- Contents
- Outline of Exhibition
Outline of Exhibition
Morning glories have been cherished by many people since ancient times. Japan has experienced morning glory booms time and again, particularly since the Edo Period, such as in the Bunka, Bunsei, and Tempo eras (1804 - 1844), Kaei and Ansei eras (1848 - 1860), and Meiji and Taisho eras (1868 - 1926). Each boom has resulted in in the creation of new morning glory variations, with various changes and combinations made to leaves and flowers to be enjoyed. This practice – in modern genetics terms, discovering mutations and developing them into strains – was unique around the world, and a great many varieties were produced at the end of the Edo Period. However, some of these unfortunately fell victim to the popularity of the glamorous, large-blossomed morning glories and died out before much could be widely known about them. Others were carefully conserved by the efforts of some hobbyists, although they were not cultivated widely, and have survived even to this day.
Since 1999, the National Museum of Japanese History has exhibited these traditional morning glories produced using the original knowledge and technologies accumulated since the Edo Period as historical resources in an effort to increase people’s awareness and to make them think about the relationship between people and plants.
Following on from our 2016 exhibit, “The Modern Morning Glory Boom,” where the focus was on the resurgence of new morning glory variations and the rapid leap in popularity of large-blossomed morning glories in the modern period, the theme of this year’s exhibit is “The Modern Morning Glory Boom, The Sequel.” Using panels for each topic, the focus here is on the development and characteristics of the Asagao Kaiho (Morning Glory Journal) which carried prints by growers, the spread of modern cross-fertilization and breeding methods, and the history of research into Mendelian genetics using morning glories.
Period | Jul. 31 (Tue) - Sep. 9 (Sun), 2018 |
---|---|
Venue | Botanical Garden of Everyday Life, National Museum of Japanese History |
Admissions | ¥100 Groups of 20 or more: ¥50 per person * Free admission for children junior high school age and younger * Free admission for high school students every Saturday |
Hours | 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (no entrance after 4:00 p.m.) * The Garden will open at 8:30 a.m. on Monday Aug. 13 to Sunday Aug. 19, 2018. * Viewing is best in the early morning due to the special way in which the morning glory bloom. |
Closed | Aug. 6 (Mon) , 20 (Mon) ,27 (Mon), and Sep.3 (Mon) *The exhibition is opened on Aug. 13. |
Sponsor | National Museum of Japanese History |
Exhibition Lineup
●Mutant morning glories: 40 masaki strains, 25 demono strains
* Including an apetalous morning glory discovered by the NMJH in 2005
●About 25 strains of large-blossomed morning glories produced since the Meiji period
●About 10 strains closely related to morning glories, produced in Europe and North America
A total of about 100 strains will be on display in some 700 pots.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: Please note that items in the exhibition are subject to change.