MOA Museum

MOA Museum is a private art museum located on a hilltop in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, and is internationally known as a facility housing Japanese and East Asian artworks collected by religious leader Okada Mokichi (1882–1955). The collection of approximately 3,500 objects, including 3 National Treasures and 67 Important Cultural Properties (as of 2023), constitutes a vast collection spanning paintings, ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, and swords. The superb location overlooking Sagami Bay and the dramatic spatial design of the exhibition building accessed by escalator are elements that attract art enthusiasts from around the world.

Swords constitute a significant portion of the collection. The Rai school was a prominent group of swordsmiths representing Yamashiro Province (Kyoto) during the Kamakura period, characterized by graceful sugata, pristine jihada, and exquisite fine suguha blade patterns. The Nakajima Rai, a branch school, derives its name from the relocation of Rai-school swordsmiths to Nakajima in Settsu Province (present-day Higashiyodogawa Ward, Osaka), and is known as a school bearing a place name.

Multiple swords designated as Important Cultural Properties are held in the collection, including tachi and katana from the Kamakura, Northern and Southern Courts, and Muromachi periods. In the field of metalwork, the museum also houses fine examples of sword fittings (tsuba, kogatana, kogai, and menuki). MOA Museum regularly organizes specialized thematic exhibitions such as "Sword Exhibitions" and "Metalwork Exhibitions" in spring and autumn, and is known as a destination museum for Japanese sword enthusiasts.

Located in the resort environment of Atami, a hot spring destination, the museum serves as a hub for "cultural tourism" combining hot springs, dining, and art appreciation, accommodating both day visitors and overnight guests. A reconstructed National Treasure tea house, Jo-an, is also installed, making the museum a fully equipped facility where visitors can simultaneously experience tea ceremony culture and sword culture.