Series Japanese Natural History : 130 Years of Ueno Park

Celebrating the 130th anniversary since the inauguration of Ueno Park, this exhibition features materials related to its history.

Ueno Park was created on the former grounds of Kan'eiji temple. During the battle of Ueno in 1868 most of the temple buildings were destroyed by fire. Soon afterward, the temple grounds were opened to the public for cherry blossom viewing, and was registered as a metropolitan park in April 1873. The Ministry of Home Affair's Museum Bureau started road improvement and other construction works in the park in January 1876, and on May 9th, the park was inaugurated in the presence of the emperor and his wife.

Thereafter, Ueno Park was used as the venue for numerous national events including National Industrial Expositions held in 1877, 1881 and 1890. During that time, the museum and zoo opened, and a horse racetrack around Shinobazu Pond and Ueno Railroad Station were constructed. The bronze statue of Saigo Takamori, one of the important persons who worked for the Meiji Restoration, was erected in the park in 1898. The Tokyo Industrial Exposition of 1907 had attractions such as a water chute and ferris wheel. At the Peace Commemorative Tokyo Exposition in 1922, a seaplane that sped around on the Shinobazu pond surface was very popular.

After the Great Kanto Earthquake in September 1922, The park was used as a place of refuge, serving to make people aware of the importance of parks in large cities. Four months later, in January 1923, Ueno Park was presented to Tokyo City to celebrate the wedding of the crown prince. Since then, the park has been one of the most popular places in Tokyo.