Japanese Sword Museum, Military museum in Yokoami, Japan.
The Japanese Sword Museum is a three-story reinforced-concrete building designed by Fumihiko Maki, with a windowless cylindrical drum in front and a taller rectangular block behind. Its collection numbers about 190 items, including swords, mountings, armor and metalwork documents, with blades from the Heian, Kamakura and Nanboku-cho periods.
The Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords was founded in February 1948 to save swords confiscated and destroyed during the postwar occupation. Its museum opened in Yoyogi, Shibuya, on 25 May 1968 and closed there on 31 March 2017 for rebuilding. The present building, designed by Fumihiko Maki, opened on 19 January 2018 on the site of the former Ryogoku Public Hall inside the old Yasuda Garden.
Here, swords are presented as art objects reflecting Japanese values of precision and beauty rather than military tools. Rotating displays help visitors understand how these objects held meaning beyond combat in the country's cultural life.
The location is a short walk from Ryogoku Station, making it easy to reach from central Tokyo. Visiting during daytime hours allows you to see the blade details clearly under good lighting conditions.
The museum's collection numbers about 190 items, not 400, and includes swords, mountings, armour and metalwork documents. Three blades are National Treasures, among them a tachi signed by Nobuyoshi with a 73.3 cm blade and 2.9 cm curvature. The building, designed by Fumihiko Maki, stands on the site of the former Ryogoku Public Hall inside the Former Yasuda Garden.
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