Sanada Treasure Museum

The Sanada Treasure Museum is a museum located in Matsushiro-machi, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture. It is known among Sengoku-period historians and Sanada family researchers nationwide as a facility that houses and exhibits arms and armor, crafts, and ancient documents transmitted to the Sanada family (Matsushiro Domain). The Matsushiro Domain was a domain whose first lord was Sanada Nobuyuki (the elder brother of Sanada Yukimura), and from then until the Meiji Restoration the Sanada family ruled it generation after generation. The collection consists of daimyō possessions, including arms and armor, furnishings, paintings and calligraphy, and documents, which were transferred in 1966 (Shōwa 41) by the twelfth head of the Sanada family. It numbers approximately 50,000 items.

In the sword collection, what draws particular attention is the tachi and katana held in the collection, which were transmitted to successive Sanada lords of the domain. Among them, the nationally designated Important Cultural Property 'Aoe no Ōdachi' is well known. Owing to its origins, the Sanada family had close ties with the Takeda family of Kai, and the museum also holds letters written by Takeda Shingen. In the field of armor, the 'Nobori-bashigo no gusoku,' believed to have been used by Sanada Masayuki (father of Nobuyuki and Yukimura), is well known.

The history of the Sanada family and Matsushiro is also widely known through NHK Taiga dramas and historical novels such as 'Sanada-maru' and 'Sanada Taiheiki.' Because of its advantageous location adjacent to the Matsushiro Castle Ruins (Kaizu Castle), a historic site, the Matsushiro district of Nagano City has become a popular destination for Sengoku-history enthusiasts as a base for historical tourism. Access is also convenient, at about 30 minutes by bus from "Nagano Station" on the Nagano Shinkansen (Hokuriku Shinkansen).