…But before that, let's start with a supplement to the previous Archaeopteryx figure. It's something I acquired after I posted about it (Image 1).

On the left are Confuciusornis and Archaeopteryx from the Chinese manufacturer "PNSO," which have recently become popular on Amazon and elsewhere. They are quite well-made for their small size. However, the same manufacturer's gigantic ancient whale, Basilosaurus (rare!), which is about 50 cm long, despite its good sculpting, had a step at the joint between the neck and body, reminiscent of Chinese-made hard rubber dinosaurs of old, which was a bit disappointing. Next to it is an Archaeopteryx from a dinosaur eraser set I found at Narita Airport when I was seeing a friend off. With a wingspan of 2.5 cm, it surpasses Tamiya's record for the smallest.

Now, let's talk about the main topic: dinosaur exhibition catalogs. The catalog for "The Great British Natural History Museum Exhibition" was unusually hardcover with beautiful photos, and at only 2000 yen for such luxury, it was a welcome purchase. For me, catalogs are essential items for dinosaur exhibitions. A few years ago, when I found out that a catalog wasn't being sold at a dinosaur exhibition at Pacifico Yokohama, I briefly panicked. That's why, from way back, I've collected catalogs from dinosaur exhibitions I've visited as a matter of course, and also as many as possible from those I couldn't attend because they were far away (some I'm pathetically unsure if I even went to…). Including related books, permanent exhibition catalogs, and museum publications, I have well over 200 of them. Let's open one of those catalogs and reminisce about the dinosaur exhibitions of my youth.

The first dinosaur exhibition I distinctly remember attending was "Lost Creatures - The Great Dinosaur Exhibition (Soviet Academy of Sciences Collection)" in 1978-79. Featuring the two great dinosaurs Tarbosaurus and Saurolophus, as well as the pterosaur Sordes, which had a wrestling-like nickname such as "Hairy Devil of Kazakhstan," there was plenty to see. Having just started my dinosaur life in 1976 with the shock of Desmond's "The Great Dinosaur Age," I eagerly conquered both the Osaka Expo Land venue in the summer of '78 (it was on a business trip, but still) and the National Museum of Nature and Science venue the following year, collecting two catalogs with different covers (and slightly revised content). I didn't go to the dinosaur exhibition held in Kumamoto after the National Museum of Nature and Science, called "Soviet Academy of Sciences Dinosaur Exhibition," but the content seems to have been almost identical. However, the catalog was completely different.

However, it later turned out that the Soviet Academy of Sciences dinosaur exhibition was not the first. Five years prior, in 1973, "Soviet Dinosaur Exhibition - Achievements of Paleontology of the Soviet Academy of Sciences" was held at the National Museum of Nature and Science and Takarazuka Family Land. Looking at the catalog I acquired, it was similar in content to the 1978 exhibition, and a magazine featuring special articles was also published, so it seems to have been quite a popular exhibition. According to Wikipedia's timeline for the National Museum of Nature and Science, after the exhibition, Tarbosaurus took the place of Allosaurus in the museum's entrance hall. Missing such an epoch-making dinosaur exhibition was a lifelong regret... However, in 1973, I was exactly twenty. I was busy with band activities and chasing girls, so I can't be blamed. My late teens to early twenties were the only dinosaur-free period of my life.

(Image 2) Catalogs for the "Great Dinosaur Exhibition" from 1978 and 1979 / Catalog for the "Soviet Academy of Sciences Dinosaur Exhibition" from 1979 / Magazine published by the National Museum of Nature and Science featuring a special issue for the Great Dinosaur Exhibition / Catalog from 1973 / Special issue magazine from 1973

These are books about dinosaur exhibits that I collected to fill the void of my dinosaur dark age before 1978. (Image 3)

