Visit Japan Web National Crafts Museum
Visit Japan Web invites you to explore National Crafts Museum, located in the Kenrokuen Cultural Zone in Kanazawa. It preserves and promotes Japanese crafts, specializing in modern crafts and design. It houses approximately 4,000 works including ceramics, glass, lacquerware as well as woodwork. The museum building has been in use since the Meiji period.
The Crafts Museum was established in 1956 by defunct All India Handicrafts Board. It has a history of over 30 years. It begins in the 1950s and 60s through the dedicated efforts of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. The museum was an ethnographic space for craftsmen from various parts of India to collaborate in preserving traditional arts and crafts. By the 1980s, it had acquired a substantial collection. Over time, the museum space gradually evolved and transformed into its present form.
The museum’s exhibits primarily focus on artworks created post-World War II, while also showcasing Japanese crafts dating back to the 19th century. The permanent collection includes a diverse range of items such as bamboowork, metalwork as well as industrial and graphic design. They incorporate traditional architectural vocabulary into a modern design.
The Crafts Museum showcases a portion of its permanent collection in the Bhuta Sculpture Gallery and Textiles Gallery. Besides, The Village Complex features open walls along the corridors and passages. It serves as canvases to display the painted traditions of various tribes of folk artisans.
The National Crafts Museum is located in the historically significant Old 9th Infantry Division Command Headquarters and Old Army Generals Club. These buildings were carefully disassembled and relocated from Ishikawa Prefectural Noh Theater to its current location.
