JAPANESE ”TILE”： A Century of Beauty and Utility

　Jointly organized by INAX Museums, Mosaic Tile Museum Tajimi, and Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, this traveling exhibition explores the origins and history of tiles in Japan, and seeks to uncover the very first steps toward the future.
　Believed to have originated in ancient Egypt, tiles spread throughout the world due to their durability and ease of cleaning, and were introduced to Japan via several regions. Thin ceramic sheets, which had been known by various names in Japan due to their diverse histories of introduction, were unified under the term "tiles" in 1922, as demand was increasing due to the preeminence of Western architecture as well as changing lifestyles. Since then, as Japan has endured through earthquakes, wars, and other major events, Japanese tile culture has flourished in response to changes in lifestyles and urbanization.
　This exhibition traces the evolution of tile culture, which was in place prior to the unification of the term, and introduces the 100-year historical background of Japanese tiles as used in a wide variety of settings, including kitchens, toilets, washrooms, buildings, universities, subway stations, and public bathhouses, along with their historical background. We hope that this exhibition will provide an opportunity to reflect on the role that tiles have played between beauty and utility, and to consider the future of our lifestyles and our architecture.