Fukui PrefecturalMuseum ofCulturalHistory

Welcome tothe Fukui Prefectural
Museum ofCultural History

The Fukui Prefectural Museum of Cultural History introduces thehistory and folk customs of the people who have called Fukui homefrom the Paleolithic era through to the present day with a focus on
the Northern region of Echizen.
The history and folk customs of the Southern region of Wakasa isintroduced at the Wakasa History Museum.

Second floor

History Zone: chronological presentation of Fukui’s history
Topic Zone:
・Special Exhibition Room・“Life in the Showa Period” Corner

Exhibition Rooms: Main exhibition facilities are located on thesecond floor.
Of these exhibitions, the History Zone, “Life in the Showa Period”
Corner and Open Storage alter their displays on a regular basis.

“Life in the Showa Period” CornerFirst floor

Open Storage:
・Folk Customs Exhibition
・“Religious Culture of Echizen” Corner
Information Library:
Visitors can view original museum programs.(Only in Japanese)
Entrance Gallery:
Holds photo exhibitions and small-scale exhibitions.

Folk Customs Exhibition

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Information Library3

History zone
Jomon Period

Yayoi Period(approx. 10000 BCE to approx. 400 BCE)

(approx. 400 BCE to first half of 3rd Century CE)

The Jomon Period is a period of the Neolithic Era characterized by theuse of cord-marked Jomon Pottery (earthenware).
This period signifies the first use of earthenware in Japan.Countlesspieces of Jomon Pottery have been unearthed from Jomon Period ruins
in Fukui. The exhibition pieces reveal just how much the shape anddecoration of the earthenware changed over the almost 9,000 year long
Jomon Period. People of the Jomon Period fed themselves by hunting,fishing, and gathering plants and then cooking these natural foodsources in earthenware. A close look at the shells and bones unearthedfrom the Torihama shell-mounds shows the rich variety enjoyed by thepeople of the Jomon Period. A variety of craftwork and accessories
including combs made from wood and lacquer have also beenunearthed, indicating the honed artistic skills of the Jomon people.

The Yayoi Period is characterized by thinly made Yayoi Pottery featuring
fewer patterns than Jomon Pottery, as well as a more advanced dietbased on rice cultivation. This period also signifies the introduction ofbronze ware and ironware. The earthenware pot with a narrow neckseen on display was made to store rice and is distinctively different inshape from Jomon Pottery. Furthermore, a large number of hoes andplows used for cultivating rice have also been unearthed from the ruins.
Bead-making was a popular way to make personal ornaments fromstones in Fukui’s Northern region during this period. The existence of
these ornaments in the far-off regions of Kansai and Tokai points tocultural exchange with distant settlements.

Highlight: “Bead-making Studio” (diorama) Early Kofun Period (around 4th Century)
A recreation of the bead-making process.
The pit dwelling house in which the work is being done is a bead-making workshop.
Archeological work has shown that settlements at the time consisted of homes as well asworkshops.
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Kofun Period

Nara and Heian Period(later half of 3rd to 7th Century)(8th to 12th Century)

The era in which large mound-shaped tumuli known as kofun weremade is called the Kofun Period. Most of Japan at this time, including
Fukui Prefecture, was ruled by the Yamato Kingship centrally controlled
by the kings of the Kinai region. The size of the kofun seen throughout
Fukui Prefecture, along with the volume and quality of the relics foundwithin them indicate the high social ranking of the people buried within.
The stone coffin, gold and silver plated crown, bronze mirror, and stoneornaments on display in the exhibition room could have only beenpossessed by the regional leader. Weapons such as iron swords, armor,
helmets, harnesses and iron arrow-heads, and ritual-related items
including earthenware have been unearthed from the kofun of thosewith military power under this regional leader.

The period when thecapital was locatedin Nara is referred toas the Nara Period,
and the period when
the capital was inKyoto is known as
the Heian Period.
The capital was home to various central government agencies. Eachprovince had a provincial governor’s office, and the domains making
up each province had a domain office. This system signified that people
were now controlled by government employees. Government offices
created the family registers which formed the basis of control via
offerings of rice and specialty products (tax), along with the assignmentof work services such as military duty. Reading and writing proliferated
for the first time during this period due to the need for government
offices to keep records. The earthenware with ink writing, mokkan(strips of wood with an official message), and ink stone on display are
proof of the rapid spread of written language skills in Fukui during thisera. Salt production using seawater was also a popular industry during
this period. The small, thin earthenware on display was used to boil
seawaterand create
salt that wasthen takento the capitalin Nar a a stax.

