition)
1873 (permanent display)
1882 (present location)
2007 (present administration)
LocationUeno, Taitō, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35°43′8″N 139°46′35″E / 35.71889°N 139.77639°E / 35.71889; 139.77639
TypeArt museum
Collection size110,000
Visitors2,180,000 (2017)[1]
Public transit access
Websitetnm.jp

The Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館, Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan) or TNM is an

Important Cultural Properties.[2] As of the same date, the Japanese government had designated 902 works of art and crafts as National Treasures and 10,820 works of art and crafts as Important Cultural Properties,[b] so the museum holds about 10% of the works of art and crafts designated as National Treasures and 6% of those designated as Important Cultural Properties.[3]
The museum also holds 2,651 cultural properties deposited by individuals and organisations, of which 54 are National Treasures and 262 are Important Cultural Properties.[4] Of these, 3,000 cultural properties are on display at one time, with each changing for between four and eight weeks.[2] The museum also conducts research and organizes educational events related to its collection.

The facilities consist of the

Horyu Temple; the Kuroda Memorial Hall, holding a collection of works by Kuroda Seiki; and the Research and Information Center. There are restaurants and shops within the museum's premises, as well as outdoor exhibitions (including the Kuromon
) and a garden where visitors can enjoy seasonal views.

The Tokyo National Museum is one of four museums operated by the

Japanese imperial family
.

Names

The museum went through several name changes. The original 1872 exhibition was known as the "Museum of the Ministry of Education".[5] The compound in Uchiyamashita-chō was initially known simply as "the Museum" (Hakubutsukan)[6] before becoming the "Sixth Bureau of the Home Ministry", after which it was again known as the Museum and then the "Museum of the Museum Bureau".[6] It was renamed the Imperial Museum in 1888, reflecting its change of ownership of the imperial household.[7] As other museums opened, this changed to the more specific Tokyo Imperial Household Museum in 1900.[5] Following the government reforms imposed after World War II, it was renamed the "National Museum" in 1947[5] and the "Tokyo National Museum" in 2001.[5] The museum is also sometimes known as the "Ueno Museum".[8]

History

Yushima Seido Exhibition

The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest national museum in Japan.

Kamakura Buddha.[12] The next year, Sano compiled a report on the fair in 96 volumes divided into 16 parts. Gottfried Wagener, a German scientist then working in Tokyo, wrote its reports on "The Art Museum in Respect to Arts and Various Crafts" and "The Establishment of the Tokyo Museum", arguing strongly for the creation of a museum on western lines in the Japanese capital.[12]

Uchiyamashita museum

While the Vienna World Fair was going on, the locally-held objects were organized by the Exposition Bureau into a temporary display at a compound in Uchiyamashita-chō (now 1-Chome in

natural sciences; the grounds had an area for livestock and a room for bears.[6] The museum continued to be connected to industry and was closely involved with the national industrial exhibitions held in Ueno Park in 1877, 1881, and 1890.[13]

  • An engraving of the Art Gallery for the first National Industrial Exhibition (1877)
    An engraving of the Art Gallery for the first National Industrial Exhibition (1877)
  • Hiroshige III's ukiyo-e triptych showing its interior (1877)
    Hiroshige III's ukiyo-e triptych showing its interior (1877)
  • Guide map to the 1881 Second National Industrial Exhibition
    Guide map to the 1881 Second National Industrial Exhibition
  • Hiroshige III's ukiyo-e triptych of the second NIE (1881), showing the original Honkan
    Hiroshige III's ukiyo-e triptych of the second NIE (1881), showing the original Honkan

Ueno museum

Original Honkan of the Tokyo National Museum
Tokyo Imperial Household Museum
Two photographs of the main building of the museum (c. 1910)
Great Kanto Earthquake
(1923)
Jin Watanabe's 1937 plans for the second Honkan, front and side elevations
East elevation

Ministry of Agriculture and Trade. It began construction on the associated zoo[7] and added the Asakusa Bunko collection to the museum as its book department.[16]

A ceremony attended by

imperial household took over ownership of the museum, focusing its operations on cultural and scientific pursuits and ending its direct involvement with trade and industry.[7] The original Honkan was severely damaged in the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923,[5] and exhibits were moved to the undamaged Hyokeikan.[17] The structure having originally been promoted as having "solidity... matched by no other" in Japan, its collapse led to disillusionment with the architecture and style it represented.[18]

Upon the marriage of

National Science Museum).[5] An Imperial Museum Innovation Promotion Committee was assembled the next year following the ascension of Hirohito as emperor,[19] which ultimately decided to replace the former building. In 1931, they held a design contest[19] and selected the Imperial-Crown plan from Jin Watanabe
.

