The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is a research center for ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Department of Cultural Research

As globalization proceeds and the world becomes more homogenous, the cultures of ethnic groups and other human groups are becoming ever more significant. The Department of Cultural Research is composed of the following three sections, to facilitate exploration of culturally specific and universal features of cultures, in terms of the values and modes of thought, technologies, and languages specific to certain ethnic groups.

Staff

○ Director
YASUGI Yoshiho [Linguistic anthropology, writing systems, Mayan civilization; Mesoamerica]
Cognition and Representation
○ Professor
MORI Akiko [Cultural anthropology, ethnography of central Europe, Germany, Austria, Japan]
TAKEZAWA Shoichiro[African history, history of anthropological thought; West Africa]
○ Associate Professor
YAMANAKA Yuriko [Comparative study of traditions on Alexander the Great; West Asia, Iran]
○ Assistant Professor
SAITO Reiko [Ainu and Northern Indigenous Peoples studies, material culture; North Pacific Rim]
Cultural Structure
○ Professor
SASAHARA Ryoji [Folk culture, performing arts; Japan]
SUGIMOTO Yoshio [Social anthropology; Sri Lanka, South India]
○ Associate Professor
HIROSE Koujirou [Japanese religious history, folklore]
SHINMEN Mitsuhiro [Science of religion; Eastern Europe]
○ Assistant Professor
FUJIMOTO TOKO
Ethnic Art and Technology
○ Professor
DEGUCHI Masayuki
KONDO Masaki [Folk materials, folklore; japan, Europe]
YOSHIMOTO Shinobu [Textile arts and technology; Asia, Africa, America, Europe]