Kawasaki City Museum (川崎市市民ミュージアム Kawasaki-shi Shimin Myūjiamu) is located in Todoroki, Kawasaki, and was inaugurated in 1988. It promotes itself as a cultural complex of history and art with the basic theme of "The City and its People". The permanent exhibition focuses on the history and the progress of the city and displays historical, archaeological artefacts as well as exhibits of folklore. The modern and contemporary aspects of the city's development are highlighted in temporary exhibitions of posters, photographs, animation, and videos by artists inspired by the urban development of the city. The current special exhibitions (October 2019) deal with the "old life and household tools in the Taishō and Show era" as well as the famous manga artist Tagawa Sugawa (1899-1989), the father of the well-known character "Norakuro".

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The historic artefacts span from the Jomon Period to modern times and also focus on more tragic chapters like the American aerial bombardments during World War II and industrial pollution that plagued the local population until the 1970s.

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The Thomas Converter is installed in the front garden of the museum and was used between 1938 and 1957 to enrich steel with phosphorous. It was designed and created in 1937 by Nippon Kokan (NKK, 日本鋼管株式会社 Nippon Kōkan Kabushiki-gaisha), a company that merged with Kawasaki Steel Corporation (川崎製鉄株式会社 Kawasaki Seitetsu Kabushiki-gaisha) to form present-day JFE Holdings. The Thomas Converter contributed significantly to the development of Japan's steel industry and is designated a Modern Industrial Heritage of Japan.

The Grande Promenade

The Grande promenade is a huge atrium that is 23 metres high. It displays several sculptures that epitomise the "City and its People" and is also a venue for concerts and performances.

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Sculpture by Fukuda Shigeo (福田繁雄, 1932-2009), "Time 2001, 2002, 2003...": time flows from the past to the present, then to the future; although it is invisible, this is Fukuda's visualisation of ts conception.

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Gallery of History and Folklore

The Gallery of History and Folklore comprises the permanent exhibition for the museum's collection of archaeological, historical, and folkloristic exhibits. Many exhibits are rotated on a monthly basis.

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Haniwa found in the Kawasaki area.

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Townsfolk, merchants, and servants.

Other facilities include a theatre for film screenings, art galleries, a museum library with 50,000 books on history, art, and photography, as well as a museum shop and a restaurant.

More photographies in the Kawasaki City Museum album.

Link:


Address:

Todoroki 1-2, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki 211-0052; phone: 044-754-4500, fax: 044-754-4533.

Access:

From Musashi-Kosugi Station via Nambu Line, Tokyu Denentoshi Line, or Oimachi Line; then by bus #05 or #40. From Mizonokuchi Station via Nambu Line, Tokyu Denentoshi Line, or Oimachi Line, then by bus #05 (Kawasaki bus or Tokyu bus); 40 minutes by bus from Kawasaki Station (bus # 33 from West Exit North Bus Terminal).

Hours and admission:

Open 09:30-17:00 (last entry 16:30); closed on Mondays, the days after national holidays and New year holiday, but open on national holidays and on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is free for the Grande Promenade and the Gallery of History and Folkore; the admission for special exhibitions varies, discounts for groups of 20 or more people.