“The Story of Fossils” is not a catalog, but a small booklet (15 pages/18 cm) explaining fossils and the evolution of life, and it is the oldest museum publication in my home. It was published in 1953 (the year I was born!) by the “Konoha Fossil Garden,” which is still located in Shiobara Onsen, Tochigi Prefecture. It cost 20 yen. The descriptions of dinosaurs contained many errors, for example, the cover states, “Mesozoic Era, Jurassic Period, a type of dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus (approx. 15 meters long).” The guidebook “Dinosaur Allosaurus,” published in 1964 when the complete skeleton of Allosaurus was exhibited at the National Museum of Nature and Science, is filled with valuable photos, including those showing the assembly process. A revised edition with updated content was released in 1971. The magnificent figure of the completed Allo is featured on a two-page spread at the end of the book. “Earth Exhibition - Focusing on the Past and Present of the Poles” (1970) was organized by the National Museum of Nature and Science but was inexplicably held at the Odakyu Department Store. In terms of dinosaurs, Futabasaurus, Nippononosaurus, footprints of the Rehe long-legged dinosaur Yixianorosaurus, and a Protoceratops egg (replica) seem to have been exhibited. The “Dinosaur Expo - The World 200,000,000 Years Ago,” held in 1972 at Takarazuka Family Land and Korakuen Yuenchi, seems to have been an event primarily centered around attractions recreating the dinosaur age. For some reason, the guidebooks differed in content between the eastern and western venues. At Korakuen, a small booklet called “Dinosaur Fact Book” was distributed. After the dinosaur expo, Family Land established a permanent “Dinosaur Museum,” and its guidebook, “The World of Dinosaurs,” was later taken over and sold by the Osaka Museum of Natural History in 1974. “Fossils and Evolution - The History of Life as Told by Fossils and Humanity” was a special exhibition held in various locations in Kyushu in the summer of 1975, organized by the National Museum of Nature and Science and the Asahi Shimbun, where Dimetrodon, Saurolophus, Arsinoitherium, and others were exhibited.

In the 1980s, dinosaur exhibitions became much more vibrant. From this point on, I tried to visit as many as possible. First, in 1980, the Osaka Museum of Natural History published its permanent exhibition catalog, "Fossils of Beasts and Dinosaurs - A Photo Collection of Ancient Vertebrates." This museum still features many of the same exhibits (Trachodon! etc.) as seen in this photo, and it's a delightful place imbued with the atmosphere of the Showa era. Then, the following year, 1981, the "Chinese Dinosaur Exhibition - 400 Million Years from Fish to Hominids" was held at the National Museum of Nature and Science. The main attraction, Mamenchisaurus, made a huge impact. Other exhibits included Yunjuantiasaurus, Tuojiangosaurus, and Tsintaosaurus. While it seemed that Chinese dinosaurs would replace Soviet ones after this, the Academy of Sciences counterattacked with mammoths, and in the same year, "King of the Ice Age - Great Mammoth Exhibition" was held at Nihonbashi Takashimaya and Inuyama Monkey Center. In 1983, the "Moving Dinosaur Exhibition" using Kokoro's animated sculptures began to be held in various locations. In the summer of '84, as I mentioned in the previous-previous entry, the "World's Largest Dinosaur Exhibition," featuring Brachiosaurus and the Berlin specimen of Archaeopteryx, was held. Simultaneously, the "Dinosaur Science Exhibition - Dinosaurs of America" was held at Seibu Department Store Ikebukuro, where a full skeleton of Dilophosaurus made its debut. That same year, the catalog for the permanent exhibition of the "Iwaki Coal and Fossil Museum," "Iwaki's Fossils and Mining History," was also published. In February 1985, the "Great Gobi Desert Dinosaur Exhibition" (Tokai University Museum of Natural History) showcased the fighting fossils, and in July, the "Special Exhibition Iguanodon - Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Sciences Collection" at the National Museum of Nature and Science featured Iguanodon from Bernissart and mosasaurs. There was also a full skeleton (?) of the ancient shark Megalodon. The following year, 1986, the "Great Extinct Monsters Exhibition," featuring extinct mammals from Argentina, was held at Nihonbashi Takashimaya. The catalog "World of Dinosaurs" was also published to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the opening of the "Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History." This museum, the predecessor of the current "Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History," was surprisingly located on the second floor of a train station at the time. In the winter of '87, the "NHK Earth Journey Exhibition" was held at the Science Museum. In March 1988, the "Cretaceous Exhibition - Dinosaur Extinction and the Impact of Meteorite Collision" was held at Fuchu City Museum. In April, the Toyohashi Museum of Natural History opened, featuring a real full skeleton of Edmontosaurus (then called Anatotitan). In July, unfortunately, I couldn't go, but the "Gifu Chubu Future Expo '88" had a Shantungosaurus Pavilion, where a gigantic full skeleton of Shantungosaurus was displayed. In July 1989, the "Chinese Zigong Great Dinosaur" exhibition was held at the "Sea and Island Expo" venue in Hiroshima, featuring Omeisaurus, Huayangosaurus, and others. I made a determined effort to go to this one. It was worth the trip, as I remember being delighted to acquire several rare dinosaur goods, distinctly Chinese in character. Please see Secret Museum Vol. 14, where I introduce them along with the Mamenchisaurus "magic mirror" I obtained at the Yokohama Expo, held on what is now the Minato Mirai development site.

