Toba Sea-Folk Museum, Maritime and folk museum in Toba, Japan
The Toba Sea-Folk Museum is a maritime and folk museum in a coastal port town that displays an extensive collection of over 60,000 objects. The holdings include around 90 traditional wooden boats from different regions and thousands of fishing tools and everyday items used by sea communities.
The museum was founded in 1971 as a private institution and grew into an important center for documenting maritime traditions of the region. In 2017 it came under municipal management, gaining expanded resources for preserving and presenting its collections.
The museum documents the traditions of Ama divers, women who have practiced diving without breathing equipment for generations to gather pearls and seafood. These divers remain an important part of the region's cultural identity.
The museum is organized into seven thematic sections that cover traditions, festivals, fishing equipment, and daily life aspects in Ise Bay and surrounding waters. Plan to spend several hours to explore the different exhibition areas at a comfortable pace.
The museum preserves approximately 7,000 fishing-related objects that hold the status of Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property at the national level. This collection documents specialized techniques and tools developed across Ise Bay, Shima Peninsula, and Kumano Sea.
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