[Exhibition Report] Kokugakuin University Museum "Festivals and Fashion in Edo/Tokyo - The City and People Who Adorn It -"

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I visited the Kokugakuin University Museum for the first time and viewed "Festivals and Fashion in Edo/Tokyo - The City and People Who Adorn It -" and other exhibits. Here are my impressions.

▶︎ Conclusion

Free admission was a surprise for a museum of this quality. I felt the high level of awareness at Kokugakuin University everywhere. In the special exhibition, the fashion sense of the Edo period, which differs from modern times, was fascinating. Also, the permanent exhibition alone takes about 2 hours to view thoroughly, making for a very satisfying experience. It is a recommended hidden gem spot that you can walk to from Shibuya Station!

▶︎ Reason for visiting

When I had errands in Shibuya, I managed to carve out about two hours, so I went to the Kokugakuin University Museum. This was mainly because 1) I had heard the name and was curious, 2) it is free, and 3) it is within walking distance from Shibuya Station.

▶︎ Access

The Kokugakuin University Museum is about a 15-minute walk from Shibuya Station. From Shibuya Station, head toward Hikarie, then walk toward the Roppongi area.

▶︎ What is the Kokugakuin University Museum?

The Kokugakuin University Museum is located on the Kokugakuin University Shibuya Campus. It houses approximately 110,000 items and holds 5 to 6 special or themed exhibitions annually. It is amazing that they are all free to enter!

The museum was established based on history dating back to 1928.

• 1928: Kiyoyuki Higuchi, then a first-year student at Kokugakuin University, donated his own collection and founded the "Archaeology Exhibition Room" (later the "Archaeology Materials Room" and "Archaeology Museum").

• 1963: Opened the "Shinto Studies Materials Room" (later the "Shinto Materials Exhibition Room" and "Shinto Museum"), focusing on materials related to rituals and festivals.

• 2008: The "Archaeology Museum" and "Shinto Museum" were integrated to become the "Academic Materials Museum." Materials related to the history of Kokugakuin University were added, and it became the "Traditional Culture Research Center Museum."

• 2013: Renamed to "Kokugakuin University Museum," which continues to the present.

The purpose is to "collect and preserve cultural properties necessary for the study of Japanese culture, make academic research results available to the public, and contribute widely to research and educational activities both inside and outside the university."

▶︎ Impressions of "Festivals and Fashion in Edo/Tokyo: The City and People Who Decorate"

✔️ So stylish!

I had just seen Utagawa Kuniyoshi's ukiyo-e prints at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art. Even back then, I thought, "Their outfits are so stylish."

▼ Utagawa Kuniyoshi Exhibition at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art

The people displayed in this special exhibition are all wearing different patterned kimonos and are so stylish! It really conveyed how they were enjoying life to the fullest. I realized that it was precisely because of this obsession with clothing that fashion movements like Comme des Garçons and the Ura-Harajuku style emerged in Japan.

In the Edo period, there were festivals all year round. I wonder if the fact that there was less entertainment compared to today had an influence. I thought that perhaps because there were so many festivals, people let loose, and flashy, eye-catching clothing gained popularity. It is a bit mysterious that while there is a culture of simple wabi-sabi, there was also a flashy, flamboyant side.

✔️ What is the concept of a "beauty"?

I believe the women depicted here were considered the greatest beauties of their time. It is interesting how human sensibilities change significantly with the times. Looking at them now, if this were a Yoshimoto Shinkigeki comedy sketch, one might quip, "Their eyes are so narrow! Their pupils are tiny! Isn't the bridge of their nose too long? And those tiny mouths! Their profiles look like Otafuku masks!"

I imagined whether, if social media had existed in that era and people could see global trends in real-time, the standards of beauty might have changed more drastically.

✔️ I saw the pride of a university in the bilingual English text

There were no overseas visitors at the venue. However, I was impressed that, to accommodate a wide range of visitors, they went beyond cost-effectiveness to carefully provide English translations for everything from information panels to captions.

