Kyushu National Museum facts for kids
| 九州国立博物館 | |
The southern face of the Kyushu National Museum
|
|
| Established | October 16, 2005 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dazaifu, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Type | Art museum |
| Public transit access | Dazaifu Station, Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line |
The Kyushu National Museum (Kyūshū Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan) opened on October 16, 2005. It is located in Dazaifu near Fukuoka, Japan. This museum was the first new national museum to open in Japan in over 100 years! It was also the first to focus more on history than on art.
The museum building looks very modern with its cool wood and glass design. Inside, it uses amazing technology to help people explore its collections. For example, it has a super high-resolution video system. This system helps document the museum's items. It also lets more people see the collections, even beyond the main exhibition areas.
The museum is in the hills and holds important Japanese artifacts. Many of these are pottery pieces. They all tell stories about the history of Kyūshū.
You can find temporary exhibitions on the third floor. The main, permanent collections are on the fourth floor. These collections cover the history of Kyūshū from ancient times (prehistory) up to the Meiji era. They especially highlight the rich cultural exchange between Kyūshū and its neighbors, China and Korea.
Unlike many museums in Japan, the Kyushu National Museum has its own special labs. These labs are for conservation work. This means they fix and preserve old artifacts right there! It serves as a major center for this important work in western Japan. The famous architect Kiyonori Kikutake designed the museum.
Museum History: A New View
The Kyushu National Museum offers a fresh way to look at Japanese culture. It shows how Japan's culture developed as part of Asian history.
How the Museum Grew: A Timeline
The museum you see today came to be through many steps. Here's how it happened:
- 1994: The Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA) started a committee. This group looked into creating a new kind of museum.
- 1995: Dazaifu was chosen as the spot for the new "Kyushu National Museum." It's right next to the Dazaifu Tenman-gū shrine.
- 1997: The museum's main policy statement was finished.
- 1998: The basic plan for the museum was completed.
- 1999: The main design for building the museum was ready.
- 1999: A plan for the regular exhibitions was also completed.
- 2000: The detailed design for construction was finished.
- 2000: The basic design for how the exhibitions would look was completed.
- 2001: The building work began. This was the first part of a three-year plan.
- 2002: The detailed exhibition design was completed.
- 2003: The main construction of the building was finished.
- 2003: Work on setting up the exhibitions began. This was the first part of a two-year plan.
- 2004: The building itself was fully completed.
- 2005: The museum officially opened its doors. It became the "Kyushu National Museum."
- 2007: The museum joined a larger group called the Independent Administrative Institution National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH). This group brought together four national museums and other cultural preservation institutes.
More to Explore
- List of Independent Administrative Institutions (Japan)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords)
