preface | Location | History | Facilities | Survey and Guide 2009-10

Founded in 1974, the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is an Inter-University Research Institute, housing a research center and museum all in one. Since making a fresh start in April 2004 as a member of the National Institutes for the Humanities, part of the Inter-University Research Institute Corporation, Minpaku has been promoting its own research as well as joint research with other members of the National Institutes for the Humanities, comprehensively addressing the study of human cultures.

In accordance with its slogan, “To the Ends of the Earth, To the Depths of Knowledge,” Minpaku is engaged in a never-ending quest to explore human cultures. By launching new, large-scale research projects, using new concepts to transform our displays, and disseminating information in fresh, creative ways, Minpaku's staff has, with one accord, redoubled its efforts to ensure further growth and development for this institution, aiming to bring about a “Minpaku Renaissance.”

The academic staff of Minpaku works with other universities and research institutions both in Japan and abroad to carry out research on various cultures and societies and to follow the changes resulting from globalization. While conducting field studies on peoples and their ways of life in many parts of the world, our academic staff members have collected numerous ethnographic artifacts and audiovisual materials to help us better understand the cultures and ways of thinking of different groups of people. Our research results have been made available to the public through a variety of media including publications, exhibitions, public lectures, symposia, and our websites. One of the important functions of Minpaku is to provide information and research results to the general public as well as to scholars in academic institutions.

The Inter-University Research Institutes offer graduate programs at the Ph.D. level as part of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies. Among them, Minpaku hosts the School of Cultural and Social Studies, whose faculty members, the academic staff of Minpaku, teach and supervise doctoral students conducting research in cultural anthropology and ethnology.

By speeding up the flow and exchange of people, commodities, and information, globalization has given us easier access to what we want, and has undeniably brought greater convenience to everyday life. Its other effects, however, have been less positive: dominant cultural elements in various parts of the world are exerting a powerful influence on unique social systems and cultures, resulting in drastic changes in living environments. Arguably, the march of globalization could also be blamed for exacerbating tensions and conflicts between regions and ethnic groups, and friction and discord between cultures and religions.

As mankind faces these challenges, fieldwork-based anthropological and ethnological research has gained new relevance as an aid to understanding other cultures, and even our own. Here at Minpaku, we, too, are concentrating our efforts on the question of how best to respond to public interests and concerns.

Your ongoing guidance and support for Minpaku are profoundly appreciated.

10-1 Senri Expo Park, Suita, Osaka 565-8511, Japan

Telephone: +81-6-6876-2151
Fax: +81-6-6875-0401

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General Information

The National Museum of Ethnology conducts anthropological and ethnological research and aims to promote a general understanding and awareness of peoples, societies and cultures around the world through the collection and conservation of ethnographic materials and public exhibitions. It was established in 1974 as an Inter-University Research Institute under the “Law to amend part of the National School Establishment Law” (No. 81, 1974), and in April, 2004 made a fresh start as a member of the National Institutes for the Humanities, under the “National University Corporation Law” (No. 112, 2003).

The Basic Concept of the Museum Design
The Museum consists of low-rise buildings which naturally blend with the surrounding park environment. In designing the buildings, special emphasis was placed on the aesthetics of traditional Japanese architecture. Each floor of the Museum’s main building is composed of several blocks. While the outer walls of these blocks have no openings for natural lighting, plenty of light is let in through the inner courtyards (patios). The patios provide a sense of openness and connection with the outer world, and are also used as open-air exhibition space.

Each floor is designed to be dedicated to a specific purpose – storage on the first floor, exhibition on the second, and research on the third and fourth. Elevators and staircases provide direct access among these floors. As the route is laid out in a manner that allows for a circular trip, visitors can either go through all the exhibitions, or choose to visit certain exhibits of interest.

Total area of grounds: 40,821 m²
Ground area occupied by the museum buildings: 17,089 m²
Total floor space: 51,225 m²

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