History of the Museum

History of the Museum

The Printing Museum, Tokyo reached its 20th anniversary in 2020. The fact that it has been able to continue to operate over these two decades is due to the visitors who have come to the Museum, researchers and related figures, to whom we would like to express our sincerest gratitude for their cooperation. Regarding printing as a part of culture, we look back here at the research, collection and exhibiting activities conducted by the Museum, centering on events, educational activities and interaction with other museums.

Prior to 2000
  • 1987
    Printing Archives, the forerunner to the Museum, established in the Toppan Technical Research Institute
  • 1995
    Start of examination of the concept of the Printing Museum as a project to coincide with Toppan Printing’s 100th anniversary.
2000
  • March 6th
    Press announcement concerning the establishment of the Museum. Kiyoshi Awazu appointed as first Director of the Museum, where he used his bold ideas as a creator to make a reality of exhibition spaces and created the individual elements that get across the Museum’s message.
    Kiyoshi Awazu, first Director of the Museum
  • April 30th
    The Printing Archives, the forerunner to the Museum, finished its 13 years of activities and its approximately 30,000 precious artefacts were transferred to the Museum.
    The Printing Archives that was in the
    Toppan Technical Research Institute
  • October 6th
    Opening reception
    Opening reception
  • October 7th
    The grand opening began as planned at 10.00am. The commemorative Museum opening temporary exhibition was “Printing in the Edo Period — Ieyasu: Typographic Man,” which focused on the Suruga version copper movable-type.
  • November 25th
    The Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp created and donated a replica of a wooden printing press in its collection to coincide with the Museum’s opening.
2001
  • January 21st
    Number of visitors to the Museum reached the 10,000 mark.
  • March 26th
    Her Majesty the Empress of Japan and Her Majesty the Queen of Norway visited the Museum.
  • August 31st
    Number of visitors reached the 30,000 mark.
  • September 20th
    Interim announcement made about the Motoki Shozo type restoration project that was a joint research project by the Nagasaki Prefecture Printing Industry Association and Morisawa Inc.
2002
  • April 22nd
    In the buildup to the Museum’s “An Exhibition of Manuscripts and Incunabula in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana” Cardinal Mejia from the Holy See visits the Museum.
  • May 21st
    Number of visitors reached the 50,000 mark.
2003
  • May 22nd
    The Morisawa Inc. Motogi Project holds a press conference. The results of their research are exhibited in a temporary exhibition “The Dawn of Japanese Moveable Type.”
  • June 1st
    A micro-book"The Japanese zodiac" measuring just 0.95mm was certified as a world record by the Guinness Book of Records.
  • September 25th
    Number of visitors reached the 100,000 mark.
  • November 7th
    Japan Typography Association donated the punch and matrix for the Kodoken seichotai style.
    Donated material related to Kodoken seichotai style
2004
  • July 21st
    Summer holiday experience classrooms launched, and are still held today.
    Teaching material for the summer holiday experience classroom
  • September 2nd
    Agreement of mutual cooperation concluded between the museum and Cheongju Early Printing Museum in Korea.
    Conclusion of cooperative agreement with the Cheongju Early Printing Museum
2005
  • January 17th
    Signing ceremony for the launch of a cooperative project with the Vatican Library to develop a system to recover hidden texts in ancient palimpsest. The project was called “The Cicero Project.”
    Agreement on the Cicero Project with the Vatican Library
  • March 1st
    The Museum cooperated in research into the printing process of World War 1 propaganda posters with the University of Tokyo’s Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies.
  • October 1st
    Koichi Kabayama became the Museum’s second Director, and aimed to improve the Museum’s contents based on research and study based on interdisciplinary foundations, and create strong links with experienced academics and educational facilities.
    Koichi Kabayama, Director of the Museum
  • December 17th
    A lecture meeting entitled “Thinking about Printing Culture was held at the University of Tokyo to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Museum’s opening.
2006
  • March 16th
    The 1st meeting of corporate museums "kankan-gakugaku" as a forum for exchanging information and promote collaboration was held at the suggestion of the Printing Museum, Tokyo.
  • October 30th
    The Director of the Cheongju Early Printing Museum visited the Museum and a meeting on mutual cooperation was held.
2007
  • January 20th
    As a result of the Museum’s joint research with the University of Tokyo’s Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies an exhibition entitled “War and Image: WWI Propaganda Posters Selections from the collection of Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies The University of Tokyo” was held. It was followed by an exhibition entitled “Making Beauty - Early Japanese Lithographic Posters,” which explained the principles of hand-painted plates and their techniques.
  • June 12th
    Number of visitors reached the 200,000 mark.
  • December 7th
    His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino visits the “Encyclopedia” temporary exhibition.
2008
  • March 18th
    Preparatory meetings for the establishment of The Consortium of Museums for Industry and Culture (COMIC), a loose collaboration of industry-related museums got underway, following the suggestion of the consortium by the Museum’s Director, Koichi Kabayama.
    1st COMIC Conference
  • May 20th
    A symposium with the theme “What are Industry Museums?” is held to mark the official launch of COMIC. Four study groups were convened during 2008.
