Renewal of the museum attached to the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture

This is a renovation of a museum (a publicly accessible facility) attached to a research institution with the longest history as a research institution for buried cultural properties. Through valuable excavated materials from numerous archaeological sites within the prefecture, it deepens understanding of the history of Nara Prefecture, which occupies an important position in telling the story of Japanese history. The museum has now reopened after a renovation period of approximately three years.

In addition to replacing and renovating displays cases in the permanent and special displays rooms due to aging displays facilities, we have added new displays such as life-size replicas of the Horyuji Temple murals and the Takamatsuzuka Tomb murals (Asuka Village), as well as renovating the cylindrical haniwa corner of the Mesuriyama Kofun, the largest in Japan. Furthermore, we have created a new theme song for the museum, "Mizuyama no Kaze ~ Tamayura," and revamped the museum's public address system, thereby creating a museum that can be enjoyed with all five senses.

In the entrance hall, we relocated existing displays to accommodate new displays, changed the layout, and proposed new lighting solutions to address the aging of existing lighting.

The permanent and special displays rooms required renovations due to aging displays equipment, including improvements to the environment inside the display cases (including lighting), airtight sealing, seismic isolation, and replacement of some displays cases. Furthermore, displays were based on the academic standards of the time the museum opened (1984), and although knowledge and collections have increased through accumulated research activities, updating the explanatory content has become difficult, resulting in outdated information.

We conducted lighting tests inside displays cases and preliminary specification surveys. Under the guidance of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, we held numerous consultations with the curators and reused existing cases using the latest materials to make them airtight and refurbished them. In addition, in conjunction with the renovations related to seismic isolation, we completely revamped the cylindrical haniwa corner of the Mesuriyama Kofun (ancient burial mound).

In the signage and graphic explanations, we have revised the explanatory information to update it with clearer and more comprehensive content that aligns with current academic research.