Mogami Tokunai Memorial Museum

The Mogami Tokunai Memorial Museum is a museum in Murayama that holds surveying tools, historical maps, and replicas of boundary stones from northern exploration journeys. The collection documents the work done across remote regions and the methods used to study and record those territories.

An important figure from the 1700s, Mogami Tokunai conducted multiple surveys of northern Japan's unexplored regions under orders from the Edo period government. These journeys between the 1780s and 1800s helped Japan understand and claim its northern boundaries.

The exhibits show how exploration changed relationships between Japanese and Ainu communities during this period. You encounter how people studied languages and created maps to better understand lands and the populations they encountered.

The museum is easy to reach and allows visitors to walk through the exhibits at a relaxed pace without feeling rushed. The space is small enough to see everything in less than an hour, making it a good stop while exploring the town.

The museum's outdoor area includes a bronze statue and several stones that mark important sites from the explorer's journeys. These outdoor pieces add another layer to understanding the person the museum honors and his travels across the north.