The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is a research center for ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Traditional Fabrics, Now The Reality of Southeast Asian Daily Wear

Exhibition Period: July 22 (Thursday) – September 14 (Tuesday)
Location: Thematic Exhibition Area B, National Museum of Ethnology
* An admission fee every Saturday is charged for exhibitions in the main building. More information.
* Admission is free for elementary, junior high school, and senior high school students.

Download the flyer [PDF: 1.9MB]

In these days of rapidly advancing globalization, most of the clothing people wear worldwide is shifting from traditional clothing with regional and ethnic origins to Western clothing such as blouses, pants, and skirts. Yet, in Southeast Asia today, many people carry on traditional fashions as everyday wear and cover their bodies with “square cloths” or wear “tubular cloths,” where both ends of a piece of square cloth are sewn together. There is a tendency to view both “square cloths” and “tubular cloths” as traditional dyed and woven textiles that have continuously been made by the various peoples of Southeast Asia, but in the latter half of the 20th century there have been great changes in the material used for the fabric and the techniques for spinning and dying the thread and cloth.

In this thematic exhibition, we will display daily wear, such as “square cloths” and “tubular cloths,” that were collected in 2009 in the markets and production villages in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia, along with data on the collection sites, manufacturing sites, fiber materials, weaving and dying techniques, use, price, as well as photographs taken in-country. We will also present the current condition of traditional Southeast Asian fabrics, which are being transformed as globalization advances.

Also, in this exhibition, we will set up a dress-up corner. Here, you can see, feel, and wear “square cloths” and “tubular cloths” and fully experience traditional Southeast Asian fashion styles.

RELATED EVENTS

Dress-up Corner

Following are the dates that you can try on the clothing. [As of September 7, 2010]
* The dates that you can try on the clothing will be updated as needed.
* You cannot try on the clothing when marked as “Closed.”

July 22 Thurs. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
July 23 Fri. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
July 24 Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
July 25 Sun. closed
July 26 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
July 27 Tue. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
July 29 Thurs. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
July 30 Fri. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
July 31 Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 1 Sun. 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
August 2 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 3 Tue. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 5 Thurs. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
August 6 Fri. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 7 Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 8 Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
August 9 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 10 Tue. closed
August 12 Thurs. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 13 Fri. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 14 Sat. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 15 Sun. 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 16 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 17 Tue. closed
August 19 Thurs. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 20 Fri. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 21 Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
August 22 Sun. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 23 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 24 Tue. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 26 Thurs. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 27 Fri. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 28 Sat. closed
August 29 Sun. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
August 30 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
August 31 Tue. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 2 Thurs. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 3 Fri. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 4 Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 5 Sun. closed
September 6 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 7 Tue. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 9 Thurs. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
September 10 Fri. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 11 Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 12 Sun. closed
September 13 Mon. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 14 Tue. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
 

GALLERY TALK

  • Commentator: YOSHIMOTO Shinobu (Professor, National Museum of Ethnology)
  • Date and Time: August 3 (Tue) 2:30 p.m. – 3: 30 p.m. / August 24 (Tue) 2:30 p.m. – 3: 30 p.m. / September 7 (Tue) 2:30 p.m. – 3: 30 p.m.

MINPAKU WEEKEND SALON Let’s Talk With Researchers! “Traditional Fabrics, Now”