Chokokan Museum

Chokokan is a history museum that preserves and displays the art, crafts, and historical documents handed down through the Nabeshima family, the former lords of the Saga domain. It was established in 1927 by Nabeshima Naoie, the 12th head of the marquis Nabeshima family, as the first museum in Saga Prefecture. It stands adjacent to Saga Shrine and is operated by the public-interest incorporated foundation Nabeshima Hōkōkai.

Early Showa-Era Western Architecture

The building, begun in 1926 and completed in 1927, is a two-story reinforced-concrete Western-style structure designed by the Satō Kōichi architectural office (with Tokunaga Isao in charge) and built by the Shimizu-gumi firm (now Shimizu Corporation). Its curving façade features a semicircular porte-cochère, Tuscan-order columns, and paired columns, and in 1997 it was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property as a representative example of early Showa-era Western-style architecture in Saga Prefecture.

Nabeshima Swords, Armor, and a National Treasure

The collection comprises roughly 4,000 art and craft objects handed down through the Nabeshima family and roughly 4,000 documents from the Meiji era onward, with a further 30,000 related items on deposit at the Saga Prefectural Museum and Library. Alongside the National Treasure musical scores for saibara and kagura songs, the museum holds swords, armor, and other arms connected to the Nabeshima and Ryūzōji families, together with paintings, calligraphy, and documents, extending to furnishings from the Meiji era onward.

Exhibition-Based Opening and a Centennial

The museum keeps no permanent exhibition and opens to the public only during exhibition periods held a few times a year. In 2026 it marks its 100th anniversary, holding a commemorative pre-anniversary exhibition, "Treasures of Saga," from October 10 to December 20.