Ishinomaki City Museum

This project involves the relocation and construction of the Ishinomaki Cultural Center, a museum in Ishinomaki city that was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Following the earthquake, Ishinomaki City planned a new cultural hub within the city, including a complex of cultural facilities such as a theater and a museum. The Ishinomaki City Museum was developed to succeed the Ishinomaki Cultural Center.
The Ishinomaki City Museum's concept is "a museum that showcases the rich history of Ishinomaki nurtured by its great river and sea," and it consists of a history and culture displays room, a Mori collection displays room, a Takahashi Eikichi works displays room, displays room for pioneers associated with Ishinomaki, and a special displays room.

displays 's unique exhibition experience includes displays that focus on "landscape" as a new approach to history museums, as well as collaborative displays with contemporary artist Yukihiro Yamagami that share the concept of "history = time." Furthermore, displays space concept design resonates with the architectural design of the multi-purpose cultural facility, and hands-on displays allow visitors to immerse themselves in the real objects, imagine the actual locations, and learn about history. The museum incorporates various features designed to stimulate visitors' interest and curiosity from multiple angles. In addition, exhibitions will be held in the special displays room, which meets the requirements of a "publicly approved facility" that allows for the borrowing and public display of valuable materials.

This project involves relocating and rebuilding museum facilities that were damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The challenges include concretizing methods for displays and utilizing valuable collection materials restored through cultural property rescue projects, depicting the unique history and culture of Ishinomaki City, which is comprised of diverse areas such as coastal areas, rural areas, and urban areas, and enhancing the appeal of the complex cultural facility alongside the theater. It was hoped that the recovery and reconstruction from the earthquake would be advanced from the perspectives of cultural and educational administration and tourism promotion.

In the History and Culture displays Room, in order to allow citizens to experience Ishinomaki's history and culture in an accessible way, we have focused not only on allowing visitors to enjoy actual artifacts, but also on "the people who live in Ishinomaki," emphasizing displays methods that allow visitors to expand their imaginations about how people lived and overcame challenges in Ishinomaki throughout different eras.
Based on this idea, the museum displays numerous photographs, videos, and illustrations of the city's "landscapes" within the interior, creating displays space where familiar everyday scenes and places appear as historical stages connecting the past and present, and where visitors can feel the present existing within the uninterrupted flow of time, like a mighty river. The five displays that trace the history and culture of each era include "hands-on displays" that allow visitors to experience the sensations felt by the people who lived in each era, and "column displays" that present-day Ishinomaki history and culture in a visual magazine style. Visitors are welcomed into a space filled with various features that allow people of all generations to enjoy Ishinomaki's past and present together in a relaxed, casual atmosphere.
Furthermore, in displays rooms for the "Mori Collection" and "Works of Eikichi Takahashi," inherited from the former Ishinomaki Cultural Center, the works are presented in chronological order. In addition, the background of the works, including the lives of Mr. Mori and Mr. Eikichi Takahashi and their time spent in Ishinomaki, is carefully explained, allowing visitors to appreciate the works while understanding the thoughts and feelings embedded within them. Within the flow of movement connected to these displays, the "Pioneers Associated with Ishinomaki" displays room is laid out, introducing pioneers who have been active in various fields.