Dinosaur Exhibitions of the 1980s (Image 4)

And then 1990. This was the year I arbitrarily dubbed "Dinosaur Goods Explosion" (DGE) in New Secret Museum Vol. 18. February: Publication of "Dinosaur Footprints," the first exhibition catalog from the Gunma Prefecture Nakasato Village Dinosaur Center (now Kannna Town Dinosaur Center), which opened in 1986. March: "Great Dinosaur Exhibition - The Story of Dinosaur Parents and Children," featuring collections from the Rocky Museum such as Maiasaura and Troodon (then called Troödon), held at the National Museum of Nature and Science. April: "Dinosaur Age - Japan and China" exhibition at the Fukui Prefectural Museum (the Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama was still 10 years away). And in July, Hitachi sponsored a huge and successful campaign for the Makuhari Messe "Hitachi Dinoventure '90 Great Dinosaur Expo," where dinosaurs from the Tyrrell Museum were featured. This was the first festival-like dinosaur exhibition, and the souvenir shop at the venue was overflowing with dinosaur goods.

1991 was a bit sluggish, with only a few events: "Mystery of Dinosaur Footprints - Dinosaurs of Gunma and Dinosaurs of the Colorado Plains" at the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History in July, "Great Dinosaur Exhibition - The World of Dinosaurs Reborn" at the Tochigi Prefectural Museum, also in July, featuring Maiasaura and others, and "World Great Dinosaur Exhibition - Dinosaurs of Zigong, Sichuan, China" at Space World Kitakyushu in October. Nothing in Tokyo.

Perhaps as a reaction, 1992 was a lively year. January "Dinosaur Exhibition - The World of Maiasaura Parents and Children" Fuchu City Local History Museum March "The Great Evolution of Life - 3.5 Billion Years Traced Through Chinese Fossils" Nagoya City Science Museum July "Great Dinosaur Exhibition - Planet of Water and Greenery," featuring dinosaurs from Inner Mongolia, including the giant sauropod Nopcsaspondylus, at Sunshine City Ikebukuro; "Carnegie Museum Secret Collection Great Dinosaur Exhibition," featuring full skeletons of Tyrannosaurus, Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus, at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi. Furthermore, "Dinosaurs - Mystery and Romance" at the Gifu Prefectural Museum, and "The Path Dinosaurs Walked - Unraveling Dinosaur Mysteries Through Footprints" at the Fukushima Prefectural Museum. August A large-scale entertainment-style dinosaur exhibition, "The Last Dinosaur Kingdom - Japan-America-Russia Joint Project," organized by Fuji TV, was held at the unexpected venue of the New Takanawa Prince Hotel, featuring numerous Mongolian dinosaurs and mammal-like reptiles (synapsids). There were also many goods. On a personal note, I was invited to the reception, which was a bit of a boast. I showed the limited edition cup noodles I bought there in New Secret Museum Vol. 9, but of course, I still haven't had the courage to open them.

