Komazawa University's Kounkan (Designated a Historic
Building by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government)

Use of the Facilities■Entrance to the Facilities*Please sign in at the museum reception (FreeAdmission)*Don't hesitate to ask to use the museum's accessible
features such as the wheelchair ramp, elevator, or thewheelchair-accessible restrooms.
■Hours of Operation
Monday- Friday : 10:00-16:30
Please note that entrance to the exhibit rooms isdiscontinued 15 minutes before closing.
Closed: Saturdays, Sundays, National Holidays,
Komazawa University Holidays

PHOTO 6: The Exterior of the Just-Erected Kounkan

The Kounkan was erected as one of several recovery
projects after the Great Kanto Earthquake as well as tocommemorate the university's accreditation as afull-fledged university in 1928. As one of the main
campus buildings, it initially served as the university
library. Its construction features an open, high-ceilinghall at its center supported by two large beams
interlocked with a number of lightening-shaped
supports. One can see the influences of Frank Lloyd
Wright motifs, the late 19th-century Secessionist
movement, and Expressionism all of which were new
cutting edge styles during the Taisho period, when thebuilding was built.
The symbolic feel to the hall space at the center of thebuilding, which functioned as a reading room, reflects thearchitect's intention to honor the act of reading as a noble
act. The originality of the design and the freedom it evokes
makes this building a truly representative one for thearchitect, Eizo Sugawara (1892-1968).

■Directions
A 10-minute walk from "Komazawa Daigaku"
Station on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line. (Please notethat there is no parking facility for cars, so please use
public transportation)Address: 1-23-1 Komazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo154-8525
Queries: Tel (03) 3418-9610
Fax(03) 3418-9611
Website:https://www.komazawa-u.ac.jp/facilities/museum/E-mail : zenpaku@komazawa-u.ac.jp■Notes on Visiting the Facility*Please don't touch the items on display.
*Please do not photograph or otherwise reproduce
the items on display.
*No smoking, eating, or drinking.
*No use of cellular phones.
*Please do not disturb other patrons of the museum.

The Museum ofZen Culture and History,
Komazawa University

Overview of the FacilitiesPHOTO1 ： Buddhist Altar andStatues of the Buddha and theDual Founders of Soto Zen (Dogenand Keizan)

The Museum of Zen Culture and History wasestablished to commemorate the 120th anniversary ofKomazawa University founding. It is housed in theKounkan, ｗhich was designated a historic building by
the Tokyo Metropolitan government, preserving its
legacy and making full use of this building at the centerof campus.
The exhibition space can roughly be divided into threeparts. The first floor is the home to the permanent
exhibition, which features the distinct legacy ofKomazawa University, Zen culture and history. The
second floor houses other exhibitions highlighting theuniversity itself, including a survey of the university's
history from its start as a Zen educational center formonks during the early modern period. Finally, in thebasement are classroom and other spaces of theuniversity's museum studies program.
We hope this museum, which actualizes the concept
foundational to our school's mission "The Oneness ofPractice and Study," will not only be of value to ouruniversity, but to the wider culture and society.

■First Floor

Visitor's Entrance and Reception■Permanent Exhibition Space (The World of Zen)
The space is divided into Exhibition Room A, asymbolic space, and Exhibition Room B1-5, whichfeatures Zen history and culture, centering on SotoZen.
■Exhibition Room A: What is Zen?
The Buddhist altar andthe statues of theBuddha and the dual
founders of Soto Zen(Dogen and Keizan) at
the center of the room
gives order to themuseum'ssymbolicspace.

■Exhibition Room B4: The Lineage of Zen Monks
This exhibition introduces Zen monks from themedieval, early modern, and modern periods
explaining the role Soto Zen has played from a social
history perspective.
■Exhibition Room B5: The History and Culture of Zen
This exhibits introduces the multifaceted culture andarts unique to Japan born from the influence of Zen.

PHOTO 2: A Replica of Eiheiji During the Edo Period■Exhibition Room B1: The Roots of Zen
This exhibition focuses on the very beginnings of theZen tradition and traces its establishment into a
Buddhist school.
■Exhibition Room B2: The Establishment and Growthof Soto Zen
This exhibition follows the establishment of Japanese
Soto Zen by Dogen and the subsequent growth of theschool in various regions through the institution
building efforts of Keizan■Exhibition Room B3: The World of the "Shobogenzo"
and "Denkoroku"
This exhibition follows
the establishment ofJapanese Soto Zen byDogenandthesubsequent growth of
the school in various
regions through theinstitution
buildingefforts of Keizan
PHOTO 3: Exhibition Room A

PHOTO 4: "A Replica of Zen Master Kodo Sawaki in Seated
Zen Meditation" and “Banryu(Earth-Bound Dragon) " By

Masachi Kaneyasu

PHOTO5: "A Stone Relief of the Life ofShakyamuni Buddha" by Kiyoshi Masuzawa■Second Floor■The University History exhibitions Room(Permanent).
■Special Exhibitions■Basement Floor (Not Open to the Public)
Facility for Lectures and Practicum for Museum Studies（ A space not just in theoretical learning, but
hands-on, practical learning for students of museum
studies.）