Exhibition - Hakurankai

Japanese: 博覧会 - はくらんかい

An exposition is an event that displays products, models, panels, etc. that show the results and future directions of various industrial, scientific, technological, artistic and cultural activities, with the aim of increasing knowledge among the general public and promoting industrial development. Expositions can be divided into those with general themes and those with specific themes, and into international expositions (World's Fairs), national expositions, and local expositions.

[Yukio Manita]

Japan and International Expositions Abroad

The first time Japanese people came into contact with an exposition was in 1862 (Bunkyu 2), when the first Japanese mission to Europe, led by Takeuchi Shimotsuke no Kami Yasunori, visited the second "London International Exhibition." Japan's first official participation in an international exposition was at the "Paris International Exhibition" in 1867 (Keio 3). On this occasion, Mukoyama Hayatonosho (1826-1898), the magistrate for foreign affairs, and Tokugawa Akitake (1853-1910), the younger brother of the 15th shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, were dispatched as envoys to represent the Edo shogunate. They exhibited a wide range of local specialties, and the event was very popular, with teahouses and street performers also participating. The word "exposition" first appeared in an official document from 1865 (Keio 1) reporting on the invitation for exhibits at this time, where it was referred to as the "French Exposition."

The next exhibition, the first one the Meiji government took part in, was the Vienna World Exposition in 1873 (Meiji 6), where a special pavilion was built in the shape of a Japanese house, complete with a Japanese garden, teahouse, torii gate, and shrine, and lacquerware, ceramics, and washi paper were exhibited. In addition, 77 people were sent to the exhibition, including technical trainers in various industries, and the results of their efforts were compiled into the 96-volume "Report on the Austrian Exposition" after their return. This exposition made a significant contribution to Japan's industrial development by introducing modern industrial technology and economic systems, and by introducing Japanese products overseas.

[Yukio Manita]

The origin and history of expositions in Japan

In parallel with these movements, expositions began to be held throughout Japan. In this sense, the origin of modern expositions in Japan was the Kyoto Products Fair, held at Nishi Honganji Temple in 1871. This products fair was held over 30 times thereafter. It was not until 1872 that the name "exposition" was officially given to an event, in which the government exhibited local specialties from around the country collected by the Ministry of Education's Museum Bureau at Shoheizaka Cathedral. The Tokyo Museum and the National Museum of Nature and Science were part of this exposition's facilities.

The first full-scale exposition sponsored by the government was the first National Industrial Exposition held in Tokyo in 1877. Events in which various products were collected and displayed for the general public to view had existed since the Edo period. Furthermore, various local expositions were held around the country until around 1877 as a new trend in the era of civilization and the enlightenment of society, but these also retained a spectacle-like character, similar to the exhibitions and product fairs of the Edo period. However, the purpose of the National Industrial Exposition was to promote civilization and enlightenment and encourage industry, and it was distinct from these older events. Five National Industrial Expositions were held, but the fifth, held in Tennoji, Osaka in 1903, invited 18 countries from overseas as a stepping stone to holding a world exposition in the future.

Other domestic expositions were held after that, such as the Tokyo Industrial Exposition (1907), the Tokyo Taisho Exposition (1914), and the Peace Memorial Tokyo Exposition (1922), but from the Taisho period onwards, the number of expositions sponsored by newspaper companies, department stores, and railway companies increased. This was because newspaper companies, department stores, and railway companies began to see expositions as a way to increase consumption.

[Yukio Manita]

The boom in local expositions and the challenges that remain

After the Second World War, in order to use expositions as a catalyst for postwar reconstruction, many expositions such as reconstruction expositions, trade expositions, and industrial expositions were held all over the country. After that, industrial culture expositions, science expositions, women's and children's expositions were held, but many of these were sponsored by the same organizations as before the war, such as newspapers, department stores, and railway companies. On the other hand, local expositions sponsored by local governments were not necessarily active, with the exception of the National Greening Fair, which was led by the central government and held by local governments on a rotating basis.

Then, from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, a huge boom in local expositions took place. This was because many cities competed to plan expositions to mark the 100th anniversary of their municipal governments, but it was also a time when the leisure and resort booms were in full swing during the bubble economy, which helped to boost this boom. In 1987 (Showa 62), while the afterglow of the International Science and Technology Exposition/Science Expo Tsukuba '85 held in Tsukuba Science City was still lingering, the Future Tohoku Expo (Sendai) was held, followed the following year by the Nara Silk Road Expo (Nara), the World Food Festival (Hokkaido), and the Gifu Chubu Future Expo (Gifu). This was followed in 1989 (Heisei 1) by the three major expos of Yokohama Expo, World Design Expo (Aichi), and Asia-Pacific Expo (Fukuoka), as well as the Sea and Islands Expo (Hiroshima). During this period, 28 local expos were held, attracting 40 million visitors. In 1990, the Nagasaki Travel Expo and the Food and Greenery Expo (Okayama, Miyazaki, Chiba) were also held, and the final exposition was the International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Osaka).

