On September 29, the National Ethnology Museum of the Japanese city of Osaka hosted the opening of an exhibition called “History of Cross-Stones – The Armenian Cross and Stone” and dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, as reported the press service of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Hayern Aysor.

The exhibition was coordinated at the initiative of Deputy Director of the Museum of History of Yerevan, museum expert Gevorg Orbelyan and with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Japan.

The exhibition showcases stone and wooden cross-stones and plates with Armenian designs from the collection of the Ethnology Museum, as well as cross-stones especially brought from Armenia. The exhibition also showcases a large Muron plate from the Armenian Church of Aleppo. Four duplicates of the cross-stones of Noraduz created by Professor Kunito Nagaoka are also part of the exhibition.

The exhibited samples uniquely show the history of Christian Armenians and Christianity in Armenia, as well as the formation, development and dissemination of the art of cross-stones within Armenian communities.

Among the participants of the solemn opening ceremony were RA Ambassador to Japan Hrant Poghosyan, Director of the National Ethnology Museum Kenichi Sudo, Professor of the Museum Mitsuhiro Shinmen, Honorary Professor of the Kioto Seyka University Kunito Nagaoka and museum expert Gevorg Orbelyan.

The exhibition will run until October 11.