Kyoto National Museum (KNM) opened in 1897. It has been using its current name since 1952. KNM focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian arts and crafts. Kyoto was the cultural and political center of Japan from the beginning of the Heian period in 794 to the end of the Edo period in 1868. KNM primarily collects cultural properties related to this "capital of a thousand years", Kyoto.
Collections that can be divided into several main categories:
- traditional Japanese paintings, including hanging scrolls, screens, paintings on paper and silk from various historical periods,
- Japanese calligraphy, including Buddhist texts, poetry and historical documents,
- Buddhist sculpture, which is one of the key elements of Japanese art, there are both small and monumental sculptures made of wood, bronze and other materials,
- decorative arts include ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, textiles, and bamboo products, examples include everyday objects as well as ceremonial artifacts,
- applied art includes objects such as swords, armor, theatrical masks, tea ceremony vessels, and various artifacts related to everyday life in Japan,
- archaeological relics,
- photographic archive containing over 200,000 photographic negatives and color slides.
The museum contains over 12,000 works, half of which are displayed in exhibitions.
KNM, including the gardens, covers an area of approximately 50,000 square meters. The exhibition area is approximately 7,000 square meters.
Photo: exterior of the Kyoto National Museum, Heisei Chishinkan Wing