However, with the collapse of the bubble economy, it became difficult to hold such events, and in 1994 the World City Expo "Tokyo Frontier" was cancelled, bringing the boom in regional expos to an abrupt end. Originally, this boom was fuelled by the hopes of local governments who wanted to revitalise regional areas in response to depopulation and the over-concentration of population in Tokyo. However, with the rise of huge theme parks modelled on Disneyland, regional expos also became entertainment spaces requiring huge investments, making it extremely difficult to ensure profitability, and regional expos had to be made up for by subsidies and corporate donations. The same situation applies to world expos, and it is no exaggeration to say that the very reason for the existence of expositions is now being called into question.

[Yukio Manita]

"History of Japanese Expositions" by Yamamoto Mitsuo (1970, Risosha)" ▽ "Meiji Documents Publication Committee, edited and published "Materials on the History of Industrial Development in the Early Meiji Period: Materials on the Industrial Exposition 1-240" (1973-1976)" ▽ "Exposition Records" edited by Terashita Tsuyoshi (1987, Explan) ▽ "Official Records of the Yokohama Exposition" edited by Kanagawa Shimbun (1990, Yokohama Exposition Association) ▽ "Official Records of the World Design Exposition" edited by Dentsu (1990, World Design Exposition Association) ▽ "Official Records of the Asia-Pacific Exposition Fukuoka '89" edited by The Nishinippon Shimbun (1990, Asia-Pacific Exposition Association) ▽ "Sightseeing at the Exposition" by Hashizume Shinya and Nakatani Sakuji (1990, Gakugei Publishing) ▽ "Dream Machines for Creating Regions: Seeing Regions through Expositions," by Manita Yukio (1991, Seibundo Shinkosha) " ▽ " EXPO'90: Official Record of the International Garden and Greenery Exposition," edited and published by the International Garden and Greenery Exposition Association (1991)" ▽ "Expo & Exhibitions," edited by Izumi Shinya and Terasawa Tsutomu (1992, Rokuyosha) " ▽ "Catalogue of Art Exhibited at the Domestic Industrial Exposition," edited by the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (1996, Chuokoron-Bijutsu Shuppan)" ▽ "World City Expositions: Tokyo Frontier, From Conception to Cancellation," edited and published by the Tokyo Frontier Association (1996)" ▽ "Encyclopedia of the History of International Expositions," by Hirano Shigeomi (1999, Uchiyama Kobo)" ▽ "The Politics of Expositions: A Gaze on Modernity," by Yoshimi Toshiya (Chuko Shinsho)

[Reference] | Yasunori Takeuchi | World Expo

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

博覧会とは各種の産業、科学技術、芸術文化などの活動の成果や将来の方向を示す製品・模型・パネルなどを展示し、広く一般社会の知見を高め、産業振興を進めることを目的とした催し物である。また、博覧会は内容的には一般的なテーマのものと特定分野のテーマのものとに分けられ、地域的には国際博覧会（万国博覧会）、全国博覧会、地方博覧会に分けられる。

［間仁田幸雄］

海外の万国博覧会と日本

日本人が博覧会に最初にふれたのは、1862年（文久2）に竹内下野守保徳(しもつけのかみやすのり)を正使とする第1回遣欧使節団が、2回目の「ロンドン万国博覧会」を見学したときである。また、日本が万国博覧会に最初に正式参加したのは1867年（慶応3）の「パリ万国博覧会」であった。このときは江戸幕府を代表して外国奉行(ぶぎょう)向山隼人正(むこうやまはやとのしょう)（1826―1898）、公使として15代将軍徳川慶喜(よしのぶ)の弟の徳川昭武(あきたけ)（1853―1910）が派遣されたが、幅広く特産品を集めて出品し、茶屋や大道芸人も参加して人気をよんだ。博覧会ということばは、このときの出品勧誘を報告した1865年（慶応1）の公式文書に「仏国博覧会」とあるのが最初である。

　次に、明治政府として最初に参加したのは1873年（明治6）の「ウィーン万国博覧会」であり、日本庭園、茶室、鳥居、神社からなる日本家屋の特設館を建て、漆器・陶磁器・和紙などを展示した。また、諸工業の技術伝習者を加えた77名を派遣し、帰国後その成果が『墺(おう)国博覧会報告書』96巻としてまとめられた。この博覧会は近代の産業技術や経済制度の導入や日本製品の海外への紹介を通じて、日本の産業発展に多大な貢献をした。

［間仁田幸雄］

日本の博覧会の起源と沿革

これらの動きと平行して、国内でも博覧会が開かれるようになった。そうした意味で日本における近代的な博覧会の起源となったのは、1871年に西本願寺を会場に開催された京都物産会である。この物産会は以後三十数回にわたって開催された。正式に博覧会と名付けられたのは、1872年に政府が文部省博物局で収集した各地の特産物を昌平坂(しょうへいざか)聖堂で公開した物産博覧会からであるが、東京博物館、国立科学博物館はこの博覧会の施設であった。

