Japan Folk Art Museum, Craft museum in Naniwa Ward, Japan
Japan Folk Art Museum is a museum in Naniwa Ward housed in a reinforced concrete building that features castle-like architectural details. Inside, the spaces showcase traditional Japanese crafts and handmade items produced by artisans across centuries, emphasizing how form and function work together.
The museum was founded in 1950 and initially operated in the Dojima district before moving to its current location in 1960. The building it now occupies is a restored rice storage building from the Edo period.
The museum displays everyday objects and craft items made by artisans across centuries, with objects chosen for both their practical purpose and their beauty. The collections emphasize works that are still produced today using traditional methods.
The museum sits in Naniwa Ward and benefits from good public transportation access, with several railway stations nearby. Since the building is a restored historic structure, visitors may want to check conditions beforehand or allow extra time for exploring the multilevel spaces.
The museum holds one of the earliest private museum designations in Osaka Prefecture and focuses specifically on craft items that continue to be made today using age-old techniques. This makes it a place where living craft traditions are preserved rather than just historical display.
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