Special Exhibition Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of The University of Tokyo “Dynamic Earth: Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Scientific Records”

→Press Release: PDF file［2.7MB］

JP Tower Museum INTERMEDIATHEQUE is pleased to present the special exhibition “Dynamic Earth: Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Scientific Records,” to commemorate the 150th anniversary of The University of Tokyo.
Within the Earth, a wide range of processes, including the movement of tectonic plates and the activity of magma, are constantly at work. Some of these process manifest at the surface as earthquakes and volcanic activity, profoundly affecting the world in which we live. In the Japanese archipelago in particular, earthquakes and volcanoes are deeply intertwined with the environments in which people live, and they also attracted the attention of foreign specialists invited to Japan during the Meiji period. Since then, Japan has become an important center for earthquake and volcano research, and at the University of Tokyo, these dynamic processes of the Earth have been observed and documented from the earliest days of the field, as generations of researchers have sought to understand the phenomena behind them.
Focusing on illustrations, photographs, and waveforms from the Meiji and Taishō periods, this exhibition traces the processes of observation, documentation, and inquiry undertaken by researchers studying earthquakes and volcanoes through scientific records held by the Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo (ERI) and The University Museum, The University of Tokyo (UMUT). In this exhibition, “illustrations” broadly encompasses sketches, maps, and figures published in scholarly books and papers, while “waveforms” refers to records in which changes over time captured by observational instruments are represented as lines. Through these records, the exhibition offers an opportunity to reconsider and interpret the dynamics of the Earth from a contemporary perspective. The exhibition also includes an experimental multisensory section featuring tactile models and other materials related to earthquakes and volcanoes.
The exhibition marks a series of significant anniversaries: the centenary of ERI in 2025, the 30th anniversary of UMUT in 2026, and, culminating in 2027, the 150th anniversary of The University of Tokyo. Against this backdrop, the exhibition sheds new light on the University’s collections relating to earthquake and volcano research and presents them to the wider public.

●Key Information
Title: Special Exhibition Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of The University of Tokyo “Dynamic Earth: Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Scientific Records”
Dates: November 14, 2026 – March 28, 2027
Opening Hours: 11:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
*Opening hours may change.
Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday; however, the museum is open on December 21 and December 28); year-end and New Year holidays (December 30–January 4); February 15–22. May close irregularly.
Venue: Intermediatheque 2F [GREY CUBE]
Admission: Free of charge
Organizers: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo (UMUT) + The Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo (ERI)
Cooperation: Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo | Science Library, The University of Tokyo
Address: KITTE 2–3F, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
Access: JR lines and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi line Tokyo Station (Marunouchi South Exit). Nijubashimae Station (Exit 4) on the Chiyoda Line (about 2 minutes on foot).

●Exhibition Sections
Chapter 1　Depicting Volcanoes and Landforms
Chapter 2　Measuring Earthquakes
Chapter 3　The Bandai Eruption and the Nōbi Earthquake
Chapter 4　Systematic Surveys of the Japanese Archipelago
Chapter 5　The Great Kantō Earthquake and the Establishment of the Earthquake Research Institute
Chapter 6　 Thinking about Earthquakes and Volcanoes through Touch (Multisensory Display Section)
*Some exhibits, including special collections of the ERI Library, will be rotated during the exhibition period.

●Main Exhibits
1　Title Page (Globe, Map, Books, and Volcano) from Vol. 1 of Kunmō Tennen Chirigaku, translated by Hiraku Toriyama; based on works by Sarah S. Cornell
1873 | Multicolor woodblock print on paper | Ishimoto Collection | Special Collections, ERI Library

2　Ewing-type Circular Seismogram (Meiji Tokyo Earthquake, Main Building, Ground Level, Imperial University)
June 20, 1894 | Soot on glass, fixed with resin, framed | ERI

3　Photograph of the Volcanic Plume of Mount Asama
Photographed by “Mr. Ōmori” | December 23, 1911 | Gelatin silver print | Formerly owned by Bunjirō Kotō | UMUT

4　Fig. 1 from Seikei Sekiya, “Model Showing the Motion of an Earth-Particle during an Earthquake”
From an offprint of Nihon Jishin Gakkai Hōkoku, Vol. 5
1888 | Lithograph on paper | Imamura Collection | ERI Library

5　Reconstructed Tactile Model (Sample) of Seikei Sekiya’s “Model Showing the Motion of an Earth-Particle during an Earthquake”, Based on the Record of the Tokyo Earthquake of January 15, 1887
Created by Sachiko Urano | 2026 | 3D print | ERI

*Images are included in the PDF version of the press release. Please download the PDF from the link at the top of this page.

●Exhibition Page
Japanese
https://www.intermediatheque.jp/ja/schedule/view/id/IMT0309
English
https://www.intermediatheque.jp/en/schedule/view/id/IMT0309

●Publications
-Exhibition catalog (A4 variant, approximately 56 pages, Japanese and English)
-Postcards
-Exhibition introduction card (A4 variant)
-Poster (B2)
-Flyer (A4)

●Related Events
▶︎Lecture “Earthquake Research: Then and Now”
Speaker: Takashi Furumura (Director and Professor, The Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo)
Date and Time: November 14, 2026 (Saturday), 14:00–15:30 *Doors open at 13:50.
Venue: Lecture Theatre ACADEMIA, Intermediatheque 2F
Admission: Free (no reservation required)
*The number of seats is limited to 48. Your understanding is appreciated.
Language: Japanese
Organizers: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo (UMUT) + The Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo (ERI)

▶︎IncluDE Public Research Seminar
“Rethinking ‘Touching,’ ‘Listening,’ and ‘Seeing’: Inclusive Museum Experiences through the Dynamic Earth Exhibition”
Program (tentative):
1. Introduction
Ayumi Terada (Project Associate Professor, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo; Affiliated Faculty, DEI Research Division, IncluDE)
2. Experiments in the Multisensory Display Section of Dynamic Earth
Exhibition team members
3. Reports and Comments from Related Practices
Guest speakers
4. Discussion
Date and Time: December 20 (Sunday), 2026, 13:00–16:30 *Doors open at 12:50.
Venue: Lecture Theatre ACADEMIA, Intermediatheque 2F
Admission: Free; advance reservations given priority *The number of seats is limited to 48. Your understanding is appreciated.
Language: Japanese
*Details regarding accessibility provisions and advance registration will be announced on the website at a later date.
Organizers: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo (UMUT) + The Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo (ERI) + DEI Research Division, Center for Coproduction of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IncluDE), The University of Tokyo

*Additional related events are also planned. Details of each event will be announced on the Intermediatheque website as arrangements are finalized.

●Contact
+81-47-316-2772
From Japan: 050-5541-8600 (NTT Hello Dial Service)

●Interview application
press@intermediatheque.jp