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Sitting on the Steps, Chikatsu Asuka Historical Museum, Osaka Prefecture (1991-1994)
Chikatsu Asuka Historical Museum
Chikatsu Asuka Historical Museum, in the southern part of Osaka Province is a museum for exhibitions, study, and research of the Kofun culture (300-710 CE) and the Asuka period (542-645). The Museum stands above some two hundred ancient burials, among them emperors' tombs and the site of the tomb of Prince Shotoku (574-622). In order to integrate the Museum with its environment, it is constructed as a terraced slope from which one can view the burial mounds. The roof is used for lectures, performances, and festivals of music and drama. A visit to the museum is like a descent into the underworld of bygone eras. Here too Ando has derived inspiration from western history and Japanese tradition to create a complex structure that is totally integrated in its natural surroundings.
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