What other travelers are saying about Jinchokan Moriya Historical Museum, Chino
I enjoyed my visit here. There was information in English and I was fortunate enough to get the gist of the Japanese tour and well through my own ability and the help of a friend. This seems to be a very unusual historical place, as it's quite rare (allegedly it's only here?) to see animal sacrifice in Japan. Not that you get to watch it but that it was practiced here in the past. The grounds themselves are also quite nice to stroll through.
Would have been more interested if the guide there had explained using a little bit more understandable language. He had such a quick tongue not even my Japanese parents in law managed to decipher what he was saying.
Fascinating glimpse into the ancient history and tradition of Suwa. Housed in a fantastical structure, with walks out past several others and through woodlands to several sites of the Suwa shrines.
There is an English leaflet, the collection is small and will not take long to view, but worth a diversion if interested in local history.
I liked here
Hanging on the walls are a plethora of deer and boar heads and skewered rabbits... (ﾟДﾟ) Huh? What on earth is this place? Those who come here unfamiliar with it might wonder. Is it the entrance of a wealthy man with nouveau riche tastes? Well, I imagine the people who come here are quite curious (sorry), so perhaps there aren't many people like that. But how many people would consider this the most important museum for Japanese people? Ultimately, temples and shrines abhor blood and impurity, so surely such brutal objects are impossible? I wonder if they've reached a simple question like that. Even looking at the Moriya family letters on display at this museum probably won't help, and the connections between the Moriya family, the Suwa clan, and the Takeda clan of Kai, as well as the relationship between the Upper and Lower Suwa Shrines, are more detailed in the exhibits in the keep of nearby Takashima Castle, but even that doesn't explain it. Reading the official statement from Suwa Taisha only adds to the confusion, and there's no point in carefully tracing the multiple changes that have occurred throughout the ages since ancient times. I feel that the exhibits at the Lake Suwa Museum, which trace the natural history of Lake Suwa, offer many hidden clues. Human interpretations based on hindsight are unreliable. The Japanese are often reported abroad as being unique in global terms, with their orderly behavior, lack of looting or panic even in tragic situations, their telepathic communication, and their spirit of selfless, kind, mutual help. I believe that Suwa Taisha and this museum are the perfect place to consider the fundamental essence of the Japanese people, and indeed of humanity. A careful look back at history reveals that our values have subtly changed over the ages, but the major turning point was the shift from a hunting and nurturing society to an agricultural one, not from a feudal to a modern one. Is it a bit of a leap of historical romance to see this place at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains as a place of flourishing, highly spiritual life in a society with little conflict or dispute during the middle Jomon period, when the area was the cultural center of the Japanese archipelago?
The museum offers very affordable admission with adult tickets at 100 yen, high school students at 70 yen, and elementary/junior high school students at 50 yen. Group discounts are available for groups of 20 or more people. This makes it one of the most budget-friendly cultural attractions in the region.
The museum was designed in 1991 by renowned architect Terunobu Fujimori, marking his first architectural work after being commissioned by his native village. As a famous architectural historian, Fujimori aimed to create totally unique architecture dissimilar to any that came before. The building represents his distinctive approach to combining traditional Japanese elements with contemporary design, and visitors can also see three other unique Fujimori works nearby: Takasugi-an (too high tea house), Hikusugian (too low tea house) and Soratobudorobune (flying mudboat).
Despite its small unassuming size, the museum offers an intimate encounter with centuries of Japanese religious history through carefully curated displays of ancient documents and manuscripts. At the entrance, an impactful exhibition portrays the festival of heads (Onto), and visitors can explore artifacts that reveal the Moriya family's role as shamanic figures who acted as intermediaries with the Spirit of Nature Mishaguchi and later as high-ranking priests known as jinchokan.
The museum is closed on Mondays, December 29 to January 3, and the day following public holidays (when Monday is a public holiday, the next day is also closed). Visitors should plan accordingly, especially during Japanese national holidays when the closure schedule may extend beyond the typical Monday closure.
