The , commonly known as Tobunken, is an institute dedicated to the preservation and utilization of cultural properties. It is one of the two institutes in Japan that comprise the
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage Independent Administrative Institution (IAI) National Museum ("National Museum") was the official name of the corporate entity created by the Japanese government in 2001 by merging three formerly independent national museums—the Tokyo National Mus ...
, an
independent administrative institution
An Incorporated Administrative Agency (独立行政法人, ''Dokuritsu gyōsei hōjin'' or ''Dokugyo'' in abbreviation) is a type of legal corporation formulated by the Government of Japan under the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrat ...
created in 2001.
History
The Tobunken was founded in 1930 as the Art Research Institute with an endowment established by
Kuroda Seiki
Viscount was a Japanese painter and teacher, noted for bringing Western art theory and practice to a wide Japanese audience.
He was among the leaders of the '' yōga'' (or Western-style) movement in late 19th and early 20th-century Japanese pa ...
, former president of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (
Japan Art Academy
is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of Ed ...
). In 1952, it was reorganized into the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties with the establishment of departments of Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Conservation Sciences, and General Affairs. A department of Restoration Techniques was added in 1973 and an archive set up in 1977. The Division of International Cooperation for Conservation was established in 1993 and then converted into the
Japan Center for International Exchange
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) is an "independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization dedicated to strengthening Japan's role in international networks
of dialogue and cooperation." Founded in 1970 by Tadashi Yamamoto, their st ...
in Conservation in 1995, expanding the Institute to its present scale. Also in 1995, a graduate course was established in cooperation with
Tokyo University of the Arts
or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...
(東京芸術大学, ''Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku'').
In 2001,
was created by the merger of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, and the
National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara.
[IAI National Institutes for Cultural Heritage. (2007)]
Outline, PDF/p. 5.
/ref>
In 2007, was established by merging two Independent Administrative Institutions: the , which had been created in 2001; plus the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum Independent Administrative Institution (IAI) National Museum ("National Museum") was the official name of the corporate entity created by the Japanese government in 2001 by merging three formerly independent national museums—the Tokyo National Mus ...
(the IAI National Museum), also created in 2001. The IAI National Museum had been created by merging the Tokyo National Museum
The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage ( :ja:国立文化財機構), is considered the oldest national museum in Japan, ...
, the Kyoto National Museum
The is one of the major art museums in Japan. Located in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, the museum focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art.
History
The Kyoto National Museum, then the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, was proposed, along with the Impe ...
, the Nara National Museum
The is one of the pre-eminent national art museums in Japan.
Introduction
The Nara National Museum is located in Nara, which was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. Katayama Tōkuma (1854–1917) designed the original building, which is a r ...
in 2001; and the Kyushu National Museum
The opened on October 16, 2005 in Dazaifu near Fukuoka—the first new national museum in Japan in over 100 years, and the first to elevate the focus on history over art.Japan National Tourist Organization Museum "focuses on history."/ref> The ...
had been incorporated into the organization in 2005.
Library
The Tobunken library houses a large collection of books and materials that serve the various departments of the Tobunken. The library consists of 90,000 books on fine arts, 87,000 periodicals on fine art, 13,000 books on the performing arts, 7,000 books on preservation and restoration techniques, and 260,000 photographs. Some materials are viewable only on microfilm of CD-ROM to prevent damage to the originals.
The Tobunken website also has a number of digital archives with digitized woodblock-printed books and prints from the Edo period. Previews of the rarer periodical runs held in the library's collection can be seen under the "From the Collections" link, which include periodicals on Japanese art and culture from all over the world.
The Library is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday except on national holidays and other temporary closures. The library is open from 10:00 to 5:00pm with the reference desk closed from 12:00 to 1:00 and after 4:30. A self-service, black and white copier is available for use at the rate of 10 yen / page. The library can be reached by facsimile at the following number: 03-3823-2372
Kuroda Memorial Hall
The Kuroda Memorial Hall acts as an art museum associated with Tobunken. The Hall itself was the original site of the Art Research Institute after its donation in 1924 as part of the estate of Kuroda Seiki, often considered the father of modern Western-style painting in Japan. In 1928, the Hall was used to display works of art donated by members of Kuroda's family and in 1930 became the Art Research Institute, the former name of the Tobunken. After 2000, when the Tobunken moved to its present location, the Kuroda Memorial Hall as restored to its original appearance and reopened in September 2001. A gallery was added to allow for a greater display of the Hall's collection, including 126 oil paintings, and 170 drawings, sketchbooks, and letters.
Kuroda Memorial Hall
/ref>
References
External links
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage web site
Cultural Properties for Future Generations
Preservation and Utilization of Cultural Properties
TOBUNKEN Research Collections
Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties - Publications (Institutional repository)
Departments
Intangible Cultural Heritage
{{Authority control
Research institutes in Japan
1930 establishments in Japan
Japanese studies