A Study on the Formation of Toshiro Ito’s Museum Theory in the Early Stage: Focusing on the Activity of the Hosei University Museum Studies Group

Abstract

  In this thesis, I analyzed the museum theory of Toshiro Ito (1947–1991), who advocated the “Theory of the Community Museums”. He was at Hosei University from 1965 to 1969. He started the Hosei University Museum Studies Group in 1967 and then acquired the following two perspectives.

  Firstly, he reconsidered museum functions such as collection, preservation, research, and communication as human activities in society in 1968. His theory aims to make the local museum a public space for learning where residents work on social community issues through museum activities.

  Secondly, he established museum activities for modern society that supported citizens’ rights to learn. He described the evolution of the museum historically in 1969. In his theory, he foresees the museum not only as a place of preservation and utilization of the heritage but also a place where activities should be created by participation based on the learning of the residents.

  While these perspectives define the range of his museum theory after 1970, because of he died early, it had been an unfinished concept in Japan until the 2010s. Public history would benefit from renewed and detailed study of his theory.