Mie Prefectural Museum (MieMu)

The Mie Prefectural Museum (nickname: MieMu) is a comprehensive prefectural museum that opened in 2014, and within its extensive collection spanning three departments—nature, history, and culture—it houses a collection of sword-culture materials centered on the regions of Ise, Shima, Iga, and Kii.

Mie Prefecture is a region where multiple facets of Japanese sword culture intersect. In relation to Ise Grand Shrine (both Inner and Outer Shrines), there is a longstanding tradition of renowned blades known as 'Jingu Goryōtō' dedicated before the sacred altar, and MieMu houses related materials from this tradition. Furthermore, Iga Province (present-day Iga City and surrounding areas) is known as the heartland of Iga-ryū ninja; meanwhile, during the medieval period, powerful daimyo such as the Kitabatake clan established bases there, and it was also a region where swordsmiths influenced by the Sōshū and Yamato schools were active.

The history department of the museum explains the multifaceted dimensions of Mie's distinctive samurai culture through extensive materials: the relationship between power and martial equipment of Ise Provincial Governors and Administrators as represented by the Kitabatake clan, the maritime culture and sword dedications of Kuki Yoshitaka, pirate of Shima Province, and the daimyo culture and sword collections of Tsu Domain under the Tōdō family, a tozama daimyo house of the early modern period.

Centered on the exhibition concept of "Way of the Sea, Way of the Mountains, Way of the Divine," it is an important comprehensive museum in the Chūbu and Kii regions where visitors can explore the diverse dimensions of sword culture within Mie's distinctive historical worldview in which Ise Shintō, Shugendō, ninja culture, and maritime traditions intersect.