Museums of Japan: Matsura Historical Museum (Hirado, Japan)

About

Matsura Historical Museum (松浦史料博物館, Matsura Shiryō Hakubutsukan)

Housed in a 19th century nobleman’s villa, the Matsura Historical Museum showcases the precious heirlooms of the Matsura family (rulers of Hirado during the Edo Period). There are lots of absolutely gorgeous pieces on display, including splendid specimens of traditional lacquerware and a pair of screens executed by Kanō Tan’yū (1602-1674), one of the foremost members of the renowned Kanō school of painting.

I have a particular love for museums of this kind that showcase the private collections of prominent noble families; Nagoya’s Tokugawa Art Museum is perhaps the greatest example. Instead of an artificial assemblage put together by professionals or scholars, these are personal treasures accumulated by generations upon generations of a single family and thus illustrate in a special way not only the changing tastes of the aristocracy as a whole, but also the rise and fall of the family’s own fortunes across Japanese history.

Location

Links

Official Site (EN) / Official Site (JP) / Japan-Guide / My original Instagram post

Hours, fees, etc.

Refer to this page on the official site.