140th Anniversary Thematic Exhibitions: The Museum in the Showa Era: Wartime and Revival

When the Imperial Household Museum (a forerunner to the Tokyo National Museum) was seriously damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 (Taisho 12), the museum's exhibition and other activities were inevitably reduced for some time. However, when the Taisho era ended and the Showa era began in 1926, planning for the construction of a new gallery building started. The resulting building, the present Honkan, was opened in 1938 (Showa 13). This revival of the museum was widely welcomed. The scale of the exhibitions expanded greatly, which attracted many visitors.

At this time, however, the museum became heavily influenced by the escalation of World War II. The number of museum staff who were sent to fight increased, while exhibitions extolling war results were held at the museum. With the worsening of the war situation, air raids over the Japanese mainland intensified. This put the museum in danger and resulted in the forced evacuation of the museum collection to sites throughout Japan. The museum's general activities temporarily ceased. After the war, the museum, while facing several difficulties, made a fresh start as the National Museum. This exhibition introduces through historical materials the continuity and change in this museum's activities before, during, and after the war.