Kyoto International Manga Museum (京都国際マンガミュージアム)
The Kyoto International Manga Museum is a manga museum established on the site of the former Tatsuike Elementary School in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City.
The museum was opened on November 25, 2006 as the first comprehensive manga museum in Japan and houses valuable domestic and overseas materials regarding cartoons and comics. It contains a collection of around 200,000 items, including important historical materials such as Meiji-period magazines and rental books of the postwar period, modern popular comics, and masterpieces around the world.
Summary
The museum was developed as a joint project of Kyoto Seika University that has a Faculty of Manga, and Kyoto City, that provided the land and building. Now the university manages and operates the museum under the supervision of the steering committee organized by the city and the university.
Takeshi YORO, an anatomist who is known as the author of "The Wall of Fools" and others, serves as a part-time Executive Director. In the museum, four researchers specializing in modern history of thought, art history, and so on, have conducted research on manga culture.
The campus of the former Tatsuike Elementary School, which was closed, was renovated (partially enlarged) and converted to the museum building. Rui Sekkeishitsu Co., Ltd. was in charge of renovating and designing the building. Buildings that used to be the main building, assembly hall, north building, main gate and walls of the former Tatsuike Elementary School were designated as registered tangible cultural properties of Japan on July 23, 2008.
The museum consists of Gallery Zone which is open to the public, the Research Zone, the Archive Zone, and a community space, and also has permanent and special exhibition rooms, the Tatsuike History and Memorial Room, a museum shop, and a tea room. The main focus of the museum is the book shelves called 'Wall of Manga,' which is 140 meters long in total and contain as many as 40,000 publications. Visitors can also take the manga books outside to read on the lawn. Tickets holders can re-enter multiple times throughout the day.
The museum houses domestic materials as well as local editions of Japanese manga around the world and comic books from foreign countries, of which around 1,340 items are arranged for open access. They have been collected with the help of Japanese studies Centre, Monash University in Australia and The University of Leipzig in Germany.
Concept for the establishment of the manga museum: PPP (Public-Private Partnership)
The museum has attracted attention as an example to be followed in other regions in that the city and the university jointly collects, exhibits and preserves materials so that the systematic study of manga and animation can help promote the lifelong learning, tourism activation, development of human resources and creation of new industries, the fruits of which can be shared and can contribute to the cultural activities of local communities.
History
April 1995: The Tatsuike Elementary School merged with the surrounding four elementary schools.
2003
April: Kyoto Seika University proposed a plan to establish a manga museum to the Kyoto City.
December: They reached a basic agreement on this plan.
November 2006: Kyoto International Manga Museum was opened.
November 2007: The museum marked its first anniversary. The number of visitors reached 227,000, which was 50% more than originally expected, and 30,000 of them were from foreign countries.
July 2008: The museum was designated as a registered tangible cultural property of Japan.
Material collections
"The Japan Punch" (1862 - 1887) issued by Briton C. Wirgman in Yokohama City
"Eshinbun Nipponchi" (Picture Newspaper which plays on "Japan" and "Punch") (issued in 1874) which is thought to be the first comic book published by Japanese people
"Shonen Pakku" (Boy Puck) (first published in 1907) which is considered the first comic magazine for children in Japan.
And so on.
User guide
Opening hours
10:00 - 18:00
Last admission: 17:30
Hours may be extended when a special event is held.
Days Closed
Every Wednesday (the following day if a public holiday falls on Wednesday)
Year-end and new-year holidays and maintenance periods
Admission fees
Adults 500 yen; High and junior high school students 300 yen; Elementary school students 100 yen
Additional fees are required for special exhibitions.
Access
Next to Exit No.2 at 'Karasuma Oike Station' on the Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line and Tozai Line. Karasuma Oike Station is located beneath the intersection of Karasuma-dori Street (north-south street) and Oike-dori Street (east-west street), and Exit No.2 opens to Oike-dori Street (west of the northwest corner of the intersection). The museum faces Karasuma-dori Street (north of the northwest corner of the intersection), so if you continue going straight from the exit, you cannot find the museum. After reaching ground level and turning around, turn left at the intersection in front of you and walk north along the Karasuma-dori Street.
Next to the 'Karasuma Oike' bus stop of Kyoto City Bus (Line Nos. 15, 51, 65) and Kyoto Bus (Line Nos. 61, 62, 63).