Highlight: Stone Coffin
Unearthed from a kofun at Mt Nishitani. Approx. 2 meters long and weighs around 1,400
kilograms. Is made from Shakudani ishi (welded tuff) taken from Mt Asuwa in present-day
Fukui City. The surface is covered with marks made by work tools.
67Kamakura Period toMuromachi
Period(12th to 16th Century)
The period from the Kamakura Period to the Muromachi Period,
recognised as the Medieval Times, was one in which samurai wielded
great power. The Muromachi Period is particularly known for theemergence of feudal lords, or daimyo, that fought for supremacy during
an era also known as the Sengoku, or Warring States Period. Echzen
Province (the northern region of Fukui Prefecture) during this Warring
States Period was ruled by the Asakura clan, seen in the pictures
displayed here. The Asakura, however, were defeated by Oda Nobunagain 1573 in the race for national unification. While the Warring States
Period was a period of turmoil, it also saw great advancements in therealm of artistic culture represented by the tea ceremony and flower
arrangement amongst others. The tea utensils seen on display wereused for such purposes, with a massive amount of porcelain being
imported from China at this time. Echizen-yaki, pottery named after its
region of origin, was mainly made for use as storage containers and forcooking applications. Echizen-yaki was transported along the Japan Sea
trade routes and had a vast region of distribution extending some
1,000 kilometers.

Highlight: Echizen-Yaki Kiln (diorama)
This diorama, modeled after kiln remains from between the 13th to 14th century,
recreates two-thirds of an Echizen-yaki kiln. The way in which the structure was built by
excavating the side of a mountain, and the jars and pots inside can be seen. Items in thekiln were baked at 1,200 degrees Celsius.
8Edo Period(17th to 19th Century)

Tokugawa Ieyasu’s establishment of the shogunate in Edo in 1603
signaled the beginning of the Edo Period. The Edo shogunate provided
samurai (daimyo) with land (feudal domains) where they built a castle
and ruled over the villagers and townspeople in their domains. Vassals
and merchants lived in the castle town built around the daimyo’s castle.
Fukui domain was established in Echizen and ruled over by theMatsudaira Family who constructed Fukui Castle. The moat and stone
wall of the castle still remain standing in front of JR Fukui Station. A
castle town was established around the castle’s outer perimeter.
Archeological excavation work has unearthed a variety of remains thatreveal the everyday life of people of that era including porcelain waresuch as bowls and plates, and wooden items such as chopsticks andgeta footwear. The folding screen on display depicts the Uma-odoshi
festival held over New Year in Fukui’s castle town. This festival was a
popular annual event that brought samurai, townspeople and villagers
together. Marine transportation thrived during the Edo Period with theopening of new sea routes. Cargo ships called kitamae-bune actively
sailed the Japan Sea coastline. The affluent port towns of Mikuni andTsuruga acted as Echizen’s main trading ports.

Highlight: Votive Picture Ema Artist Murakudo-Manshi’s Studio (and Shop) (diorama)
Offering up ema (votive pictures) to shrines was a popular trend during the late Edoperiod. This diorama is the workshop of the man behind this trend Murakudo-Manshi. Thishistorically accurate recreation of a mid-19th century shop shows ema, a hanging scroll of
Sugawara Michizane, along with various work items including tools for painting ema.
9Highlight: Jacquard Loom(recreation)
This is a recreation of a Jacquard
Loom, jointly constructed byartisans from Kyoto and Fukui
based on techniques learnt fromlate 19th century France.

Meiji Period toShowa
Period(19th to 20th Century)
In 1867, shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu of the Edo shogunate
relinquished power to the Imperial Court, bringing an end to theEdo Period. This lead to the commencement of the Meiji Period, andthe establishment of the Meiji Government under Imperial rule.
Present-day Fukui Prefecture was created in 1881. Diplomatic relations
and trade with Europe and Asia thrived after the Meiji Period, andJapan’s industrial and economic sectors rapidly developed as a result.
In Fukui Prefecture, particular attention was given to expanding textile
factories which had operated since the Edo Period. The textile industry,
which produced a finely woven silk cloth called habutae, and later
rayon (artificial silk) flourished, so much so that the industry claimed
the country’s export record during the early Taisho Period. The railway
network was built up during the Meiji and Taisho periods as a meansof transporting this cargo. A recreation of a late 19th century Jacquard
Loom, a theatre recreating the Fukui Rayon Hall, in addition to a variety
of other materials regarding rail transport are on display.
The Fukui Air Raid of 1945 and Fukui Earthquake of 1948 are also
introduced here with information about the disasters and subsequent
reconstruction activities.

