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The Tokyo venue, which had been postponed for one year and five months to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, opened on October 13. It will be held until November 24, 2021 (Wednesday).
Although the event was threatened by the launch of declaration of a state of emergency, it was canceled at the end of September, and although there were some restrictions, we were able to hold the event somehow.
Image provided: National Museum of Nature and Science
The venue is the National Science Museum in Ueno, a sacred place for exhibitions of natural history and science and technology history! It is located in the city center and has good access to traffic, and the climate will be suitable for going out in the future, so if you are near Kanto or missed the previous traveling exhibition, I hope you will take this opportunity to see it.
※Advance reservations are required to enter the National Museum of Nature and Science. For details on how to enter the museum, please visit the website of the National Museum of Nature and Science.
The Ueno Main Building of the National Science Museum (Japan Pavilion) is a venerable building built in 1931 based on the Neor Renaissance style, and is famous for its shape as an airplane that was a symbol of science and technology at the time when viewed from the sky. It was designated as a national important cultural property in 2008.
The central hall of the Japan Pavilion has a wonderful design dome with stained glass. The venue is a special exhibition room facing the central hall.
At this central hall, we had a hands-on exhibition where you can touch and understand woodwork, but the hands-on exhibition has been canceled to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection.
At the entrance part, short introduction videos of two films produced in conjunction with this exhibition ("Kigumi House" and "Heritage of Kumiko Crafts") are shown. A theater room was set up at other venues, but it could not be set up at this venue due to circumstances, so screenings will be held instead (10/17 and 10/31).
This is a joint project between the National Museum of Nature and Science and Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, and in addition to the contents of the previous exhibition, the collection of the National Museum of Nature and Science has also been exhibited.
One of the most distinctive features is the wooden structure model (1/25 scale) of Horyuji Temple five-storied pagoda and Yakushi-ji Temple East Tower, made by fittings craftsmen using elaborate techniques. It used to be exhibited at the Permanent exhibition of the National Museum of Nature and Science, but it is rarely seen because it is now stored in the storage room. Don't miss it.
When you pass through the entrance, you will be greeted by a wooden frame corner that introduces various fittings and gestures. In this exhibition, the commentary panels are available in Japanese and English because they are compatible with multilingage. It also supports Chinese and Korean by reading the QR code installed at the venue.
A wooden structure used for the main pillars of a private house, a full-size model with four sides. The upper part is assembled and the lower part is broken down. In this exhibition, we have prepared a video commentary by the creator for major exhibits. Chiba carpenter Akinori Abo (Kokimori), who produced this exhibit, explains the secrets of Kigumi and how to use tools. You can move to the YouTube page by reading the QR code attached to the commentary panel (there is free Wi-Fi in the hall).
Enkaku-ji Temple, a national treasure in Kamakura, is a representative architecture of the Zen sect style of the Muromachi period. Here, a group consisting of a total of 66 members supporting the eaves is displayed in a decomposed form. In addition, you can see how these are assembled in CG.
This is a wooden structure model with a roof exhibited from the National Museum of Nature and Science. The model of the braid is based on the Tohmaji East Pagoda (national treasure, late Nara period), and the roof model is based on the three-storied pagoda (national treasure, Kamakura period).
A work by Kenji Suda, a living national treasure. You will be fascinated by the beautiful mokume. The corners are actually assembled with complex hands. You can also see Mr. Kenji Suda's commentary on YouTube.
It is a kumiko folding screen that expresses the mountains of Shinshu by building wood without using any hardware or paint. Please take a look at the elaborate skills of Japanese fittings craftsmen at the venue. You can also watch a commentary video by Setsuo Matsubayashi of the Sakae fittings craft that was also produced on YouTube.
Please check the details of Kumiko in the real thing!
Next is the European woodwork. This introduces the wooden set and gantry called guitars that support the roof of the dormer window. You can see the complex woodwork that cannot be seen in Japan along with the video.
This huge wooden group is made of a part of the wooden Kintai-kyo Bridge wooden group in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in a size of 2.5. The production was made by Kumeji Ebizaki, a master who replaced the Heisei era. You can see the mechanism of the arch structure made of wood, which is rare in the world. In addition, a model used for structural experiments at Kintai-kyo Bridge has been exhibited at Waseda University from the National Museum of Nature and Science.
The last is a mysterious woodwork corner. I tried to prepare 6 kinds of woodwork like a puzzle. Originally, I would like you to enjoy it together with the hands-on exhibition, but in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, it was just a look at it. The location map of old buildings related to this exhibition is posted on the wall, so I hope you can refer to it when going out.
Kawai joint with a complicated and strange shape. It can be assembled either vertically or horizontally.
When it is completed, it is completely invisible from the outside. Please enjoy the mysterious and beautiful world at the venue with the refreshing scent of wood!
