Yasuyuki Morishita: A Quite Dangerous Museum

2024/12/12

My grandfather, Seiichi Morishita, collected ancient Latin American art of overwhelming quality and quantity and was hailed as "one of the four Japanese people who connected Japan and the ancient Andes." I grew up in close contact with my grandfather's collection.

At university, I belonged to the Latin American Studies Group (at the time), and in the summer of my second year, I stayed in Central America and Mexico for a long period as a member of a mission organized by the Juku, interacting with local students and visiting ancient ruins in various countries. This later became the catalyst for my study abroad at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

At the University of Mexico, I took courses in history and ethnology, but traveling to ancient ruins throughout Mexico on my days off and, above all, making the acquaintance of Japanese archaeologists who were there at the time remain great assets to me today. After graduating from the Juku, I took over the family business, and in my mid-50s, I became the full-time Chairman and Director of the current BIZEN Latin American Art Museum, which my grandfather left behind, a position I hold to this day.

Having visited many museums both in Japan and abroad since I was young, I found many restrictions and inconveniences that seemed questionable from a business perspective. For example, photography is strictly prohibited inside the exhibition halls, you must not speak even if you are moved, there are no smartphone charging stations, and although guards are stationed everywhere, there are no staff members to answer questions or provide explanations about the exhibits.

At our museum, we have removed these nonsensical restrictions and I, as the director, personally conduct guided tours at scheduled times (including playing ancient flutes and allowing visitors to hold real artifacts). Of course, we do not station rude guards who only watch and warn visitors. As a result of these efforts, our Google review rating is 4.4 stars, and we have received many wonderful comments from visitors.

Having achieved highly-rated service, our museum's next priority is public relations. We are currently recruiting, organizing, and managing a unique supporter membership that now numbers 3,000 and is growing daily. Our unconventional announcements, featuring the catchphrase "The Quite Dangerous BIZEN Latin American Art Museum" and high-impact designs, are frequently featured in the mass media and on social media.

Finally, from January 29 to February 14, 2025, we will hold the "Rich History of Chocolate Exhibition" at Ginza Mitsukoshi. I will be there throughout the period to give tours and talk shows. Please come and visit, and feel free to say hello.

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.