Highlight: Old Hokuriku Line
Yamanaka Signal St ation(model)
A recreation of the perilous
Yamanaka Signal Station on
the old Hokuriku Line (1919to 1962). The highlight of thisfacility is a railway siding for
extremely long freight trains
designed to allow trains topass each other safely. Built in
the Taisho Period, this facility
ref lec t s the major role theHokuriku Line played as a main
artery for rail transportation in
Japan at the time.

Museum Theatre
The theatre plays news reels from the period between 1955 and 1975. The theatre ismodeled after the main hall of the Fukui Rayon Hall built in 1937. This building features
an art deco style design which was popular at the time.
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“Life in the Showa Period”

Corner, 1950’s to 1970’s

This corner focuses on
the period bet ween
1955 and 1975. Lifein Japan experienced
major changes during
this period. Household
appliances, private cars,
and the westernizationof eating habits also spread from the city to rural areas. The recreatedtownscape and farmhouse of the era are modeled after actual buildingsthat existed in Fukui Prefecture. The recreated farmhouse is from theperiod around 1965 to 1969.
This building is a traditional Echizen farmhouse that has beenrenovated. The pillars and walls in the entrance have been painted with
an iron oxide rouge to prevent decomposition, while the foundation
makes use of locally quarried Shakudani ishi (welded tuff), giving thebuilding a distinctly Echizen flavor. A Western style drawing room andnew kitchen have been added during the renovations. The interior,furniture, and household appliances in each room give an insight into
how everyday lifestyle changed over time. The townscape is arecreation of the period from 1960 to 1964.
A traditional sweets shop, car service center, and inexpensive restaurant
line the street. The traditional sweets shop was a gathering place forchildren where cheap sweets and raffle tickets were sold. “Life in theShowa Period” Corner alters the lighting and acoustics every hour on
the half hour to simulate morning to evening. Shop assistants and radio
broadcasts recreate the mood of the period. The sound of looms can beheard throughout the day, indicating the large number of factories
operated by the affluent textile industry. The four seasons can beexperienced through the ripening of fruit on persimmon trees, and thesound of cicada and crickets singing. Small touches like geckos on thefarmhouse walls, the cat inthe traditional sweets shop, and sparrows

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make this is a popularexhibition. Visitors canalso enjoy exhibit s ofeveryday items, photos,
and automobiles from theShowa period.

Open Storage
Two main corners introduce the museum’s basic functions of collecting
and storing material.

Folk Customs Exhibition
Located roughly in the middle of theJapanese archipelago, it is also said
that Fukui Prefecture is characterized
by a mixture of cultures from both
East and West Japan. This exhibition
presents material relating to thefood, clothing, housing, work andlifestyle of people living in Fukui.

Religious Culture of Echizen
Since ancient times Japanese
have believed that god
dwells in natural objects
such as mountains, treesand rocks. Tall, beautiful
mountains in par ticularhave been the subject ofreligious faith. Mt Haku
has been worshipped (Mt Haku Faith) as a holy mountain due to its
distinctly white appearance. Buddhism is also widely followed in Fukui.
The Sotoshu and Jodo Shinshu sects are particularly well known. TheSotoshu sect is a branch of Zen Buddhism that attempts to acquire truth
through Zen meditation. Its founding father Dogen came to Echizen toescape the hustle and bustle of the city and established Eiheiji T emple.
Of the many Buddhas that exist, the Jodo Shinshu sect places particularimportance on the worship of Amida Buddha. The monk Rennyo
visited Echizen in the latter half of the 15th century and conductedmissionary work out of Yoshizaki Gobo Temple. Rennyo’s easy to follow
teachings helped spread Jodo Shinshu amongst farmers. The exhibition
introduces cultural properties related to such religions and religious
practices.
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Museum Information

