<8> Take a look at the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum “The Scars of Inspiration” exhibition. .

Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum “The Scars of Inspiration” exhibition. .

I went to the ” The Scars of Inspiration ” exhibition held at the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum.
The exhibition is being held from Friday, March 24, 2023 to July 9, 2023.

The Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum is a nice little museum located just off Kotto Dori (Antique Street) in Aoyama, Tokyo.

If you look at the website, you’ll find out more. This place used to be the atelier of Taro Okamoto (1911-1996), and the place where many masterpieces were created, including the ‘Tower of the Sun‘ at the Osaka Expo in 1970.

Even now, I can see how the atelier looks like, and there are various works in the garden, so visitors can really enjoy the atmosphere. It is really worth a visit! .

Taro Okamoto is too famous, and so is the Tower of the Sun.
At this exhibition, several models of the Tower of the Sun were displayed in the exhibition room on the second floor.

The Tower of the Sun, which I visited in Summer, 2022

Whether it’s Taro Okamoto or his “Tower of the Sun”, I don’t think there’s much left for me to write about here. There will be many others who know more.

Therefore, I would like to put aside the commentary on Taro Okamoto or the “Tower of the Sun” here, and write about my personal memories of the “Tower of the Sun” that I visited in the summer of last year, 2022.

In the first place, why did I decide to go to Kansai while the Covid 19 is still not over?

The trigger was a conversation in a LINE group made by my junior high school classmates.

I don’t remember it very well, but one of my classmates who lives in Kansai asked if we would like to hold a mini reunion in Kansai, and in the end a few people got together.

The reason I decided to go to Kansai is the fact that I had a good relationship with a classmate, who played the role of secretary, during my time in Shanghai. It was the first time in a while that I would be guided to a good Shanghainese restaurant in Osaka, so that was one of the reasons I went.

Another personal goal was to see Miró’s porcelain mural, which is related to the Expo, at the National Museum of Art, Osaka. Furthermore, it seems that the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, which had just opened, was holding a very good-looking Modigliani exhibition.

Moreover, if I were to go to Kansai, I would like to visit Expo’70 Commemorative Park for the first time in a long time.

With that in mind, I made a plan for 3 days and 2 nights from Saturday to Monday (with paid holiday).

Departed Saturday morning and arrived at Shin-Osaka around noon. Continue to the National Museum of Art, Osaka, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, and the Osaka Ukiyo-e Museum. Details will be introduced separately.

On Sunday, I was guided around the temples by a friend who knows a lot about Kyoto.

Finally, on Monday, the third day, I headed alone to Expo ’70 Commemorative Park.

Expo Commemorative Park, which I visited for the first time in a long time.

Probably because it was Monday morning, people were sparse.

After entering, the first thing that catches your eye is Taro Okamoto’s “Tower of the Sun”.

It is said that you can see the inside of the Tower of the Sun.

A nearby sign says;

*
TOWER OF THE SUN MUSEUM
Tower of the Sun
Reservation priority. You can enter even on the day if there is space.
Open to the public inside the Tower of the Sun
WONDER EXPERIENCE
*

Originally it seems to need a reservation, but there were few people and I was able to enter without a reservation. The price is 720 yen.

Inside the Tower of the Sun

Start with an underground space. This seems to be a prologue.
the sign has

*
Prologue
The “Sun of the Underworld” Zone, suited before entering The Tower of the Sun, is a space where one can experience the atmosphere of the Subterranean Level Exhibition of the Expo ’70, which was know as Past.: The World of Mystery.
There were spaces of “Life” “People” “Prayer”.
Currently same three kinds image videos are displayed.
The “Sun of the Underworld” in the space of “Prayer” was resurrected here. Masks and gods images were displayed around the “Sun of the Underworld” at the time of Expo ’70. Visitors moved to the inside of The Tower of the Sun after seeing the displays of “Subterranean Level Exhibition”.
*

The audience is overwhelmed by the faces created by Taro Okamoto, Jomon clay figurines, and masks collected from all over the world.

Then, while watching the “Tree of Life” and climbing the spiral staircase that surrounds the inside of the Tower of the Sun, you will see the evolution of life.

The “Tree of Life” is explained below.

*
The “Tree of Life” is a giant figure of 41 meters tall, 1-meter diameter representing the process of life. 33 species, 183 items from unicellular organisms of four billion years ago to Cro-Magnon age were displayed on the “Tree of Life”.

Species displayed in front area are unicellular organisms lived in Proterozoic era. The “Tree of Life” is also called “bloodstream” of The Tower of the Sun, sending a lot of messages.
*

It was my first time to enter the inside of the tower, but this exhibition was amazing.

Considerable repairs have been made since the 1970s, and the exhibits may not be exactly the same, but I was deeply impressed to think that such an exhibition had been developed at the Expo in 1970, more than 50 years ago.

There was an escalator inside the right hand of the Tower of the Sun, which was at the top of the exhibition, and it entered to the aerial exhibition on the large roof of the festival plaza from there.

Built a giant tower like this, then, the theme exhibition was developed inside, and a flow line was created from the hand of the tower to the roof of the festival square. Just thinking about it, construction and management seem to be so difficult. Normally, it would be a project that one would give up quickly because the risks in many directions are too great. I am deeply humbled by the hard work of Taro Okamoto, who accomplished such a bonafide task, Kenzo Tange, who designed the large roof, and all the people who supported this project at the time.

This is definitely worth seeing. If you haven’t been there yet, I highly recommend taking a tour inside.