Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 16
December 9, 2008 (Tue) - January 25, 2009 (Sun)
Owners of cultural properties, including the Tokyo National Museum, are responsible for their protection as well as for displaying them. In order to disseminate this fact, the museum held a thematic exhibition last January featuring the Jinshin Inspection of 1872, which is known as the first governmental action related to cultural properties protection in Japan. This time, we highlight the Temporary National Survey of Treasures conducted in 1887.
Based on the experience of the Jinshin Inspection, the Temporary National Survey of Treasures was the first nation-wide survey of cultural properties to include their present location, condition and evaluation as estimated by the national standard. It was the foundation for the later registration system of national treasures.
This display features documents and records which demonstrate how widely the national endeavor was undertaken, as well as reproductions produced in conjunction with the survey by artists who later became great masters.
Major works in this exhibition