Museum Information

Floor Guide
Ticket Desk
Restrooms

Museum Cafe

Locker Room

Elevator

Information

1

Nursing Room

2First Floor

Second Floor

Folk Customs
Exhibition
Religious Cultureof Echizen

Museum Entrance

History Zone

Entrance Lobby

Entrance
Gallery

Information
LibraryLife inthe Showa PeriodMuseumTheatre

Cafe Entrance

LectureRoom

Topic ZoneLecture HallSpecialExhibition Room

Hours

Admission

9am to 5pm (no admission after 4:30pm)■Permanent Exhibition

Closed<Individuals> 100 yen <Groups> 80 yen
Free admission for persons high school age and below,
or 70 years and older

Every 2nd and 4th Wednesdays
Year-end and New Year holidays
May close temporarily for exhibition rearrangement and maintenance

14■Special Exhibition

Depends on the Exhibition15

Access
Niigata Airport
Nagaoka JCT
Joetsu JCT

Noto Airport

Local Line
Bullet Train LineExpressway
International Airport

Niigata
Naoetsu

Domestic Airport
Toyama Kitokito Airport
Oyabetonami JCTEchigoyuzawa

Hokuriku Bullet
Train Line Nagano

Joetsu Bullet
Train Line

Kanazawa Toyama
Fukui-Kita
JCT.IC

Fukui
Hokuriku

Fukui IC

Main Line

Tsuruga

Chubu-Jukan
Expressway
Shirotori IC

Joshin-Etsu
Expressway

Karuizawa
Matsumoto Hokuriku Bullet

Tsuruga JCT

Hokuriku
Expressway
ObamaLine
Tokai-Hokuriku
Maizuru-Wakasa
Expressway
Expressway
Maihara Ichinomiya
Meishin
JCTJCT
Expressway

Fujioka JCT

Chuo
Main Line

Nerima ICTokyo IC

Kansai International
AirportNagoyaChubu(Centrair)
International Airport

to Kanazawa

416

Fukui-kita Fukui-kita
JCTIC

JR Hokuriku Line

Prefectural Museum ofCultural History CrossingFujishima High School

University of Fukui

Fukui
Municipal Library
Tawaramachi

NaritaInternational
AirportTokyo(Haneda)
InternationalAirport

Tokaido Bullet
Train Line

Fukui Prefectural Museumof Cultural History
Fukui Prefectural Museumof Fine Arts

Omiya
NaritaAirportTokyoTomei Expressway

Shin-Osaka Kyoto Maibara

Tohoku Bullet
Train Line

Kan-EtsuExpressway

Obama IC

ObamaYokawa
JCT

TakasakiTrain Line

Hokuriku Expressway

Komatsu Airport

Itoigawa

8Nishibetsuin
Yokokan Garden

Fukui district Court

Echizen Railway
Fukui
Prefectural office
Fukui-Ekimae

Fukui
Fukui/JRFukui IC

Fukui Railway

Asuwa Riverto Tsuruga158

Transportation

By Train
Via Echizen Railway (Mikuni Awara Line)
Get off at Nishibetsuin Station. Walk north about 15 minutes.
Via Fukui Railway (Fukubu Line)
Get off at Tawaramachi Station. Walk northeast about 15 minutes.

By BusVia Keifuku Bus (31 Route)
Get off at Miyamaecho bus stop.
Via Keifuku Bus (38 Route)
Get off at “Kenritsu Rekishi Hakubutsukan” bus stop.
Via “Smile” Bus (North Route for Tawara/Bunkyo)
Get off at Miyamaecho bus stop.

By Car
About 10 minutes from Fukui Station (JR Hokuriku Line)
About 15 minutes from Fukui Kita Interchange, off the Hokuriku Expressway

Fukui Prefectural Museumof Cultural History
2-19-15 Omiya, Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture 910-0016 JAPAN

Phone : (+81)-776-22-4675 E-mail : history-museum@pref.fukui.lg.jp

http://www.pref.fukui.jp/muse/Cul-Histhttps://www.facebook.com/fukuirekihaku
https://twitter.com/Fukui_rekihaku

Fukui Cultural International Dispatch Executive Committee
3-17-1 Ote, Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture 910-8580 JAPAN
Edited in Collaboration with : Fukui Promotion Department Cultural Affairs Division
Published : March 2016

http://www.real-japan-fukui.jp
Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan in the fiscal 2015