Joetsu City History Museum

The Joetsu City History Museum is a municipal history museum located in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture. It completely renovated its predecessor, the Joetsu City General Museum, and reopened under its current name on July 21, 2018 (Heisei 30). In the renovation, a rooftop observation deck and a café were newly added. Rather than remaining a mere exhibition facility, the museum has been rebuilt as a multifaceted cultural base that conveys the history of the region.

Permanent Exhibition

The permanent exhibition galleries, under the theme of “Capital of Echigo” (Echigo no Miyako), present the history of the region's center as it shifted from the medieval Echigo provincial capital (kokufu) to Kasugayama Castle, Fukushima Castle, and Takada Castle, and extend to modern Joetsu and life in snow country. In the “Capital of Echigo” section, items including those associated with Uesugi Kenshin are displayed. In the “Era of the Sakakibara Family” section, cultural objects dating back to Sakakibara Yasumasa, founder of the Sakakibara line, are displayed. These objects are held by the Sakakibara family, who served as lords of Takada domain for 130 years in the late Edo period, and by Sakaki Shrine. Exhibits are rotated roughly every three months. By centering the exhibition on the transitions of the three castles, the structure allows visitors to concretely trace, through original objects, the history of changing lords, from the Uesugi clan of the Sengoku period to the Sakakibara family, fudai daimyo of the Edo period.

Connection to the National Treasure “Sanchōmō” (also read Yamatorige)

The museum has a close connection with the National Treasure tachi “Sanchōmō” (also read Yamatorige), a sword long known as a favorite blade of Uesugi Kenshin. The name is said, by one account, to derive from the resemblance of its splendid chōji-midare hamon to the feathers of a mountain bird. Joetsu City began considering the acquisition of Sanchōmō in 2016 and prepared funds for the purchase, including donations from citizens. However, negotiations with the owner over the price did not reach an agreement, and the city abandoned the effort in November 2017. Sanchōmō was later acquired in 2020 by Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture, through crowdfunding, and it is now held and displayed by the Bizen Osafune Japanese Sword Museum in that city. The museum does not own Sanchōmō, but it conveys this history as part of its connection to the places associated with Uesugi Kenshin.

Access

For details such as the address, opening hours, and admission fees, please refer to the official Joetsu City website.

Regional Culture

Joetsu City was the home base of Uesugi Kenshin, who established his headquarters at Kasugayama Castle during the Sengoku period, and it flourished as a castle town of Takada domain in the Edo period. The museum allows visitors to trace the history of the three castles of Kasugayama, Fukushima, and Takada, along with the succession of generations of lords. It is positioned as a core cultural facility that conveys the history and culture of the Joetsu region, and since its renovation it has also been becoming established as a new stop for tourists.