　次に、政府が最初に主催した本格的な博覧会は1877年に東京で開かれた第1回「内国勧業博覧会」である。さまざまな産物を蒐集(しゅうしゅう)・陳列して一般の人々の観覧に供する催し物は江戸時代から存在していた。また、1877年ごろまでは文明開花の新風俗として、各地でいろいろな地方博が行われていたが、これも江戸時代の開帳や物産会に近く、見世物的な性格を残していた。しかし、内国勧業博覧会の目的は文明開化や殖産興業にあり、こうした古い催し物とは一線を画すものであった。内国勧業博覧会は5回開催されたが、1903年の大阪・天王寺の第5回内国勧業博覧会には、将来の万国博覧会開催の布石として海外から18か国が招聘(しょうへい)された。

　その後も「東京勧業博覧会」（1907）、「東京大正博覧会」（1914）、「平和記念東京博覧会」（1922）などの内国博覧会が開かれたが、大正期以降になると、新聞社、百貨店、電鉄会社などが主催する博覧会が増えてきた。これは、新聞社、百貨店、電鉄会社などが消費拡大の手段として博覧会を取り上げるようになったからである。

［間仁田幸雄］

地方博ブームと残された課題

第二次世界大戦後になると、まず博覧会を戦後復興の起爆剤とするために、全国各地で復興博、貿易博、産業博などが活発に開催された。その後も産業文化博や科学博、婦人子供博などが開催されたが、これは戦前と同じ新聞社、百貨店、電鉄会社などの主催が多かった。他方、地方自治体が主催する地方博は中央官庁主導で地方自治体が持ち回りで開催する全国緑化フェアなどを除けば、かならずしも活発ではなかった。

　その後、1980年代後半から1990年代初頭にかけて、地方博の一大ブームが巻き起こった。これは多くの都市が市政100周年を迎えて競って博覧会を計画したためであるが、同時にバブル景気のもとでレジャー・ブームやリゾート・ブームが盛り上がっていた時期であったことが追い風となった。筑波(つくば)研究学園都市で開催された「国際科学技術博覧会／科学万博・つくば'85」の余韻の残る1987年（昭和62）に開催された「未来の東北博覧会」（仙台）や、翌年に開かれた「なら・シルクロード博」（奈良）、「世界・食の祭典」（北海道）、「ぎふ中部未来博覧会」（岐阜）など、次いで1989年（平成1）に開催された「横浜博覧会」、「世界デザイン博覧会」（愛知）、「アジア太平洋博覧会」（福岡）の三大博、さらに「海と島の博覧会」（広島）など、この時期の地方博は28か所、入場者は4000万人に上った。1990年に入っても「長崎旅博覧会」、「食と緑の博覧会」（岡山、宮崎、千葉）などが開かれ、最後を飾って「国際花と緑の博覧会」（大阪）が開催された。

　しかし、バブル景気の崩壊とともに開催がむずかしくなり、1994年には世界都市博「東京フロンティア」が中止され、地方博ブームは一挙に終息した。もともとこのブームには過疎化や東京一極集中に対抗して地域活性化を進めたいとする地方自治体の期待が込められていた。しかし、ディズニーランドを模した巨大なテーマパークが次々と出現するなかで、地方博も巨大な投資を伴うエンターテインメント空間化し、採算性の確保がきわめてむずかしくなり、補助金や企業寄付により赤字を補填(ほてん)せざるをえなくなった。こうした事情は万国博でも同じであり、いまや博覧会は根本から存在意義が問われているといっても過言ではない。

［間仁田幸雄］

『山本光雄著『日本博覧会史』（1970・理想社）』▽『明治文献資料刊行会編・刊『明治前期産業発達史資料　勧業博覧会資料1～240』（1973～1976）』▽『寺下勍編『博覧会強記』（1987・エキスプラン）』▽『神奈川新聞社編『横浜博覧会公式記録』（1990・横浜博覧会協会）』▽『電通編『世界デザイン博覧会公式記録』（1990・世界デザイン博覧会協会）』▽『西日本新聞社編『アジア太平洋博覧会　福岡'89公式記録』（1990・アジア太平洋博覧会協会）』▽『橋爪紳也・中谷作次著『博覧会見物』（1990・学芸出版社）』▽『間仁田幸雄著『地域を創る夢装置――博覧会から地域を見る』（1991・誠文堂新光社）』▽『国際花と緑の博覧会協会編・刊『EXPO'90　国際花と緑の博覧会公式記録』（1991）』▽『泉真也・寺沢勉編著『エクスポ＆エキジビション』（1992・六耀社）』▽『東京国立文化財研究所編『内国勧業博覧会美術品出品目録』（1996・中央公論美術出版）』▽『東京フロンティア協会編・刊『世界都市博覧会――東京フロンティア　構想から中止まで』（1996）』▽『平野繁臣著『国際博覧会歴史事典』（1999・内山工房）』▽『吉見俊哉著『博覧会の政治学――まなざしの近代』（中公新書）』