TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM

Description

Essentials about the Tokyo National Museum in brief

If you want to immerse yourself a little in the history and culture of Japan, you can’t avoid a visit to the Tokyo National Museum. Founded in 1872, it is the oldest museum in Japan. It collects and preserves works of art and archaeological finds from Japan and other East Asian countries. With a collection of more than 110,000 exhibits, including 87 of Japan’s national treasures and over 600 other important national treasures, the Tokyo National Museum is also the largest museum in the country. Therefore, if you want to see as many of the 3,000 or so objects on display as possible, you should get to the museum, located on the northern edge of Ueno Park, quite early.

The galleries of the Tokyo National Museum

The National Museum consists of five galleries: The Japan Main Gallery (Honkan), the Asian Gallery (Tōyōkan), the Hyōkeikan, the Heiseikan, and the Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasures. In addition, the museum has a research project and information center, restaurants and stores, outdoor exhibitions, and a garden.

The Japan Main Gallery

The Japan Main Gallery offers a general overview of Japanese art and history in 24 exhibition rooms on two floors. The artworks on display cover a period from about 10,000 BC to the late 19th century. Items on display include ceramics, sculptures, samurai swords, kabuki costumes and filigree metalwork.

The Asian Gallery

It consists of ten exhibition rooms on five levels and is dedicated to the art and archaeology of Asia, including China, India, Korea and Southeast Asia. Isolated exhibits even come from Egypt. With around 5,000 exhibits, the National Museum houses one of the world’s largest and most important collections of Korean art, especially Celadon ceramics.

The Hyōkeikan

The Hyōkeikan building is only accessible for events and special exhibitions.

The Heiseikan

The Heiseikan serves mainly as a space for special exhibitions, but also houses the exhibition on Japanese archaeology. This exhibition on the third floor of the building shows Japanese history from ancient times to pre-modern times using archaeological objects as examples. The rooms on the second floor are reserved for special exhibitions.

The Gallery of the Hōryū-ji Treasures

The gallery exhibits in six rooms the artworks of the 319 Hōryū-ji Treasures donated to the Imperial Court in 1878 by Hōryū-ji. Located in the city of Ikaruga, Hōryū-ji (Temple of the Buddha’s Teaching) is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Japan. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as its grounds contain the oldest preserved wooden buildings in the world and many Japanese national treasures.