Uguisudani
Uguisudani
Station lies
on the JR East Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku
Lines in the Uguisudani district
of Taito Ward of Tokyo.
Uguisudani
,
which literally means “Valley of
the Nightingales” because of the
many nightingales that were once
found here, is a quiet neighborhood
of an older part of Tokyo. Its narrow
streets still have some of the older
wooden houses, giving them a feel
of the Edo era. Today Uguisudani
is mainly known for its love hotels,
making the place very lively at
night, much different than what
it is during the day.
Located
5 minutes from Uguisudani Station
is the Tokyo
National University of Fine Arts
and Music.
Tokyo
National University of Fine Arts
and Music
The
Tokyo National University of Fine
Arts and Music was established in
1949 by merging Tokyo Fine Arts
School and Tokyo Music School, both
founded in 1887. Till 1963, this
university, which only offered undergraduate
courses till then, also started
offering masters degrees. In 1977,
research and doctoral degrees were
added. In 2005, the Graduate School
of Film and New Media was established
in Yokohama City.
The
University's Faculty of Fine Arts
has 9 departments – the Departments
of Japanese Painting; Oil Painting;
Sculptures; Crafts; Design; Architecture;
Aesthetics and Art History; Inter-media
Art; and Conservation. The Faculty
of Fine Arts also offers graduate
courses in all the different art
disciplines, has an Institute of
Ancient Art Culture, and a Photography
Center. The Faculty of Music has
11 departments - the Departments
of Composition; Vocal Music; Piano;
Organ; String Instruments; Percussion
Instruments; Early Music; Conducting;
Musicology; Traditional Japanese
Music; and Musical Creativity and
Environment. The Faculty of Music
also offers graduate courses in
all the various disciplines and
has a Center for Music Research
besides offering non-degree performance
courses.
The
studies of the Tokyo National University
of Fine Arts and Music are spread
over 3 campuses – Uguisudani, Toride
Cityin Ibaraki Prefecture, and Senju.
The Uguisudani Campus is located
a 5 minute walk from Uguisudani
Station.
The
Uguisudani Campus is also home to
the popular University Art Museum.
University
Art Museum
The
University Art Museum is housed
in the Tokyo National University
of Fine Arts and Music's Uguisudani
Campus. It displays all the art
materials collected by the University
over the years for its study and
research. Besides works of famous
artists and craftsmen, the collection
also includes items by university
teachers and students. With over
28,000 artifacts, the University
Art Museum today has the largest
collection of art objects in the
whole of Japan. Twenty-two of these
items have been named ‘national
treasures' of the country.
The
museum consists of the main building,
the Chinretsukan Gallery, Masaki
Memorial Gallery and the Toride
Annex. The main building has 3 sections
– one for exhibitions, one for storage,
and one for research. There is also
a cafeteria, a museum shop, and
a painting materials shop in the
building. The Chinretsukan Gallery
is used for special exhibitions
and the Masaki Memorial Gallery
displays Japanese paintings and
artwork. The Toride Annex has a
photo studio, a multi-purpose hall
and an administration office. Artworks
are also displayed on the annex
walls.
The
University Art Museum is open from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except
Mondays. Entrance fee is 300 yen for
adults and 100 yen for students.