The present Honkan was opened to the public in 1938,

Shosoin were publicly displayed for the first time to celebrate the supposed 2600th anniversary of the ascension of the first emperor of Japan. 400,000 came to see them during the 20-day exhibit.[19]

The museum saw attendance begin to fall after 1925;[17] it was closed in 1945 during the final phases of the Second World War.[citation needed] It was placed under the Ministry of Education in 1947,[5] the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum in 2001 (merging its administration with the Kyoto, Nara, and—in 2005—Kyushu National Museums),[20] and the Independent Administrative Institution National Institutes for Cultural Heritage in 2007 (merging the IAINM's administration with the national institutes for cultural preservation in Tokyo and Nara).[21]

From October 18, 2022 to December 11, the Tokyo National Museum celebrated its 150 year anniversary by displaying all of its 89 national treasures in a single exhibition for the first time.[22]

Facilities

Honkan (Japanese Gallery)

The entrance to the Honkan (May 2019)
The Honkan entryway, seen from the second floor landing (2013)
The TNM garden seen from the Honkan terrace (March 2018)
The rear of the Honkan seen from the garden (March 2018)

The Honkan (本館, Main or Japanese Gallery)

floorspace of 21,500 m2 (231,000 sq ft). It is designed to be fire- and earthquake-resistant.[19]

The Honkan is located on the former site of the main hall of the

Anglo-Indian architecture, with two green onion domes surmounting the towers flanking the main entrance. It was completed in 1881. This building was ruined by the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923.[7]

It was replaced by

Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2001.[5]

The rooms are ordered beginning with the SE corner of the second floor, passing clockwise around the second and first floor, and ending with the SW corner of the first floor.[23]

Second Floor First Floor
Room Title Room Title
1 The Dawn of Japanese Art and Rise of Buddhism 11 Japanese Sculpture
Yayoi, Kofun
2 National Treasure Gallery 12 Lacquerware
Various periods
3
Zen & Ink Painting
 13 Metalwork and Ceramics
Muromachi
4 The Art of Tea Ceremony 14 Thematic Exhibition
Various periods
5 Attire of the Military Elite 15 Records of History
Heian, Edo
6 Attire of the Military Elite 16
Ryukyu
Heian, Edo
7
Folding Screens
and Sliding Door Paintings 		17 Conservation and Restoration
Various periods
8 The Arts of Daily Life and Developments in Painting and Calligraphy 18 Modern Art
Azuchi-Momoyama, Edo
9 Noh and Kabuki 19 Education Space
Various periods
10
Edo Period
 20 Giftshop
Edo

The basement holds another educational space.[23]

Heiseikan

The Heiseikan (2009)

The Heiseikan (平成館,

donors to the museum.[24]

The Heiseikan was first opened in 1999.

Emperor Akihito, which lasted from 1989 to 2019. The building was erected to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Hiro to Masako Okawa (now Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako) on 9 June 1993.[24]

The Japanese Archaeology Gallery introduces the use of

oldest pottery in the world.[e]

  • The earliest polished stone tools in the world. Pre-Jōmon (Japanese Paleolithic) period, 30,000 BCE.
    The earliest polished stone tools in the world. Pre-Jōmon (Japanese Paleolithic) period, 30,000 BCE.
  • Incipient Jōmon pottery (radiocarbon dated to 12500 ±350 BP)[25]
    Incipient
    Jōmon pottery (radiocarbon dated to 12500 ±350 BP)[25]
  • A Final Jōmon statuette (1000–400 BCE)
    A Final
    Jōmon
    statuette (1000–400 BCE)
  • Horse chariots during the Kofun period. Detail of bronze mirror (5th–6th century). Eta-Funayama Tumulus, Kumamoto.
    Horse chariots during the Kofun period. Detail of bronze mirror (5th–6th century). Eta-Funayama Tumulus, Kumamoto.
  • Iron helmet and armour with gilt bronze decoration, Kofun period, 5th century
    Iron helmet and armour with gilt bronze decoration, Kofun period, 5th century
  • Haniwa horse statuette, complete with saddle and stirrups, 6th century, Japan
    Haniwa horse statuette, complete with saddle and stirrups, 6th century, Japan
  • The Buddha, Asuka period, 7th century
    The Buddha, Asuka period, 7th century
  • Temple tiles from Nara, 7th century
    Temple tiles from
    Nara
    , 7th century
  • Vine and grape scrolls from Nara, 7th century
    Vine and grape scrolls from Nara, 7th century

Toyokan (Asian Gallery)

The Toyokan (2009)

The Tōyōkan (東洋館,

Egyptian objects. There is a theater in its basement and a dinner to its side.[26]

The Toyokan was designed by Yoshirō Taniguchi, opened in 1968, refurbished in the early 2010s, and reopened in January 2013.[26] It is three stories tall but employs its basement and a spiral arrangement of mezzanines and stairs to spread its collection over six floors.[26]

