Kagawa Museum
The Kagawa Museum in Takamatsu displays the art and history of Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku.
Kagawa Museum, Takamatsu 香川県立ミュージアム
The Kagawa Museum is a museum in Takamatsu displaying the art and history of Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku.
The Kagawa Museum also hosts temporary exhibitions of modern art from around the world.
Kagawa Museum, Takamatsu, Shikoku
Kagawa Museum, Takamatsu, Shikoku
The Kagawa Museum opened in 2008 and has a diverse collection of exhibits relating to the flora and fauna of the Kagawa area as well as the region's history and culture.
The historical collections trace the progression of Takamatsu from its early history in the Jomon and Yayoi periods, through the upheavals of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods and the bloody battles of the Genji and Taira clans, through its development as an Edo Period castle town in a time of peace and tranquility, to everyday life in the Meiji Period, when the town underwent modernization and westernization typical of the age, and also during the trauma of the Second World War, when Takamatsu was heavily bombed.
The Edo section has a number of interesting, original maps showing the layout of Takamatsu in the 17th and 18th centuries. The later historical periods are also represented by a reproduction of the elementary school classroom based on the Twenty-Four Eyes story set in Shodoshima and a recreated house of the postwar period complete with sliding doors, a low table and tatami mats.
There are also several exhibits relating to religious art including wooden sculpture, a mini pagoda and a focus on Kobo Daishi and Shikoku as home to the famous 88 temple pilgrimage based on the wanderings of the distinguished Buddhist monk.
Kagawa Museum, Takamatsu, Shikoku
Kobo Daishi, Kagawa Museum, Takamatsu
Photography is restricted in some areas of the museum. Look out for the signs where no photography is allowed.
The Kagawa Prefectural Cultural Hall (香川県文化会館) and Seto Inland Sea Folk History Museum (瀬戸内海歴史民俗資料館) are both annexes of the Kagawa Museum.
The Kagawa Prefectural Cultural Hall, west of Chuo Park, has displays of Kagawa lacquerware and various classrooms where students study this ancient craft.
The Seto Inland Sea Folk History Museum, near Sakaide, has exhibits on the history of navigation and trade in the Inland Sea including fishing and shipbuilding tools, costumes and assorted vessels.
View of Takamatsu Castle from Kagawa Museum, Shikoku
Kagawa Museum Access
Kagawa Museum (pref.kagawa.lg.jp)
5-5 Tamamo-cho, Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, 760-0030
Tel: 087 822 0002
Hours: 9 am-5 pm (last entrance 4.30pm); closed on Monday or the next day if Monday is a public holiday
Admission: 410 yen for adults; free for Junior High School students and below; special exhibitions are charged extra.
Located on the east side of Tamamo Park and Takamatsu Castle, the Kagawa Museum is a short walk from Takamatsu JR Station and Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko Station.
Edo Period Map of Takamatsu, Kagawa Museum, Takamatsu, Shikoku
