Exhibition Outlines

Our museum opened on November 3rd, 1993, and will reach our 20th anniversary this autumn. Among the items that were possessed by the Imperial family known as Gyobutsu until the reign of Emperor Showa, approximately 6,000 art and craft works were donated to the nation from His Majesty the Emperor and Dowager Empress Kojun in 1989, and our museum was established to specialize in their preservation, research, conservation, and exhibition to the public. Though it is a small establishment, we have exhibited the collection based on research through various themes, and have introduced the works from various viewpoints on the relationships of the Imperial family and culture. We have held 63 exhibitions, and 12 special exhibitions.

Furthermore, we also act to pass down the superior works of the Japanese culture entrusted from the Imperial family, to the future generations. We have proceeded in daily maintenance in conservation and management, and also conducted projects of restoration by technical specialists. Restoration projects of precious works are carried out after prior investigation and examining restoration principles, recording the investigation results accompanying restoration, and applying these to the exhibition of the works after restoration, and conservation. Within these restoration projects, important facts about details on the dates and methods have been clarified, which has contributed greatly to our country's art history studies.

In this 20th Anniversary Exhibition, we will introduce the importance of conservation that supports public exhibiting, through the various masterpieces that showed us interesting results through restoration projects. We have systematically introduced the works passed down within the Imperial family, based on research, and also endeavored in conservation of the works mainly through restoration projects. These efforts have been continued to the present, which have become our museum's main tracks. We hope these tracks help to widely introduce the relations of the Imperial family and culture, and the succession of the tradition of Japanese culture.