Floor Room Name
B1 11 Khmer Sculpture
12 Gilt Bronze Statues from Southeast Asia
Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian Ceramics
13 Asian
Indian Miniature Paintings
Ethnic Cultures of Asia
1 1 Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
2 2 Oasis2 Education Space
3
Egypt
3 4
The Advent of Chinese Civilization
5
Chinese Textiles
6 Oasis6 Education Space
4 7
Stone Relief Carvings
of China
8
Chinese Literati
5 9
Decorative Art of the Qing Dynasty
10 Polished
Art of the Joseon Dynasty
  • One of the first representations of the Buddha, 1st–2nd century CE, Gandhara from Pakistan
    One of the first representations of the
    Buddha, 1st–2nd century CE, Gandhara
    from Pakistan
  • Seated Buddha, Gandhara, 1st–2nd century CE
    Seated Buddha, Gandhara, 1st–2nd century CE
  • Maitreya, seated on a throne in the Western manner, with Kushan devotee. 2nd century Gandhara.
    Maitreya, seated on a throne in the Western manner, with Kushan devotee. 2nd century Gandhara.
  • Bacchanalian scene, representing the harvest of wine grapes, Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, 1st-2nd century CE
    Bacchanalian scene, representing the harvest of wine grapes, Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, 1st-2nd century CE
  • Drinking scene, Greek drinking cups, Greek dress. Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara. 3rd century CE.
    Drinking scene, Greek drinking cups, Greek dress. Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara. 3rd century CE.
  • Greek scroll supported by Indian Yaksas, Amaravati Stupa, 3rd century
    Greek scroll supported by Indian Yaksas, Amaravati Stupa, 3rd century
  • Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya, 443
    Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya, 443
  • Tang-dynasty Bodhisattva
    Tang-dynasty Bodhisattva
  • Wooden plate with inscriptions in Tocharian. Kucha, China, 5th–8th century.
    Wooden plate with inscriptions in Tocharian. Kucha, China, 5th–8th century.
  • The Toyokan's collection of Chinese bronzeware
    The Toyokan's collection of Chinese bronzeware

Horyuji Homotsukan (Gallery of Horyuji Treasures)

The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures (2018)
Horyu Temple

The Hōryū-ji Hōmotsukan (法隆寺宝物館, Gallery of Horyuji Treasures) is a two-story building housing the museum's

Horyu Temple in Nara.[27]
The 319 items were given to the Imperial Household by the temple in 1878, then placed at the National Museum for safekeeping and preservation.

The building was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi[27] and opened in 1999.[5]

Floor Room Name
1 1 Banner for the
Kanjo Ceremony
2 Gilt Bronze
Repoussé
Buddhist Images
3
Gigaku Masks
2 4 Wooden and Lacquer Works
5 Metalwork
6
Textiles

A mezzanine between the two floors holds a Reference Room[27] with a digital archive of the treasures, allowing visitors to view the entire collection with explanations in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English, French, and German.[citation needed] There is a restaurant on the first floor.[27]

Hyokeikan

The Hyokeikan (2019)

The Hyōkeikan (表慶館, Congratulatory Gallery)

Meiji Era, it was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1978.[5] It is closed to the public except during special exhibitions.[28]

Kuroda Kinenkan (Kuroda Memorial Hall)

Kuroda Memorial Hall

The Kuroda Memorial Hall (黒田記念館, Kuroda Kinenkan) holds a collection of works by the important Western-style (yōga) artist Kuroda Seiki. Its collection presently comprises 126 oil paintings and 170 drawings, as well as sketchbooks, letters, &c.[30][31] Located northwest of the main museum compound, it has free admission and separate hours of operation (9:30 AM–5:00 PM, with the last admission at 4:30).[32]

Designed by

Tokyo Research Institute for Cultural Properties. The TRICP moved in 2000, with the Kuroda Memorial Hall reopening as a public gallery the next year. In 2007, its administration was transferred to the Tokyo National Museum, which renovated it before reopening it on 2 January 2015. Admission was originally restricted to two-week periods in January, Spring, and Autumn[30][33][31] but it is presently open whenever the main museum is.[32]

The exhibition on the second floor consists of 4 rooms: the Kuroda Memorial Room, the Reading Room, the Audiovisual Room, and the Collection Highlights Gallery. There is also a cafe on the first and second floors.[32]

  • Self-portrait in a Turkish Hat (1889)
    Self-portrait in a Turkish Hat (1889)
  • Girl with Red Hair (1892)
    Girl with Red Hair (1892)
  • Portrait of a Woman (1898)
    Portrait of a Woman (1898)
  • Hong Kong (1900)
    Hong Kong (1900)
  • Jar of Flowers (1912)
    Jar of Flowers (1912)

Shiryokan (Research and Information Center)

The Shiryōkan (資料館, Research and Information Center) holds books, magazines, images, and other documents relating to history, archaeology, and the fine and applied arts in Japan, Asia, and the Middle East.[34]

The Research and Information Center was opened in 1984.[34] The floor open to the public includes two reading rooms, an exhibition area, and counters for requesting items held in the archives on the other floors.[34] Free access is available without admission to the rest of the museum through the compound's west gate.

