Historical Records
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Map of Japan (Medium-Sized Map) (detail), By Inō Tadataka, Edo period, 19th century (Important Cultural Property)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 15
February 28, 2023 (Tue) - April 23, 2023 (Sun)Tokyo National Museum has more than artworks and archeological artifacts. The collection also includes records, which provide valuable insights into history and the cultures of different ethnic groups. This diversity stems from the Museum’s origins as a comprehensive institution in 1872. It was even home to animal, plant, and mineral specimens, although these were moved to the National Museum of Nature and Science in 1925.
The extensive collection of historical records at Tokyo National Museum now includes maps, diagrams, texts, photographs, ink rubbings, and copies of artworks. These items, dating mainly from the 17th to 20th century, shed light on politics, society, culture, transportation, and scenery in Japan. Here we display a selection of these items under different themes throughout the year.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Map of Japan (Medium-Sized Map) | By Inō Tadataka (1745–1818) | Edo period, 19th century | P-2906-6 | ||
| Volume 1 of "The Museum's Illustrations of Fish" | Compiled by the Museum Bureau; illustrated by Kurimoto Tanshū and others | Edo period–Meiji era, 19th century | QA-863-1 | ||||
| Volume 2 of "The Museum's Illustrations of Fish" | Compiled by the Museum Bureau; illustrated by Kurimoto Tanshū and others | Edo period–Meiji era, 19th century | QA-863-2 | ||||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Map of the Tōkaidō Road: Odawara | Compiled by the Office of Transportation, Formerly preserved at Asakusa Bunko Library | Edo period, 1806 | P-582-2 | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | The Five-Story Pagoda at Tōji Temple | By Yokoyama Matsusaburō | Meiji era, 1872 | R-1383 | On exhibit from March 21, 2023 |