Even just providing a little English requires a lot of costs, including time, such as for proofreading by native speakers and fact-checking. Nevertheless, I felt the pride of an academic institution in their thorough commitment to English notation. They were even thorough enough to prepare an English version of the exhibition catalog.

▼ Okura Museum of Art, which has no English notation despite having many foreign visitors

✔️ The museum is bustling with visitors

Because it is a museum run by a school, I imagined it would be "very quiet and likely have few visitors." However, in reality, visitors were coming in constantly, which surprised me (the age group was relatively high). This might be due to the influence of the ukiyo-e boom stemming from the Taiga drama "Berabo."

✔️ Surprised by the high level of curation

Although the special exhibition was small, I was surprised that the execution was much more solid than I had imagined (including a tasteful concept, appropriate lighting, spot-on captions, careful Japanese-English notation, and well-paced curation that included three-dimensional objects and diagrams).

Partly because I had previously visited the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art (where I was dissatisfied with the curation), the difference was felt quite vividly.

▶︎ Permanent Exhibition

Inside the museum, in addition to the special exhibition, there are three permanent exhibitions.

✔️ Shinto Exhibition Room

The concept of this section is "Objects and Hearts Seen in Shrine Festivals."

Although the exhibition is compact, the quality of each item is high, and I felt that they were truly conscious of "ways to engage the viewer" (photography is not allowed in this area).

To begin with, "Shinto" refers to a Japanese religion based on the idea that gods reside in all things in nature, without a founder, prophet, or scripture. Shinto has no founder or originator. It seems to be completely different from Buddhism as well.

When someone does something bad, we say, "The sun god is watching." This is also a part of Shinto. Could it be said that all Japanese people are Shintoists to a greater or lesser extent?

Incidentally, Kokugakuin University has the only Department of Shinto Studies in Japan that specializes in training Shinto priests and researching Shinto and religious studies. It offers a curriculum to obtain priestly qualifications. One-third of the students who enroll come from families of shrine priests. It is said that about 70% of students go on to become priests or researchers after graduation.

It is said that there are only two universities in Japan where you can obtain priestly qualifications: the Department of Shinto Studies at Kokugakuin University and the Department of Shinto Studies at Kogakkan University.

In order to serve (i.e., get a job) in the shrine world, you need a qualification called a "rank" determined by the Association of Shinto Shrines. The "Association of Shinto Shrines" is the largest religious corporation in Japan, encompassing shrines across the country. Out of the approximately 80,000 shrines in Japan, over 79,000 are affiliated with the Association of Shinto Shrines. With the need for qualifications and the requirement to join, the religious world is surprisingly organized, isn't it?

✔️ Archaeology Exhibition Room

The concept of this section is "Objects and Hearts in Ritual Sites." It presents materials and research results accumulated to date.

Because the earthenware and other items are displayed along with their historical backgrounds, I felt it was a very easy-to-understand layout. Some items could be touched, and there were even exhibits from outside Japan, making it very diverse, which really caught my interest.

✔️ School History Exhibition Room

The concept of this section is "Objects and Hearts as Seen in Kokugakuin's Academic Assets."

Kokugakuin University began in 1882 with the founding of the Koten Kokyujo (Institute for the Study of Classical Literature) as part of the Meiji government's Shinto policy, serving as an institution for classical research and the training of Shinto priests. Later, with the implementation of constitutional government, the need for "Kokugaku" (an academic discipline from the Edo period that investigates the origins of Japan and explores the heart based on Shinto and traditional culture) led to the establishment of Kokugakuin.

After various events, it has led to the present day. Kokugakuin University opened a campus in Tama Plaza in 1992 and underwent renovations in 2008. It is interesting to learn about the various stories behind the university's establishment.

▶︎ Summary

What did you think? It was a museum and special exhibition operated by Kokugakuin University with quality that you wouldn't believe is free. Although the special exhibition was compact, ingenuity in presentation could be seen everywhere. I also noticed the external fashion that differs from today's era, as well as the internal fashion that connects to the present day. If you come to Shibuya, I recommend it as a unique outing spot!