Tokyo National Museum
The Tokyo National Museum is a museum belonging to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, and researches, collects, preserves and exhibits cultural properties. The present Honkan (Japanese Gallery) of the museum was designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 2001. (13-9 Ueno Park, Taito City)
Tokyo National Museum, Honkan (Japanese Gallery)
The museum was established on March 10, 1872, when the first exhibition was held by the Ministry of Education's museum department at Yushima Seido. Although the museum was later transferred to Uchiyamashita-cho (present Uchisaiwai-cho 1-chome in Chiyoda Ward), the museum had control over Ueno Park in 1876, a new building (Honkan main building), designed by Josiah Conder, was built in 1881 on the grounds of Ueno Park, and, in 1882, the museum's main building opened to the public along with an attached zoo (present Ueno Zoological Gardens). In 1889, the name of the museum was changed to the Imperial Museum, and Ryuichi Kuki and Tenshin Okakura took the positions of the museum director and the director of the art department, respectively. In that year, the construction of the Imperial Museum of Kyoto and the Imperial Museum of Nara were also proposed. (continued in the lower column)
Entrance hall of the Tokyo National Museum, Honkan
The museum was renamed the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum in 1900, and a new gallery named Hyokeikan opened in 1909, which was built as a wedding gift to Crown Prince Yoshihito (future Emperor Taisho) in the previous year. Although Ogai Mori took the position of the chancellor of the museum in 1917, the Honkan building was severely damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and closed until 1924. The Ueno Park and zoo were given to the city of Tokyo to commemorate the marriage of Crown Prince Hirohito (future Emperor Showa), and exhibitions resumed at Hyokeikan only for the time being. The present Honkan was build and opened in 1938. The museum was placed under the authority of the Ministry of Education from the Department of the Imperial Household, and renamed the National Museum in 1947. In 1952, the museum was again renamed the Tokyo National Museum in 1952, and have continued to exist to the present day.
"Hakubutsukan Enkei-no Zu," a distant view of the museum (Honkan main building) by Josiah Conder [Its history is introduced on the page of the Tokyo National Museum]
Design drawing of Hyokeian (dedication museum; front view)
New Honkan building design submitted for the prize (by Jin Watanabe)
This design was chosen as the first place among a total of 273 entries. The total construction cost was 7,130,000 Yen, and the half of the cost was covered by donations.
Light in Honkan
The first floor lounge of Honkan
Mosaic tile wall on the first floor lounge of Honkan
Floor of the lounge facing the garden
The present Honkan of the Tokyo National Museum was designed by Jin Watanabe who also designed the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama and the Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance Building in Marunouchi, Tokyo. The prize contest for the building design was run for the purpose of creating an environment for preserving Asian art works. The prospectus reads as follows: "the Eastern-style based on the Japanese taste, which is in harmony with the contents...(translation)" The entrance hall with a high vaulted ceiling, made of marble and granite, is a magnificent space. The lounge facing the backyard is decorated with splendid mosaic tiles.
Tokyo National Museum
The Tokyo National Museum is a museum belonging to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, and researches, collects, preserves and exhibits cultural properties. The present Honkan (Japanese Gallery) of the museum was designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 2001. (13-9 Ueno Park, Taito City)
"Hakubutsukan Enkei-no Zu," a distant view of the museum (Honkan main building) by Josiah Conder [Its history is introduced on the page of the Tokyo National Museum]
Design drawing of Hyokeian (dedication museum; front view)
New Honkan building design submitted for the prize (by Jin Watanabe)
This design was chosen as the first place among a total of 273 entries. The total construction cost was 7,130,000 Yen, and the half of the cost was covered by donations.
