National Hansen's Disease Museum (Japan)

National Hansen's Disease Museum (国立ハンセン病資料館)
	main entrance
Established	June 1993
Location	Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan
Website	www.hansen-dis.jp

The National Hansen's Disease Museum (国立ハンセン病資料館, Kokuritsu Hansen-byō Shiryōkan) is a museum in Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan that is dedicated to education about Hansen's disease (leprosy) and to eliminating discriminatory practices against its sufferers. It was formerly (1993–2007) named "His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu Memorial Museum of Hansen's Disease".

The museum is located next to one of Japan's remaining leprosy sanatoriums, and its purposes are:^[1]

To promote awareness of leprosy
To represent and preserve the history of leprosy in Japan
To show what persons affected by leprosy have achieved
To help restore the dignity of persons affected by leprosy
To demonstrate the importance of human rights and the linked need to end prejudice and discrimination

History

Fujio Ohtani wrote in the pamphlet "H.I.H. Prince Takamatsu Memorial Museum of Hansen's Disease": Our Museum was conceived as a commemorative undertaking for the Fortieth Anniversary of the Tofu Kyokai Foundation. While the construction plans were under way, the Leprosy Prevention Law still existed. All the parties involved ardently wished that this new Museum would function in a way to win the public support for abolition of the Law and to show the realities of the thirteen national and three religious associations affiliated with Hansen's Disease sanatoria, which were known only to a limited number of people.^[2]

Table

June 25, 1993 H.I.H. Prince Takamatsu Memorial Museum of Hansen's disease opened.
March, 2004 The master plan of the renewed museum was completed.
October, 2004 The 10th year memorial book was published.
September, 2005 The museum was transiently closed.
March, 2007, The renewed National Museum of Hansen's Disease opened.

On Display

Demonstrations based on the first pamphlet.

The Meiji Era and Taisho Era

Photograph of Dr. Hansen, Early leprosaria, Okamura who produced splendid chaoulmoogra oil and saved patients.
Isolation strengthened.

Showa Era

Injection of Promin, Struggle against the law.

Law was abolished, Trial for compensation

Photographs of patients' struggles.

Life in Sanatoriums

Photographs of hospitalization, Special money used only in sanatoriums.
Treatment;Bandages, Injections of choaulmoogra oil, Labor assigned to patients.

Maintenance of Order

Recreations, prisons.

Marriage, Abortions and Sterilization

Marriage was permitted on the condition of sterilization.

Education in Sanatoriums

Education was unsatisfactory. Schools were built within the sanatoriums and at the start, teachers with leprosy taught pupils.

Prejudice in Society (Leprosy Stigma)

Complete destruction of Sotojima Hoyoen by typhoon, Fujimoto Incident, Tatsuda Children's Home Incident.

Death in Sanatoriums

Funerals are important ceremonies. Every sanatorium has chapels, temples, a mortuary, a crematory, a charnel house, since the bones of patients had been usually rejected by their families. Traditionally each religious group performed funeral services for its members.

How to create something to live for

Music, literature, and others are their pleasures in life.

Progress of Medicine

Medical aspects of leprosy are shown, such as multidrug Therapy(MDT) and rehabilitation.

Sanatoriums in and out of Japan

photographs of sanatoriums in Japan as well as out of Japan.

Testimony of ex-patients and related persons

Video testimony of 42 persons, which include ex-patients and some doctors.

Information about the Museum

Open: 9.30-16.30(admission 9.30-16.00)
Closed: on Mondays
Admission fee: free
Address: 4-1-13, Aobacho, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo 189-0002
Access: from Kiyose Station (Seibu-Ikebukuro line), 10 minutes by bus
from Shin-akitsu Station (Higashinihontetudo), 10 minutes by bus
Neighboring Sanatorium: National Tama-zenshoen Sanatorium
Neighboring Leprosy Institute: Hansen's Disease Institute

Notes

^ National Hansen's Disease Museum Re-opens in Tokyo Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved August 1, 2009)
^ H.I.H.Prince Takamatsu Memorial Museum of Hansen's Disease, a pamphlet written in 1999 in English

External links

35°45′58.3″N 139°29′53.2″E / 35.766194°N 139.498111°E / 35.766194; 139.498111

[1] National Hansen's Disease Museum Re-opens in Tokyo Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved August 1, 2009)

[2] H.I.H.Prince Takamatsu Memorial Museum of Hansen's Disease, a pamphlet written in 1999 in English

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