About

Have you ever looked at crafts with children? You might be concerned that appreciating crafts would be difficult for them. But when you look at the works together, children’s lively responses far surpass adult expectations. Their eyes gleam with excitement. They are full of questions. Their boundless curiosity fills the air with happiness, delighting the adults with them, too.

What excites children more than anything else is how things were made, and, specifically, “What’s it made of?”

The term “craft” is a general term that covers a huge range of works, a host of different types of crafts. What differentiates them is their materials. Yet one of the distinctive features of craft works is that it often isn’t easy to decide what they are made of. Clay, stone, plant matter, wood, insects—as children discover the original materials chosen to make each piece, their excitement grows and their questions multiply.

Crafts have developed in so many different directions because when we humans create forms, we make the way we want. Our desire to make them even better, even more beautiful is never ending. We examine materials and explore their potentials from many perspectives. The result, carefully refined through that exploratory process, is what makes these works so entrancing. That is what fascinates both those who see them and those who make them.

That approach to thinking about crafts makes us realize that the simple question, “What’s it made of?” is not only our best introduction to a work but also the source of the outpouring of excitement that we feel. Even adults, who may know a great deal about crafts, can put that aside and join our children in asking this simple, powerful question? “What’s it made of?” may be the key to unlocking the secrets of the wisdom and intense satisfaction to be found in the crafts.

Self-guiding leaflets

We have self-guiding leaflets for kids and adults. Please ask for them at the reception counter when you pay admission fee to the museum.

These leaflets provide museum visitors with basic information that helps them to understand objects exhibited at the show, such as artist profiles and technical words commonly used in Japanese craft works. You might find clues to answer the question “What’s it made of?” in them too.