Kyoto National Museum facts for kids
| 京都国立博物館 | |
Façade of museum
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| Established | May 1897 |
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| Location | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan |
| Type | Art museum |
| Visitors | 384,340 (2016) |
| Public transit access | Shichijō Station, Keihan Main Line |
| Kyoto Museums Four | |
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The Kyoto National Museum (also known as Kyōto Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan in Japanese) is one of the most important art museums in Japan. It is located in Kyoto's Higashiyama area. The museum mainly focuses on Japanese and Asian art from before modern times.
Contents
History of the Museum
The idea for the Kyoto National Museum first came up in 1889. Two other museums, the Imperial Museum of Tokyo and the Imperial Museum of Nara, were also planned at this time. The building for the Kyoto museum was finished in October 1895. It officially opened its doors to the public in 1897.
Changing Names Over Time
The museum has had a few different names throughout its history:
- In 1897, it opened as the "Imperial Museum of Kyoto."
- In 1900, its name changed to the "Imperial Household Museum of Kyoto."
- In 1924, the museum was given to the City of Kyoto. Its name then changed to the "Imperial Gift Museum of Kyoto."
- In 1952, the national government took over the museum's collections. It was then renamed the "Kyoto National Museum," which is its current name.
- In 1969, some of the museum's buildings were named "Important Cultural Properties." This means they are very special and protected.
- In 2001, the museum became part of a larger group called the "Independent Administrative Institution National Museum."
- In 2007, this group joined with others to form the "National Institutes for Cultural Heritage." This group now includes four national museums and other cultural preservation centers.
Museum Buildings
The Kyoto National Museum has several important buildings. The main ones are the Special Exhibition Hall and The Collections Hall.
Special Exhibition Hall
The Special Exhibition Hall is also known as the Main Exhibition Hall. It was designed by Katayama Tōkuma and finished in 1895. This hall is used for special, temporary art shows.
The Collections Galleries
The Collections Hall, also called the New Exhibition Hall, was designed in 1966 by Morita Keiichi. In 2014, a new permanent collections hall, the Heisei Chishinkan Wing, was completed. This new wing was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi. He is famous for his work on the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The regular art collections are displayed in The Collections Galleries.
Important Buildings
The Main Exhibition Hall, the Main Gate, and the Ticket Area are all considered Important Cultural Properties in Japan. This means they are historically and culturally very valuable.
Museum Collections
The museum was first built to keep and show art treasures. Many of these treasures were privately owned by temples and shrines. Some items were also given by the Imperial Household Ministry. Today, most of the items in the museum are on long-term loan from these places.
The museum mainly focuses on Japanese works from before modern times. It has a very large collection of items from the Heian period (794 to 1185 AD). It also has many rare and old Chinese and Japanese sutras (religious texts). Some famous works include an 11th-century senzui byōbu (a screen with a landscape painting). Another famous piece is the gakizōshi (a Scroll of Hungry Ghosts) from the 12th century.
The museum's collections are divided into three main parts:
- Fine Arts: This section includes sculptures, paintings, and works of calligraphy (beautiful writing).
- Handicrafts: Here you can find pottery, fabrics, lacquerwares (objects decorated with lacquer), and metalworks.
- Archaeology: This part displays objects found from old sites. These items teach us about history.
In total, the museum holds over 12,000 works. About 6,000 of these are usually on display. The museum also has a huge collection of over 200,000 photographs. More than 230 pieces in the Fine Arts collection alone are considered either National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Nacional de Kioto para niños
- List of National Treasures of Japan (ancient documents)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (archaeological materials)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-others)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
