JAPAN TOY MUSEUM in Himeji (Hyōgo Prefecture) is a private museum founded by the current director, Inoue Shigeyoshi. Its mission is to protect the toy culture of previous eras from the threat of being lost amid encroaching modernization.
On a visit to his favourite bookshop at the age of 24, Inoue came across a book called Nihon no Kyōdo Gangu (Japanese Folk Toys) by Saitō Ryōsuke. The author offered warm descriptions of the origins of each area’s local toys. These local toys, which inherited the modelling culture of the early modern period, were now disappearing due to social changes brought about by the rapid economic growth of the post-war period. Unless someone scooped them up to protect them, they would be lost before anyone even noticed. Inoue was inspired by the book’s contents, and began travelling the length and breadth of Japan collecting these items, alongside his normal work as a company employee. Finally, in 1974, when he had amassed a collection of 5,000 local toys from all over the country, he built an exhibition space of under 50 square metres and began to operate it as a museum. Ever since that time, he has worked on enriching its archives and expanding its facilities, in the aim of making it a public museum that can give back to society the results of its work, through its collection, conservation, research, exhibition and dissemination activities.
Toys found in various parts of Japan (from the JAPAN TOY MUSEUM ‘Local Toys’ collection)
Toys found in various parts of Japan (from the JAPAN TOY MUSEUM ‘Local Toys’ collection): a gallery of 6 items.
JAPAN TOY MUSEUM now houses 90,000 toys & related materials in six white-walled warehouses built in the Japanese tradition. In addition to toys from all over Japan, its collection also includes a wide range of seasonal decorations such as girls festival and boys festival dolls, as well as toys & materials from more than 160 other countries. It holds six or seven special exhibitions each year, both inside and outside the museum, featuring various individual collections such as tops, kites, toy animals, vehicles, playing house sets, talking toys, and toys connected with religious festivals It is also constantly engaged in study groups to pass on the culture of toys, and activities to restore traditional handicrafts.
A gallery of 3 items.
Images courtesy of JAPAN TOY MUSEUM