Daimyo Clock Museum, Horological museum in Yanaka, Japan
The Daimyo Clock Museum houses around 50 mechanical timepieces, sundials, and incense-based timers within a small exhibition space in Tokyo's Yanaka neighborhood. The collection spans different periods and displays how Japan developed its own approaches to measuring time.
The museum was established in 1974, based on a private collection built starting in the 1950s by enthusiasts dedicated to preserving these timepieces. This effort saved many clocks from being discarded or forgotten.
The clocks in this collection belonged to feudal lords and reflect a timekeeping system where daylight was divided into changing units based on the season rather than fixed hours. Walking through the galleries shows how this approach shaped daily routines in early modern Japan.
The museum is small and can be explored in one to two hours at a comfortable pace. Because the display cases are compact, take time to examine each piece rather than rushing through.
The collection includes pyramid-shaped clocks with intricate mechanical systems designed specifically for Japan's traditional time divisions. These designs are found nowhere else and represent a completely different approach to how clocks could work.
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