And finally, JP 1993. This year saw large-scale dinosaur events using robots held in both eastern and western Japan. Please also see New Secret Museum Vol. 24. July "The Dinosaur DINO-PARK" special tent in front of Tokyo Dome. "DINO ALIVE - Dinosaurs Reborn in the Modern Age with the Latest Theories and High-Tech!" Osaka Umeda Event Venue. "Great China Exhibition Dinosaurs Have Come! To Isogo!!" Yokohama Isogo Prince Hotel. "The World of Dinosaurs Reborn Now" Toyohashi Museum of Natural History *Denver Museum of Nature and Science Collection. In July, "The Last Dinosaur Kingdom 2" was also held at the New Takanawa Prince Hotel, following the previous year, but there was no catalog, and I don't even remember the content. All I know is that the theme song was "Dinosaur Ondo" by Haruo Minami... August "Welcome to the Great Dinosaur Kingdom" Oita Harmonyland. October "Dinosaurs of the World, Dinosaurs of Kumamoto - The Great Dinosaur Kingdom Reborn" Hinokuni Festa Kumamoto '93. December "Great Dinosaur Expedition Museum Official Guidebook" The "UNESCO Village Great Dinosaur Expedition Museum" opened in Tokorozawa City. The attraction, which took visitors on a boat ride through a dinosaur world recreated with robot dinosaurs, was very well done. I went several times, but it sadly closed in 2006.

Dinosaur Exhibitions from 1990 to 1993 (Image 5)

In 1994, the number of exhibitions significantly decreased, and I only attended two: "Feathered Dinosaurs - Exploring the Origin and Evolution of Birds" held at the Abiko City Museum of Birds in March, and "The World's Largest Dinosaur Expo - Discovering Earth, Experiencing Wonders" at Osaka Nanko ATC in June. Both were very impressive. In particular, "The World's Largest ~," which showcased the results of the "Canada-China Dinosaur Project" and the freshly cleaned T-Rex "Black Beauty," was well worth the trip to Osaka.

1995 March "Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History Exhibition Guide" A natural history museum opens at the foot of Hakone! "Extinct Great Mammals" National Museum of Nature and Science *Indricotherium, etc. April "Fukui Ryuu and its Relatives - Dinosaurs of the Tetori Group" Fukui Prefectural Museum *An unusually lavish large-format book for a catalog. June "Message from Extinct Animals - From the World of Green and Water to the Gobi Desert" Ibaraki Nature Museum *Dinosaurs and extinct mammals from Inner Mongolia "Hakamine Village Tetori Lake Ancient Hill Dinosaur Museum - Exhibition Guide" Dinosaur Museum opens in Hakamine Village, Ishikawa Prefecture July "Great Dinosaur Expo - THE T.rex WORLD EXPOSITION" Ikebukuro Sunshine City *A groundbreaking dinosaur exhibition that brought together T-Rexes discovered up to that point, including the first public display of a complete Stan skeleton. The sight of skulls lined up was spectacular. "Dinosaur Kingdom - Dinosaurs Reborn from Underground" Katsuyama City *This was not an exhibition catalog but a booklet introducing dinosaur fossils found in Katsuyama. Five more years until the Dinosaur Museum opened.

