The woman climbs the grand staircase of the Tokyo National Museum, pondering whether to go right or left

When entering the Tokyo National Museum from Ueno Park, the main building awaits you directly in front of you. The massive concrete Western-style building with a tiled roof gives the impression of a Japanese-style building. This style of architecture, which blends Japanese and Western styles, is known as the Imperial Crown Style and was apparently popular in Japan in the 1930s: the Kudan Kaikan Terrace was built in 1934, the Kyocera Museum of Art in 1933, and of course the main building of the Tokyo National Museum was constructed in 1938. The style, which was adopted for many large-scale buildings and was widely used, seems to have been adopted less frequently since then. It must have been the flower of the times. The term imperial crown style itself is now quite minor.

Although the exterior is built in an architectural style that blends Japanese and Western styles, once you step inside, you don't feel much of a Japanese atmosphere. The grand staircase, which you see as soon as you enter through the main entrance, is also made of marble, with cast metal decorations on the handrails. It is totally Western-style. The only Japanese style items on display were ancient Japanese art objects such as helmets, maki-e boxes and swords.

Comment via

日本語