Ueno, where Japan’s leading museums and other cultural facilities converge. Exhibitions and programs taking place in this area are supported by Japan’s foremost professionals in their respective fields. Here are some great stories by these experts in the know!
The Tokyo National Museum and Taito City
Calligraphy Museum have kicked off the 2020 season with an ambitious, joint
exhibition that examines the life and times of multidisciplinary Chinese artist
Wen Zhengming (1470-1559). Spanning the vaunted halls of both museums, the sprawling
exhibition places a particular emphasis on Wen’s calligraphy, while also
introducing audiences to the vibrant milieu of fellow culturati active in his
hometown of Suzhou. Although relatively unknown in 21st century
Japan, Wen Zhengming’s legacy lives on in China, where his name remains
synonymous with the Ming dynasty. Despite a well-deserved reputation as one of
the foremost masters of his craft, Wen is rumored to have been quite a late
bloomer. A lackluster calligrapher in his youth, his subsequent success is a
sterling testament to the virtues of diligence, perseverance, and lifelong
practice.
In this article, Katsunori Mutobe, Assistant Curator of Asian Calligraphy at the Tokyo National Museum, provides a rundown of the many treasures that await at the exhibition, titled: Wen Zhengming and Artworks of the Ming Dynasty –Celebrating the 550th Anniversary of Weng Zhengming’s Birth-.
The august halls of the National Museum of Nature and Science have become a hallowed resting ground for Mummies of the World. If the long lines of visitors snaking around the museum’s ticket box office are any indication, the special exhibition has proved a resounding – if slightly ominously-titled – success. We spoke with exhibition curator Kazuhiro Sakaue regarding the highlights of the exhibition, as well as the irresistible appeal of mummies in general.
Mummies have been on the mind this year following the resounding success of Mummies of the World, an ambitious special exhibition held at the National Museum of Nature and Science. Ueno Park is home to another exceptionally rare and remarkable mummy, located on permanent display right next door at the Tokyo National Museum. Join us as we explore the untold secrets of the mummy who slumbers in the halls of the Tokyo National Museum.
Established in 1877, the National Museum of Nature and Science has long served Ueno as home to an exhaustive collection of all things pertaining to the natural sciences. In addition to hosting public exhibitions, the museum is also an active research institute and a premier repository for research materials, including an ever-growing collection of scientific specimens. Our correspondent recently travelled to the museum’s research facilities in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, to speak with scientists and learn more about the cutting-edge research that occupies their days. In this installment, we meet Dr. Hironori Komatsu, a researcher studying marine invertebrates, with a specialization in the taxonomy of crabs. Our intrepid interlocutor for the day is Tamaki Miyata, author of Musekitsui Suizokukan (“The Invertebrate Aquarium”), and an acclaimed essayist known for his uncommon love of the many strange and peculiarly fascinating wonders of the world. Read on to discover everything you never knew you wanted to know about the secret life of crabs, in part one of a two-part special feature on the National Museum of Nature and Science.
Essayist, inveterate marine invertebrate enthusiast, and lover of the weird and wonderful Tamaki Miyata visited the Tsukuba office of Dr. Hironori Komatsu to learn more about the scientist’s work at the National Museum of Nature and Science’s Division of Marine Invertebrates. In part one, we heard how the leading specialist in the taxonomy of crabs was captivated by crustaceans’ “mechanical” appeal. In part two, Dr. Komatsu divulges more of the fascinating gleanings and insights gained through his research at the National Museum of Nature and Science.
On December 20th, visitors to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum were treated to a special gallery tour of Ueno Artist Project 2019: “Artists Look at Children.” Led by the exhibition’s curator, the tour met for two sessions, one in the afternoon, and one at night. In this installment, we take you inside the museum for a report on all that the evening session had in store.
If the mention of natural history museums conjures up fond childhood memories of monumental exhibitions to the wild world of dinosaurs and deep-sea creatures galore, then you would surely love Take a Journey with Pictures Books through the History of Life, a recent exhibition held in the National Museum of Nature and Science’s Japan Gallery. Turning a new page in the museum-going experience, the exhibition explored the theme of human evolution as depicted in a curated selection of children’s picture books in the nature and science genre. In this installment, paleontologist Makoto Manabe (aka “Dr. Dinosaur”) takes us on a special guided tour of all the highlights of the exhibition.