1996 March "Dinosaurs of the Silk Road" Nagoya City Science Museum *Including the progress of the joint Japan-China excavation project July "The Road of Dinosaurs" Nakazato Village Dinosaur Center *The unique assembly method of the full skeletons from Mongolia was impressive. I also had the opportunity to hear Dr. Barsbold's lecture. "2 Billion Years of Life History - Tracing the Roots of Humanity" Toyohashi Museum of Natural History "Dyna-Festa - Sea and Ancient Dinosaur Expo" Iwaki City "Dinosaurs" Ehime Prefectural Science Museum "Utah, Hometown of Dinosaurs" Gifu Prefectural Museum September "Dinosaur Footprints and Mysterious Precambrian Organisms" Chiba Prefectural Central Museum October "Great Dinosaur Exhibition of Argentina - South American Paleontology" Gunma Museum of Natural History opens. The first special exhibition was held. "Mammoths of Russia" Toyohashi Museum of Natural History 1997 March "Hello! Dinosaur Family - Dino Babies are Coming" Nagoya City Higashiyama Zoo July "World Great Dinosaur Expo - MEMORIES OF EARTH" Osaka Business Park *Exhibition focused on sauropods "Why are Amargasaurus's Neural Spines So Long? - Dinosaurs and Nature of Argentina" Ibaraki Nature Museum 1998 July "Toyama Dinosaur Age - Footprint Fossils and Mongolian Siblings" Oyama Town Community Gymnasium, Toyama Prefecture *A catalog for the "Oyama Dinosaur Exhibition" held in Oyama Town, where a large number of footprint fossils were found. "Great Dinosaur Exhibition - Rulers of the Lost Continent Gondwana" National Museum of Nature and Science *First appearance of Giganotosaurus. Also Australian dinosaurs like Leaellynasaura and Minmi. "History of Life as Told by Dinosaurs" Miyazaki Prefectural Museum 1999 March "Exploring the Roots of Birds" Nagoya City Science Museum April "National Museum of Nature and Science Guidebook" New Han opened! July "Dinosaur Age - Dinosaurs of Mongolia and the Tetori Group" Gifu Prefectural Museum August "Earth Dinosaur Expo '99 - Can Humanity Survive?" Shizuoka Convention and Arts Center 2000 March "Little Dinosaurs Come" Gunma Prefectural Museum of Natural History *Exhibition of a real full skeleton of a juvenile Camarasaurus. July "Encyclopedia of Interesting Fossils" Toyohashi Museum of Natural History "Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum Exhibition Guidebook" Dinosaur Museum finally opens! "Dinosaur Expo Fukui 2000 Official Guidebook - Time Trip to the Dinosaur Age" *A festival event held in Katsuyama City and its surroundings to commemorate the opening of the Dinosaur Museum. I also participated by performing!

Dinosaur Exhibitions from 1994 to 2000 (Image 6)

And so, the era moved into the 21st century…

The 90s were so packed that I had to rush through the introduction, but looking back now, I feel that dinosaur exhibitions in the 20th century were met with a kind of fervent anticipation. Perhaps it was because there was less information about dinosaurs compared to today. It was like the excitement of "a strong, unseen contender making their first visit to Japan!" in Showa-era professional wrestling, to give an example. Of course, interesting dinosaur exhibitions are held every year even in this century, but the big ones seem to have settled down to about 2 or 3 a year. While it might be partly due to my age, the only times I've truly felt "Wow!" in recent years were for this Archaeopteryx and the aquatic Spinosaurus. What will this summer's dinosaur exhibitions in Makuhari and Yokohama be like?

*Nevertheless, why are there so many dinosaur exhibitions (expos) with "Great" in their names?

★Urgent Information!

At "The Great British Natural History Museum Exhibition," a friend from the Dinosaur Club discovered that the upper jaw with teeth remains on the counterpart (negative) of Archaeopteryx. I found this online: http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-archaeopteryx-lithographica-london-specimen-66713598.html If you don't see it now, you'll never get another chance. Now that I know, I'm going for a third time! Until the 11th. Don't miss it.