Tokyo National Museum

The museum went through several name changes. The original 1872 exhibition was known as the "Museum of the Ministry of Education". The compound in Uchiyamashita-chō was initially known simply as "the Museum" (Hakubutsukan) 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". It was renamed the in 1888, reflecting its change of ownership of the imperial household. As other museums opened, this changed to the more specific Tokyo Imperial Household Museum (Tōkyō Teishitsu Hakubutsukan) in 1900. Following the government reforms imposed after World War II, it was renamed the "National Museum" in 1947 and the "Tokyo National Museum" in 2001. The museum is also sometimes known as the "Ueno Museum". ==History==

Yushima Seido Exhibition The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest national museum in Japan. It considers its origin to have been the or , a public exhibition of imperial artwork and scientific specimens held by the Ministry of Education's Museum Department from 10 March to 30 April 1872 during the 5th year of the Meiji Era. The items' authenticity had been ascertained by the recent Jinshin Survey, which catalogued and verified various imperial, noble, and temple holdings around the country. Directed by Shigenobu Okuma, Tsunetami Sano, and others, the 1872 exhibition expanded on an 1871 exhibit at the Tokyo Kaisei School (today the University of Tokyo) in order to prepare for an international exhibition at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair celebrating Franz JosephI's 25th year as emperor. The 1873 exhibition in Vienna, apart from the collection of regional objects, also included a full Japanese garden with shrine, a model of the former pagoda at Tokyo's imperial temple, the female golden shachi from Nagoya Castle, and a papier-maché copy of the Kamakura Buddha. It opened on 15 April and was open to the public for the next 3½ months, after which it opened on the days in each month ending with the numbers 1 or 6. File:Art Gallery of the First National Industrial Exhibition.png | An engraving of the Art Gallery for the first National Industrial Exhibition (1877) File:Tokyo-Ueno-Park-National-Industrial-Exhibition-Museum-Hiroshige-III-1877.png| Hiroshige III's ukiyo-e triptych showing its interior (1877) File:Second National Industrial Exhibition 1881.png | Guide map to the 1881 Second National Industrial Exhibition File:Hiroshige III - Daini hakurankai bijitsukan narabini funsuiki.jpg | Hiroshige III's ukiyo-e triptych of the second NIE (1881), showing the original Honkan Ueno museum (1923) 's 1937 plans for the second Honkan, front and side elevations Ueno Park was founded in 1873 on land that had been held by the metropolitan government since the destruction of most of the Kaneiji Temple during the Boshin War that established the Meiji Restoration, partially following the example set by the American government at Yellowstone the preceding year. Hisanari Machida, the museum's first director, had advocated the use of the spacious park for a wide-ranging museum as early as 1873 but parts of it were used for the military and education ministries until 1875, when the Home Ministry acquired complete control. A ceremony attended by Emperor Meiji opened the museum and zoo on 20 March 1882; the library was reopened on September 30. The museum saw attendance begin to fall after 1925; 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). 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. ==Facilities==

Honkan (Japanese Gallery) The houses the museum's main display of Japanese art from prehistory to the late 19th century. It has two floors and a basement with a total floorspace of . It is designed to be fire- and earthquake-resistant. at a cost of 7 million yen. It opened on 10 November 1938 with a ceremony attended by Emperor Hirohito. The Heiseikan was first opened in 1999. The Toyokan was designed by Yoshirō Taniguchi, opened in 1968, refurbished in the early 2010s, and reopened in January 2013. and opened in 1999. was opened in 1909. Its name reflects its construction in honor of the wedding of Crown Prince Yoshihito and Sadako Kujo (later Emperor Taisho and Empress Teimei) on 10 May 1900. Designed by Okada Shinichirō, the hall was built in 1928 as part of Kuroda's bequest to use part of his fortune "to fund projects to promote art". but it is presently open whenever the main museum is. 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. 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 compared to similarly developed countries: in 2017, the cultural budget was one-fifth that of France and one-third that of South Korea. The Tokyo National Museum's annual budget is ¥2 billion, 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. 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. ==Publications==

The museum has published a number of books about its collection and special exhibitions, including the following: • 100 Masterpieces of Asian Art from the Tokyo National Museum Collection (2009) • Noh Masks and Costumes Passed Down by the Konparu Troupe (2017), ISBN 9784907515256 • Noh Masks and Costumes of the Uesugi Clan (2019), ISBN 9784907515430 • Edo Fashion Kosode Robes (2020), ISBN 9784907515546 • Treasures of the Tokyo National Museum (2020), ISBN 9784907083656 • 50 Masterpieces of Japanese Art from the Tokyo National Museum Collection (2023) • All About Japanese Archeology at the Tokyo National Museum (2023), ISBN 9784907515713 • Annual Rituals in the Illustrated Records of Court Ceremonies (2025), ISBN 9784907515812 ==Access==

• Ueno Station (with JR East and Tokyo Metro) • Uguisudani Station (with JR East) • Keisei Ueno Station (with Keisei Electric Railway) • Nezu Station (with Tokyo Metro) ==See also==