Tsuba (Hand Guard) with Design of Paulownia in Openwork, Inscription: Nishi ## Seizen [桐透鐔　銘西##正善]

Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture

The Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture is charged with managing the cultural initiatives and assets of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. We provide support and essential infrastructure for arts and culture, thereby working to foster a thriving artistic and cultural scene in Tokyo and pass down the history and culture of Edo and Tokyo. The Foundation operates 12 cultural facilities: the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Tokyo Arts and Space, Tokyo Arts and Space Residency, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, and the Tokyo Performing Arts Support Center (Suitengu Pit), in addition to running the Arts Council Tokyo. These activities ensure the preservation, use, and enjoyment of artworks and historical materials; the encouragement, cultivation, and wider education of musical and performing arts; and the infrastructure for and promotion of arts and culture.