Operating budget issues

The Japanese government's cultural budget is consistently low: in 2017, the cultural budget was one-fifth that of France and one-third that of South Korea.[35] The Tokyo National Museum's annual budget is a paltry ¥2 billion,[36] which is one-seventeenth that of the Louvre, one-fifth that of the British Museum, and one-third that of the National Museum of Korea.[35] By 2023, the museum was struggling to delay repairs to cultural assets and pay utility bills for its facilities due to rising electricity and other costs. The museum has asked the government to increase its budget, but the request has not been granted. The museum's director often complains about its plight in the media.[36]

Access

See also

Notes

  1. ^ * Tokyo National Museum
    * Kyoto National Museum
    * Nara National Museum
    * Kyushu National Museum
  2. ^ Counting like 110,000 or 89 is not the number of objects. For example, 1 set of 12 Buddha statues is counted as 1.
  3. ^ * National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
    * National Crafts Museum (Japan)
    * National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
    * National Museum of Western Art
    * National Museum of Art, Osaka
    * The National Art Center, Tokyo
    * National Film Archive of Japan
  4. ^ * National Museum of Japanese History
    * National Museum of Ethnology (Japan)
  5. ^ Although sometimes called the oldest pottery in the world,[25] the Japanese finds have been superseded by newer discoveries in China with the objects found in Xianren Cave, Jiangxi, in 2012 the oldest known as of 2019.

References

Citations

  1. ^ 2017 TEA-AECOM Museum Index, published May 2018
  2. ^ a b "Frequently asked questions about the Tokyo National Museum". Tokyo National Museum. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. ^ 文化財指定等の件数 (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  4. ^ 国立文化財機構概要 2022 (PDF) (in Japanese). National Institutes for Cultural Heritage. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Outline of the Independent Administrative Institutions National Museum 2005" (PDF). IAI National Museum Secretariat. 2005. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-26.
  6. ^ a b c d e f TNM (2019), Yamashitamon-nai Museum: The Museum under the Home Ministry.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k TNM (2019), Ueno Museum: The Original Honkan.
  8. ^ Tseng (2004), p. 474.
  9. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005), "Museums", Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 671–673.
  10. ^ a b c TNM (2019), Yushima Seido Exposition.
  11. ^ TNM (2019), The Jinshin Survey: Research of Cultural Properties.
  12. ^ a b c d e TNM (2019), The World's Fair in Viena: The Origin of the Japanese Modern Museum.
  13. ^ TNM (2019), The National Industrial Exhibition: The Museum and the Encouragement of Industries.
  14. ^ Sutherland & al. (1995), p. 6.
  15. ^ Tseng (2004), p. 475.
  16. ^ TNM (2019), Shojakukan and Asakusa Bunko: Foundation of the Museum Library.
  17. ^ a b c d TNM (2019), The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Museum: From Taisho to Showa Era.
  18. ^ Tseng (2004), p. 472.
  19. ^ a b c d e f TNM (2019), Construction of the New Honkan: The Museum during World War II.
  20. ^ Kyushu National Museum (PDF), Independent Administrative Institution National Museum, 2005, p. 16, archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-08-16.
  21. ^ Outline (PDF), Independent Administrative Institution National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, 2007, p. 5.
  22. The Mainichi
    . 26 October 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d TNM (2019), Honkan.
  24. ^ a b TNM (2019), Heiseikan Floor Map.
  25. ^ a b Imamura (1996), 44–46.
  26. ^ a b c TNM (2019), Toyokan Floor Map.
  27. ^ a b c d TNM (2019), The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures Floor Map.
  28. ^ a b c TNM (2019), Hyokeikan Floor Map
  29. ^ Guide Map (Map). Tokyo National Museum. 2015.
  30. ^ a b 東京文化財研究所黒田記念館本館 [Main Building, Kuroda Memorial Hall, Tokyo Research Institute for Cultural Properties] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  31. ^ a b "Kuroda Memorial Hall". Tokyo National Museum. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  32. ^ a b c d TNM (2019), Kuroda Memorial Hall Floor Map.
  33. Independent Administrative Institution National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo
    . Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  34. ^ a b c TNM (2019), Research and Information Center Floor Map.
  35. ^ a b 海外とくらべて少ない人数と予算……日本の美術館を取り巻く現実 (in Japanese). Kodansha. 15 July 2023. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  36. ^
    Bungeishunju. 9 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.

References

External links
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