  • September 4th
    The Museum donated to the Cheongju Early Printing Museum in Korea replicas of the Hyakumanto Dharani, wooden pagoda and Suruga version copper movable-type,restored typesetting.
    Donation of replicas of items in the Museum's collection to the CheongjuEarly Printing Museum
2009
  • January 28th
    Georgi Parvanov, then President of Bulgaria, attended the opening ceremony and conducted the tape-cutting ceremony for an exhibition "Born in Bulgaria -- Using the Cyrillic Alphabet in Posters".
    Tape-cutting ceremony with the President of Bulgaria
  • August 7th
    The contents of the Cicero Project conducted in cooperation with the Vatican Library since 2005 were exhibited in the General Exhibition Zone
2010
  • July 17th
    "Printing Museum, Tokyo 10th Anniversary Exhibition" was held, looking back on the achievements of the past decade.
  • September 15th
    Number of visitors reached the 300,000 mark
2011
  • March 11th
    Great East Japan Earthquake erupted. The Museum’s exhibits and so on were undamaged and it opened as usual on the 12th. Earthquake resistance and seismic base isolation countermeasures regarding exhibits were strengthened as a result in order to secure the safety of visitors.
  • March 22nd
    A restored wooden printing press from the Gutenberg era presented by the Japan Bible Society was put on exhibition.
  • July 30th
    Hato Bus tours to the Museum started, and are still conducted in the spring, summer and autumn.
    Responding to visitors on Hato Bus tours
  • September 9th
    The Museum cooperated in the Modern Japanese Book Design exhibition hosted at the Japan Foundation’s Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne.
  • November 30th
    The Museum cooperated in the Modern Japanese Book Design exhibition hosted by the Japan Foundation at the Klingspor Museum in Offenbach, Germany.
2012
  • February 7th
    A lecture was given at The Academy of Korean Studies in Seoul.
  • February 24th
    The “Story of Learning with Kanatomi Elementary School” exhibition was held to commemorate ten years of learning cooperation between the Museum and the school.
    Exhibition on history of learning with the local Kanatomi Elementary School
  • October 20th
    Workshops on letterpress printing for adults were launched. They have been held five or six times a year every year since.
  • December 6th
    Research presentation given at the Korean Study Group on Metal Type in East Asia.
2013
  • July 1st
    “Shiki no Kusabana (Flowers of the Season),” a micro-book created for exhibition at the Museum is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest book in the world, measuring just 0.74mm x 0.75mm.
    micro-book
  • September 28th
    Upon invitation by The Academy of Korean Studies the Museum presented a lecture at the International Conference on the Technology and Development of Metal Movable-Type. Printing and Print Culture in East Asia held at the University of California, Berkeley.
2014
  • February 24th
    Number of visitors reached the 400,000 mark.
  • March 14th
    A project team launched fully-fledged examinations on creating “Printing Culture Studies.”
  • March 27th
    The renewal of the General Exhibition Zone was completed and opened to the public.
  • April 26th
    To commemorate ten years of collaboration with the Cheongju Early Printing Museum in Korea, the “Birth of Korean Metal Type Culture” exhibition was held along with commemorative lecture meetings and a symposium.
  • July 8th
    The Biographies of Printing Heroes corner was installed in the General Exhibition Zone.
    Special corner on Printing Hero Biographies
2015
  • July 5th
    Joint research entitled Joint Research into the Punch and Matrix of Kodoken seichotai style Typeface” was launched with the Junior College of Joshibi University of Art and Design.
  • July 22nd
    The Printing Museum, Tokyo Collection – Fairies and Monsters special corner was installed in the General Exhibition Zone.
  • November 28th
    A lecture was given at an international symposium held by Peking University.
  • December 10th
    The Museum cooperated in a lecture meeting commemorating the 150th anniversary of the advent of diplomatic relations between Japan and Belgium at the Belgian Embassy in Tokyo.
2016
  • February 11th
    A collaborative event on making and printing name cards was launched with the Paper Museum, and has been held every year since.
  • June 7th
    The Printing Museum, Tokyo Collection – Stars of History special corner was installed in the General Exhibition Zone.
  • August 20th
    The Museum assisted in the Tohken Ranbu stamp-collecting rally organized by Bunkyo Ward.
  • September 3rd
    The Museum attended the first meeting of the International Association of Printing Museums (IAPM), held in Korea’s Cheongju City, as a founder member.
  • September 6th
    Number of visitors reached the 500,000 mark, and the Museum recorded an average annual number of visitors totaling over 30,000 people.
    The Museum's 500,000th visitor
  • October 8th
    An Examination Committee consisting of external experts was launched, and the First Examination Committee on Printing Culture Studies was held.
2017
  • July 4th
    The Printing Museum, Tokyo Collection – Animal Encyclopedia special corner was installed in the General Exhibition Zone.
2018
  • January 13th
    Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended the 90 Years of Kinderbook - The world of Children Traced through Pictures and Songs exhibition.
    Visit by their Majesties the Emperor and Empress
  • October 1st
    The Museum attended the General Meeting of the International Association of Printing Museums (IAPM) in Cheongju City.
    IAPM
2019
  • October 17th
    A lecture was given at an event held at the Cheongju Early Printing Museum in Korea about Chinese ink and the history of printing in East Asia.
  • December 28th
    The Museum is closed for an extended period for the first time in its history, until October 5th 2020, due to internal renewal work mainly in the General Exhibition Zone.