Meiji Shrine, which will celebrate its centennial in 2020, has announced that it will open the Meiji Jingu Museum in the fall of 2019 as part of its centennial celebrations. The museum will be designed by architect Kengo Kuma.
In just one hundred years, the forest surrounding Meiji Shrine has been transformed from wasteland into a dense forest that resembles a primeval forest. The new museum, designed to blend seamlessly with this forest, will be built next to Shinkyo Bridge, one of the symbols of the approach to Meiji Shrine. In order to avoid damaging the forest's landscape, the planned construction site will be on land previously used as a parking lot. The museum was designed by architect Kengo Kuma, who also designed the New National Stadium, the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The two-story exhibition facility, with a total floor area of approximately 3,200 square meters, was conceived to float among the trees of the forest, with a thin, leaf-like roof that follows the slope of the site. The exterior walls, made up of vertical louvers and glass, also resonate and fade away with the rhythm of the trees. A new symbol of Meiji Jingu will be born in the lush greenery of Yoyogi Forest.
Rendering of the completed building, second-floor exhibition room
As part of the Meiji Shrine centennial project, items associated with the enshrined deity will be moved from the Treasure Hall, designed by Oe Shintaro and located on the same grounds, to be stored and exhibited in this new museum. The Treasure Hall has been closed since January 9, 2017, due to repairs to the roof, which was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and to carry out earthquake-resistant construction work necessary for preserving it as an Important Cultural Property. Details of its reopening will be announced as soon as they are decided.
In just one hundred years, the forest surrounding Meiji Shrine has been transformed from wasteland into a dense forest that resembles a primeval forest. The new museum, designed to blend seamlessly with this forest, will be built next to Shinkyo Bridge, one of the symbols of the approach to Meiji Shrine. In order to avoid damaging the forest's landscape, the planned construction site will be on land previously used as a parking lot. The museum was designed by architect Kengo Kuma, who also designed the New National Stadium, the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The two-story exhibition facility, with a total floor area of approximately 3,200 square meters, was conceived to float among the trees of the forest, with a thin, leaf-like roof that follows the slope of the site. The exterior walls, made up of vertical louvers and glass, also resonate and fade away with the rhythm of the trees. A new symbol of Meiji Jingu will be born in the lush greenery of Yoyogi Forest.
Rendering of the completed building, second-floor exhibition roomAs part of the Meiji Shrine centennial project, items associated with the enshrined deity will be moved from the Treasure Hall, designed by Oe Shintaro and located on the same grounds, to be stored and exhibited in this new museum. The Treasure Hall has been closed since January 9, 2017, due to repairs to the roof, which was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and to carry out earthquake-resistant construction work necessary for preserving it as an Important Cultural Property. Details of its reopening will be announced as soon as they are decided.
