The Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology in Krakow celebrates its 30th anniversary and is planning the main anniversary celebrations for the fall. It is the only state institution popularizing the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun. "We are also a bit of a museum of diplomacy," said the institution's director, Katarzyna Nowak.
Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iVof2rqdBQ
Manggha was opened on 30th of November 1994 thanks to the efforts of Andrzej Wajda and the support of the authorities of Japan, Poland and the local government of Kraków. The director wanted the museum to house the collection of the collector Feliks "Manggha" Jasieński, which numbered around 6.5 thousand objects and which delighted Wajda but was rarely presented due to the lack of space.
The museum is celebrating the anniversary all year long, but is preparing special events for the coming months. "We are preparing three exhibitions from the Jasieński collection, but in a new approach, a new presentation of Jasieński as a visionary. (...) We want to honour both the founder Andrzej Wajda and Krystyna Zachwatowicz-Wajda. To show their joint work and goals, ideas that, among other places, came true here," the director of Manggha announced in an interview with PAP.
Residents and tourists will also be able to enjoy performances by modern Japanese theatre, but also by no theatre – one of the oldest performing arts in the world, as well as avant-garde buto dances – referring to old rituals, concerts, educational events. There will also be a jubilee festival of Japanese culture – Manggha Matsuri.
“The 30th anniversary is a time when we have become somewhat established in Krakow, and at the same time there are many challenges ahead of us. If we compare it to a person’s age, we already have some experience, but also many expectations regarding what will happen,” said Katarzyna Nowak.
According to her, the most important thing is to respond to the needs of the audience. “I think we are managing to meet expectations regarding Japanese topics, Eastern topics,” assessed the director.
The facility was established primarily to present exhibits on Japanese topics from the collection of Feliks “Manggha” Jasieński. Over time, it expanded its activities. Today, it is a place of exhibition of broadly understood Japanese art and technology, but there is also a Japanese language school, tea ceremonies and calligraphy lessons. The institution is engaged in publishing activities. Manggha celebrates Japanese holidays. In 2015, it opened a branch in its vicinity – the Europe-Far East Gallery.
30 years also means establishing relations with Japan in various fields. "We are a bit of a museum of diplomacy," assessed Katarzyna Nowak.
Manggha was the place of visit of Emperor Akihito of Japan and Empress Michiko, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, Japanese parliamentarians. Thanks to cooperation with Japanese partners, in 2018 it was possible to plant sakura cherry trees on the Vistula boulevards near the museum.
Last year, the institution recorded almost 190 thousand visitors. "The audience returned after the pandemic and is getting bigger and bigger," noted the director. Previously, the institution was visited by around 120,000 people a year. The visitors were mainly Poles, but there were also many foreigners. "Japanese art is well-received in Europe. It is constantly considered interesting," noted Katarzyna Nowak.
In 1987, Andrzej Wajda received the Kyoto Prize in the amount of 400,000 dollars. He decided to allocate it to the construction of the Manggha Center of Japanese Art and Technology and for this purpose established the Kyoto-Krakow Foundation. This decision aroused enthusiasm in Japan, whose government financially supported the initiative. Collections for the construction of the facility were also held in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Eastern Railway Union of Japan organized a collection in which thousands of donors donated a total of around 1 million dollars.
For the first 10 years of its operation, the Manggha was a branch of the National Museum in Kraków (MNK). Then, by decision of the Ministry of Culture, it became a separate state institution. In 2007, it obtained the status of a museum facility. The Jasieński Collection is a deposit of the MNK. In addition, the Manggha has been consistently building its own collection, expanded thanks to the generosity of donors. (PAP)
source – PAP/Author: Beata Kołodziej kgr/
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