New Acquisitions 2008

To preserve and exhibit irreplaceable cultural properties in an appropriate environment is an important task of museums. The Tokyo National Museum, as a representative museum of Japan, has a collection of high-quality objects and makes them widely available to the general public. Ranging in date from ancient to modern periods, they include Japanese works as well as those from other Asian countries which are deemed important for considering Japanese culture from multiple viewpoints.

However, the current collection is not sufficient for a systematical display of the entire fields it covers, and it must be further enriched as necessity requires. For this reason, the Museum has been making efforts to collect high-quality, cultural properties every year.

Last year, a total of 90 cultural objects were added to the Museum's collection; 7 were purchased and 81 received as donations, with 2 arriving as transfers from Kuroda Memorial Hall and other collections. They are all of remarkable importance for the study of Japanese and other Eastern cultures.

This thematic exhibition features 41 new pieces from last year's acquisitions. We hope that through these works the visitors will understand part of the Museum's undertakings, as well as enjoying the charm of the various objects that reflect the old cultures.