Hanzomon Museum
Hanzomon Museum 半蔵門ミュージアム 半蔵門ミュージアム
The Hanzomon Museum displays some superb Buddhist statuary © Hanzomon Museum
The Hanzomon Museum close to the Kojimachi district in central Tokyo is a free museum with a superb collection of Buddhist art.
History
The Hanzomon Museum opened in 2018 and is owned and administered by the international Buddhist organization Shinnyo-en. Shinnyo-en was established in the 1930's and follows somewhat in the tradition of Shingon Buddhism.
The organization is led by Shinso Ito, a daughter of the original founders.
Gallery showcasing Buddhist painting by contemporary artists, Hanzomon Museum, Tokyo © Hanzomon Museum
Exterior, Hanzomon Museum, Tokyo
Exhibits
The main, permanent collection is in the basement of the museum. It consists of several, superb Gandharan friezes and bas-relief sculptures, a seated figure of the Buddha also from Gandhara (now present day Pakistan/Afghanistan) as well as several pieces of Japanese Buddhist art.
Visitors are able to get very close to the artworks and the accompanying, descriptive notes in English are both informative and extremely well-written.
The eight pieces of Gandharan art date from the second and third centuries CE and are done in schist.
They depict various scenes from the life of the historical Buddha. Also present in some of the friezes are Hindu deities and the iconography of the works owes much to Greek and Roman tradition which had spread to the area with Alexander the Great and his successors, the Seleucids.
The Hanzomon Museum is adjacent to Exit 4 of Hanzomon Station, Tokyo
Hanzomon Museum, Tokyo
The Japanese religious art on display at the museum includes work from different eras. There are mandalas from the Edo Period, statues by the great sculptor, Unkei from the Kamakura Period and a superb 12-13th century Fudo Myo-o statue that was formerly the principal image at Fumon-in, a sub-temple of Daigoji in Kyoto.
The space in the basement also features temporary exhibitions of the museum's treasures which include scrolls, mandala and statuary.
The second floor has a multipurpose room which can also feature art exhibitions. At the time of our visit there was an exhibition of Unkei's statues which had been X-rayed to reveal dedicatory objects placed within the works. These include relics (shari) and shingachirin (heart moon disc). The examples are from various temples around Japan including a seated Dainichi Nyorai from Enjoji and Kofukuji in Nara, a seated Jizo Bosatsu from Rokuharamitsuji in Kyoto and other statues from Gangojuin in Shizuoka, Jorakuji in Kanagawa, Kongobuji in Wakayama and Kotokuji in Tochigi.
The third floor has a theater showing interesting short, high-resolution films on Buddhism in either Japanese or English.
Hanzomon Museum Tokyo Hours
Open 10 am-5.30 pm Wednesday to Sunday. (Last entry 5 pm).
Closed on national holidays. The museum is closed over the New Year period (12/29-1/4).
The museum is barrier free. No photography inside is allowed.
Admission
Free admission.
Access
Hanzomon Museum (www.hanzomonmuseum.jp)
25 Ichiban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0082
Tel: 03 3263 1752
The Hanzomon Museum is above Exit 4 of Hanzomon Station (Exit 2), on the Hanzomon Line of the Tokyo subway.
It is 5 minutes on foot from Kojimachi Station on the Yurakucho Line.
Alternatively the museum is 15 minutes from Yotsuya Station on the Chuo-Sobu Line, Marunouchi Line and Namboku Line.
Toei buses run along Shinjuku Dori and the nearest stops are at Kojimachikeisatsuchomae (麹町警察署前).
Nearby
Within easy walking distance of the Hanzomon Museum in this area of Tokyo are the National Theatre, FM Tokyo Building, the Memorial Gallery of Toshima Yasumasa, the South African Embassy and British Embassy, the Kensei Kinenkan (Parliamentary Museum), the Supreme Court, Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, the National Diet Library, and the JCII Camera Museum.
There are several hotels close by including the four star Hotel Monterey Hanzomon, the three star Diamond Hotel, the three star Hotel Grand Arc Hanzomon and the Nest Hotel Hanzomon, also three star.
Hanzomon Museum, Tokyo
Guide Books on Japan
The Hanzomon Museum in Tokyo is a free museum with a superb collection of Buddhist art including Gandharan art and pieces by Unkei.
