Exhibition Overview

Prologue◆Evolution of the Musashino Folklore Museum

The history of the Musashino Folklore Museum begins on November 17, 1934, with the opening of the Tokyo Local History Museum in Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park. In 1948, the museum was moved to Inokashira Park and renamed the Musashino Museum. Then, in 1954, it was relocated again to Koganei Park and reopened as the Musashino Folklore Museum. It remained a beloved history museum in Tokyo for many years until its closure in 1991. This chapter presents the history of the Musashino Folklore Museum through brochures and other materials from each of its facilities.

Chapter1◆Archaeology of Musashino

The Musashino Folklore Museum, from its days as the Musashino Museum, carried out many notable archaeological excavations that have left a mark on post-war archaeology. The excavations were carried out not only within Tokyo but across the entire Kanto region, and the collected artifacts provide a comprehensive narrative from the Paleolithic era to the modern period in Musashino. In this exhibition, we will present artifacts recovered from notable ruins ranging from the Paleolithic era to ancient times.

Chapter2◆Industries of Musashino

The Musashino Folklore Museum displayed a broad collection of items related to Musashino’s industries, including agricultural equipment, sericulture tools, and shop signs, to highlight the evolution of local industries. In this exhibition, we will showcase tools and photographic materials from our collection that are related to seaweed fishing, which was once thriving in Tokyo Bay, agriculture practiced in various regions, and sericulture, which was often practiced alongside farming.

Chapter3◆Folklore of Musashino

The Musashino Folklore Museum’s collection of folk materials encompassed a diverse array of objects, including clay dolls, Daruma dolls, votive plaques, and regional toys. The collection also included everyday necessities and local toys featuring frog designs, among others. A large collection of votive plaques at the museum came from Tangen Inamura, who was engaged in cultural property surveys in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture. In this exhibition, we will primarily feature clay dolls and votive plaques from our extensive collection of folk materials.

Epilogue◆From the "Folk Garden" to the Open Air Architectural Museum

The "Visitor Center" at our museum was a facility for displaying various materials during the time of the Folklore Museum. In addition to indoor exhibitions, it also featured outdoor displays as part of the "Folk Garden." Within the park, the "Ancient Village" area featured displays such as reconstructed pit dwellings, scale models of keyhole-shaped ancient tombs, and stilt warehouses. In addition, the "Edo Village" included relocated structures such as the Farmhouse of the Yoshino Family, Gate of the Date Family Residence, Kagiya, and the Farmhouse of the Tenmyo Family, all of which still exist in the current museum, while the "Ancient Village" featured a relocated Elevated Granary from Amami-Oshima Island. In this chapter, we will explore the appearance of six reconstructed buildings during their time in the "Folk Garden," including the former Kokaden Palace (now the Visitor Center) which functioned as an indoor exhibition hall.