Exploring Nagano’s History Inside the Museum
The First Floor
The first floor contains the reception area and museum shop. To the left are the auditorium and the Nagano Prefectural Human Rights Awareness Center.
Beyond these facilities, visitors can explore outdoor displays arranged around different historical periods. Areas such as the Jomon Forest, Manyo Field and Medieval Woodland recreate aspects of the natural and cultural landscapes associated with different periods of Japanese history.
The Second Floor
On the second floor, the library reading room is located to the left. Books may be consulted inside the museum, although they cannot be taken outside, and paid photocopying services are available.
The paid special exhibition gallery is located on the right. Further along the corridor is the permanent exhibition gallery, where visitors can follow the history of Nagano through sections devoted to the prehistoric, ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern periods.
The chronological arrangement makes it possible to see how the landscape, society, economy and culture of Shinano changed from the earliest settlements to the present day.
Rare and Important Cultural Materials
The Toba-in-no-cho Kudashibumi, 1145
Among the museum’s most valuable historical documents is the Toba-in-no-cho Kudashibumi, a ruling issued by the administrative office of Emperor Toba concerning the management rights of Ogawa Manor in Shinano Province, an area around present-day Ogawa Village.
The surviving document is the only known original of its kind remaining in eastern Japan. It is considered an exceptionally valuable source for the study of medieval Japanese documents and administrative history.
Artifacts from the Yoshidagawa-nishi Site
The Yoshidagawa-nishi archaeological site in Shiojiri City has produced evidence of pit dwellings and pit graves, along with a wide range of artifacts including green-glazed ceramics, mirrors and Haji-style earthenware plates.
These discoveries provide important clues about everyday life and material culture during the middle of the Heian period, when court culture and regional communities were developing throughout Japan.
Artifacts from the Hinokibayashi B Site
The Hinokibayashi B archaeological site in Shinano Town is known for a large quantity of Paleolithic stone tools dating back approximately 30,000 years.
The collection includes partially polished stone axes, trapezoidal stone tools and whetstones, as well as other materials that reveal the processes used to manufacture stone tools. These discoveries are important for understanding the nature of Paleolithic culture in the Japanese archipelago.
More Than a Museum
The Nagano Prefectural Museum of History functions as more than a conventional exhibition facility. It also serves as an archives and archaeological research center.
The museum preserves valuable historical documents donated or entrusted by individuals and organizations throughout Nagano Prefecture, as well as administrative records produced by the Nagano Prefectural Government. Many of these materials are made available for public research and viewing.
Archaeological discoveries made during construction projects such as expressways and Shinkansen railway lines are also preserved here. After excavation results are organized and documented by the Nagano Prefectural Archaeological Center, the materials are transferred to the museum, where they can be preserved and displayed as part of Nagano’s archaeological heritage.
A Vast Collection of Historical Materials
The museum’s holdings demonstrate the extraordinary breadth of its role as a center for historical research. As of 2019, its collections included approximately:
Exhibition materials: 2,301 items
Books: 119,736 volumes
Archaeological materials: 29,204 storage boxes
Historical documents: 291,848 items
These collections cover an exceptionally wide range of periods and subjects, from prehistoric stone tools and ancient artifacts to medieval documents and modern administrative records.
The History of the Museum
Planning and Construction
The museum was planned as part of Nagano Prefecture’s long-term development strategy. The project was based on the Second Nagano Prefecture Comprehensive Plan, formulated in 1988.
A basic construction plan was established in 1990, and construction began in 1992. The museum officially opened on November 3, 1994, which is celebrated in Japan as Culture Day.
The Museum’s Early Exhibitions
When it opened, the museum was organized around three principal divisions: Comprehensive Information, Archaeological Materials, and Historical Documents.
Its first special exhibition was titled “The Kingdom of Red Pottery: Yayoi Period Pottery from the Chikuma River Basin.” The exhibition was highly regarded for focusing on the history and archaeological heritage of the local region.
Shinano no Sato Historic Park
The museum’s location within Shinano no Sato Historic Park makes it particularly valuable for travelers interested in ancient Japanese history.
