Kyoto University of Foreign Studies – University Museum of Cultures

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Life-size replicas of famed Chinese terracotta warriors on permanent display

A collection of folk culture from the Middle & Near East and Central & South America

Established as a research and exhibit facility dealing with international civilizations and steeped in the tradition of the university’s founding principal “PAX MUNDI PER LINGUAS”, the University Museum of Cultures strives to ferment greater international understanding, raise awareness about arts and cultures, and contribute to world peace through activities, such as public lectures and research workshops.
Among the exhibits in the collection there are household utensils used in daily life in the Muslim world, folk art & materials as well as replicas of antiquities from Mexico, Mayan folk materials from Guatemala, contemporary art from Latin America, folk materials from Estado da Bahia in Brazil, materials related to the voyages into Asia by the Portuguese during the Age of Exploration, and replicas of terracotta warriors from China. In addition, there are some 260 artworks by TOBITA Shinobu, a Japanese artist/ceramist, who was active in Mexico.
The collection’s overall number of pieces reaches to 1,400 and these are exhibited in planned exhibitions 4 or 5 times a year in the campus gallery.