On Friday January 30, 2026, MOMRI Director Olivier Urbain and Min-On Museum Headquarters Director Kiyoshi Hayami met with Rafael Hiroshi Fuchigami, specially appointed researcher at the Institute of Ethnomusicology, Tokyo College of Music in Ikebukuro. They discussed the establishment and history of the Institute of Ethnomusicology, and visited the exhibition of rare and traditional instruments, part of the vast collection of the institute.

Some concrete ideas were proposed regarding collaborative projects to be co-organized by the two institutes. It became clear that both institutes would benefit from joint projects combining their respective strengths. MOMRI can contribute an international network of scholars and reliable research methods, publications and various digital resources, and the Institute of Ethnomusicology can offer various opportunities due to its affiliation with the Tokyo College of Music and its population of students specialising in music studies. Various events were planned for this year and 2027, and we envision that they will generate interesting news on this site!

See also Professor Fuchigami's guest post to the MOMRI Hub from last year!