Beard Family Trips & Vacations

Tokyo from March 15 - 24, 2008

Tokyo - March 16:  Tokyo National Museum complex

website:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_National_Museum or http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pageId=X00&processId=00

Address of the location (from the website):   13-9 Ueno Park,Taito-ku, Tokyo,110-8712, Japan

The museum complex had one admission price for all five exhibits: Honkan (Japanese Gallery), Toyokan (Asian Gallery), Heiseikan (Japanese Archaeology Gallery), Hyokeikan (example of Western-style architecture), and the Horyuji Homotsukan (Gallery of Hoyuji Treasures).  While there, we visited the Honkan, then the Heiseikan, and Toyokan galleries.  We ate at the Restaurant L'accord located in the Toyokan building.  We then went into the Hyokeikan for a few minutes, went by the Kuromon (The Black Gate) that used to adorn the main Edo residence of the Ikeda family, and went through the Horyuji Homotsukan.

Most of these galleries allowed some photos taken of their items.  There were certain items that they would have a sign next to indicating no pictures.

Honkan (Japanese Gallery)

• Armor and helmets

• Aikuchi style sword mounting from the Edo period in the 17th century

• Itokami-no-tachi style sword mounting from the Edo period in the 17th century

• Bow and arrows

• Kimonos

• Other Art

• writing box made by the monk-poet Saigyo in maki-e lacquer during the Edo period of the 18th century

• more art objects

• garden behind the museum

• scene from the Heiji Civil War by Kano Tomonobu (1843-1012) done in 1893, color on silk

• The Yomei-mon Gate of Nikko by Soyama Sachihiko (1859-1892) done in 1890, oil on canvas

• Wanda standing next to the head of Bodhisative (6th century)

• Buddha Triad and single statue

Toyokan (Asian Gallery)

• Large drums

• Clay Seals from Ancient China

• Bronze Money Tree

• Other Art

• Incense Burner, 3rd century, Korea

• Funeral Urn from the Western Jin dynasty, 3rd century

• Stoneware Miniature Pagodas, 8th-9th century, Unified Silla dynasty

Heiseikan (Japanese Archaeology Gallery)

• Exhibit on early stone tools:

• The earliest known pottery found - initial Jomon period (roughly 10,000 BC):

• Other tools and exhibits:

• Early swords and knives

• Early tools for growing rice

• Bronze Arrowheads and stone bracelets:

• Model houses and boats:

• Horse statue and fan:

Hyokeikan (example of Western-style architecture)

Kuromon (The Black Gate)

Horyuji Homotsukan (Gallery of Hoyuji Treasures) - no pictures could be taken inside here.

At the end of this, we went back to the museum shop in the Honkan where Wanda and Conner bought some items.  We then left the Tokyo National Museum complex and moved over to the Museum of Western Art.

This site was last updated 03/30/08