is a sculpture museum in
Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. The building was called the and used as the officer's social club by the
7th Division of the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
from 1902 until 1945. In 1968, it became the . The building is designated an
Important Cultural Property.
[Official website of the museum: About the museum]
History
Asahikawa Kaikōsha
In 1896, the Tondenhei, the army engaged in farming and security in Hokkaidō prefecture, was formed; the
Imperial Japanese Army 7th Division was settled in
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
. The division transferred its operational area to Asahikawa between 1900 and 1902. The Asahikawa Kaikōsha, the building for the army officer's clubhouse (which later serves as the museum) was completed in 1902. It was constructed by the Okuragumi, a construction company which currently is the
Taisei Corporation.
[
The building was constructed with the western style, and a gate and some barracks in which soldiers of the division dwelt were initially built around the Kaikōsha. Originally, the Kaikōsha was used as a hotel, guest house, and assembly hall for the army and division's officials. Japanese crown prince Yoshihito and ]Hirohito
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
, who became the Emperor of Japan in later life, stayed at the building.[Hokkaido Culture & Art Database]
After Japan was defeated in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Kaikōsha was used as the assembly hall of the American army.[ After the ownership of the Kaikōsha was moved from the government of Japan to the Asahikawa city in 1949, the building was used as an interim schoolhouse.][
]
Museums
Asahikawa Museum of Local History
In 1968, the building of the Kaikōsha was restored to use it as a museum, and the Asahikawa Museum of Local History was opened. Renovated to its original exterior, the museum has displayed historical materials including records of the Ainu people
The Ainu are the indigenous people of the lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, including Hokkaido Island, Northeast Honshu Island, Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula and Khabarovsk Krai, before the arrival of the Y ...
.
Due to its western design and historical architecture, the building of the Asahikawa Museum of Local History was designated as one of the Important Cultural Properties of Japan on May 19, 1989.
In September 1993, the museum was moved to the newly established Asahikawa Taisetsu Crystal Hall (a complex building including music hall, museum, and assembly hall) and renamed the Asahikawa City Museum.
Museum of Sculpture
On June 1, 1994, the building was renovated and used as the Asahikawa Museum of Sculpture in Honor of Teijiro Nakahara. Teijiro Nakahara is a modern sculptor born in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, lived in Asahikawa in his childhood, and the museum was named after him. The year 2002 marked 100 years since the building of the Asahikawa Kaikōsha was completed: A 100th anniversary exhibition was held.[
As of 2008, it is the only building in Asahikawa city to be designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.][
]
Overview
The two-storied museum is a timbered and western building. The western style structure, which is also seen at the exterior of the Hōheikan in Sapporo, is characteristic architectural style in Hokkaidō prefecture.[
The museum mainly exhibits the records of 12 Teijiro Nakahara and Teijiro Nakahara awarded sculpture works. Temporary exhibitions are held including the exhibition of Bikky Sunazawa, a wood carving sculptor born in Asahikawa.
In addition to the exhibition of sculpture works, events including concert and public lectures for children are held.Official website of the museum: Events in 2007]
Each year, the presentation ceremony of the Teijiro Nakahara Award, which is given to superior sculptors, is held on October 3, Nakahara's date of birth.
The museum is next to the Yasushi Inoue Memorial Museum and Shunkō Garden.
References
External links
The Official Website of the Asahikawa Museum of Sculpture in Honor of Teijiro Nakahara
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Important Cultural Properties of Japan
Museums in Asahikawa
Art museums and galleries in Hokkaido
1902 establishments in Japan
Art museums established in 1902
Giyōfū architecture