Historical Records
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Members of the Shogunate's 1861 Embassy to Europe (detail); By Nadar; Edo period, 1862 (On exhibit through March 23, 2025)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 15
February 26, 2025 (Wed) - April 20, 2025 (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 | ||
| Important Cultural Property | Map of Kyūshū (Large Scale), No. 5: Saeki | By Inō Tadataka (1745–1818) | Edo period, 19th century | P-584-5 | |||
| Important Cultural Property | Map of Kyūshū (Large Scale), No. 6: Nobeoka | By Inō Tadataka (1745–1818) | Edo period, 19th century | P-584-6 | |||
| Highlight | Photographic World Album XXI: China, Japan, and Other Regions | Photographer unknown; brought to Japan by Uchida Masao | 19th century | R-2283-21 | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Volume 1 of the "Jinshin Survey Catalogue of Temple and Shrine Treasures" | Compiled by Machida Hisanari (1838–97), Uchida Masao (1838–76), Ninagawa Noritane (1835–82), and others | Meiji era, 1872 | P-608-1 | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Map of the Ōshū Road: Ashino: The Yugyō Willow Tree; Shirosaka: Mountain Checkpoint at Kannon Temple and Site of the Old Checkpoint in Shirakawa | Compiled by the Tokugawa Government Office of Travel, Formerly preserved at Asakusa Bunko Library | Edo period, 1806 | P-582-51 |