Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History

The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History is a prefectural comprehensive museum built adjacent to the castle walls of Himeji Castle (also known as Shirasagi Castle), a UNESCO World Heritage site, and serves as a facility that systematically displays the complete history of Hyogo Prefecture across archaeology, medieval, early modern, and modern periods. The architecture is one of the representative works designed by Kenzo Tange and is highly regarded as museum architecture that forms a unified ensemble with the Himeji Castle landscape.

From the perspective of Japanese swords and samurai culture, the collection of blades and armor rooted in the martial traditions of Harima Province (present-day southwestern Hyogo Prefecture) holds particular significance. Harima was a strategic hub for transportation and military affairs in medieval Japan, where powerful daimyo such as the Akamatsu, Yamana, Mori, Kuroda, and Honda clans competed, and where the Ikeda clan ultimately established Himeji Domain. Many weapons and blades accumulated by the various daimyo families have been inherited as holdings of this museum, allowing visitors to learn about Sengoku history centered on Harima and katana culture through actual artifacts.

Himeji Castle is known as the largest existing castle with a standing tenshu (keep), and the relationship between the structure and defensive functions of the tenshu and the weapons and armor of the period is explained in an easily understandable visual manner through this museum's exhibitions. In particular, exhibitions explaining the relationship between early modern castle fortification systems and the practical combat applications of katana, spears, and firearms are popular with visitors who wish to understand blades within the context of castle history.

Throughout the year, the museum offers a rich program of special exhibitions, with dedicated exhibitions featuring katana and armor held regularly. By visiting alongside a tour of Himeji Castle's tenshu, one can experience Japanese sword culture deeply within the historical context of Shirasagi Castle.