Rather than visiting the museum in isolation, visitors can combine it with the nearby archaeological sites and reconstructed historical facilities. The surrounding park creates a larger historical landscape in which museum exhibits can be understood in their original regional context.
Mori Shogunzuka Kofun Museum
Another major facility within the historic park is the Mori Shogunzuka Kofun Museum, operated by Chikuma City. The museum preserves and displays archaeological materials associated with the Hanishina Kofun Burial Mounds and the Ariyama Shogunzuka Kofun.
Located at the foot of Mount Ariyama, the museum introduces discoveries from the surrounding burial mounds, including artifacts excavated from Mori Shogunzuka Kofun. Together with the Nagano Prefectural Museum of History, it forms an important educational center for learning about ancient Shinano.
Mori Shogunzuka Kofun
Mori Shogunzuka Kofun is the largest keyhole-shaped burial mound in Nagano Prefecture. The kofun has been reconstructed on a ridge of Mount Ariyama and is open to visitors.
A shuttle bus connects the Kofun Museum with the reconstructed burial mound. The fare is 200 yen one way, with half-price fares for elementary school students. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.
The bus does not operate on Mondays, the day after national holidays, or during the winter period from December through April.
Preserving an Ancient Monument
From the First Survey to National Historic Site Designation
Mori Shogunzuka Kofun was first documented as a “Shogunzuka” in 1883. It was designated a Nagano Prefectural Historic Site in 1965 and subsequently became a National Historic Site in 1970.
In 1970, local residents launched a campaign calling for the preservation of the kofun. More than 90 percent of local residents signed a petition supporting its protection.
As a result, comprehensive archaeological excavation and restoration work was carried out from fiscal year 1981 through fiscal year 1991. The reconstructed monument seen today is the result of these long-term preservation efforts.
Important Archaeological Discoveries
Excavations at Mori Shogunzuka Kofun uncovered fragments of a triangular-rimmed mirror decorated with divine beasts, an important type of artifact associated with ancient Japan.
Another remarkable discovery was a stone burial chamber with the largest floor area of its type in Japan. The burial chamber has been recreated inside the Kofun Museum, allowing visitors to understand its scale and construction.
The archaeological significance of the site has attracted attention far beyond Chikuma. Mori Shogunzuka Kofun has even been introduced with illustrations in elementary school social studies textbooks, making it one of Japan’s best-known examples of an ancient burial mound.
Visiting the Museums and Historic Park
The Nagano Prefectural Museum of History and the Mori Shogunzuka Kofun Museum can be visited together as part of a broader exploration of Shinano no Sato Historic Park.
The area is especially rewarding for travelers who want to understand Japan beyond its famous castles and temples. Here, archaeology provides a direct connection with communities that lived in the region thousands of years ago.
Access
The historic park can be reached by the Chikuma City community bus from either Yashiro Station or Yashiro High School-mae Station on the Shinano Railway. Get off at the Shinano no Sato Historic Park bus stop.
By car, the site is approximately 5 minutes from the Koshoku Interchange on the Nagano Expressway.
The address of the Mori Shogunzuka Kofun Museum is 29-1 Yashiro, Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture.
A Gateway to the Ancient History of Shinano
The Nagano Prefectural Museum of History is one of the best places in the region to gain a broad understanding of Nagano’s past. Its chronological exhibitions, rare historical documents and extensive archaeological collections reveal how the people of Shinano lived, worked and shaped their communities over thousands of years.
The museum becomes even more meaningful when combined with the surrounding Shinano no Sato Historic Park, Mori Shogunzuka Kofun and Shina no Mura. Visitors can move from museum displays to actual archaeological landscapes and reconstructed ancient settlements, creating a more vivid connection between historical evidence and the places where that history unfolded.
For travelers interested in ancient Japan, archaeology, traditional culture and regional history, this corner of Chikuma offers an unusually rich experience. It is a place where the story of Shinano can be explored not only through objects behind glass, but also through the landscapes and monuments that have survived into the present day.