Tsukamoto Art Museum

Tsukamoto Art Museum opened in 1983 in Urashinmachi, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, based on the collection of the late businessman Tsukamoto Sogan, a native of Sakura. It is a museum specializing in Japanese swords and sword mountings (sheaths/koshirae), holding one of Japan's largest specialized collections with approximately 400 blades and 250 sheaths. Its distinguishing feature is presenting the sword not merely as an isolated blade but as "comprehensive art unifying blade and sheath (koshirae)."

Exhibition Policy

Given limited exhibition space, the museum does not display its entire holdings at once; instead it rotates roughly 20 pieces every three months. This allows repeat visitors to encounter different works on each visit, and the museum is known for a loyal following of returning guests.

Collection Positioning

The collection spans from the Heian period to modern-era blades across multiple schools and periods. Its collecting policy, which emphasizes sheaths and mountings alongside blades themselves, is unusual nationwide and draws attention from researchers of sword fittings, making it one of Japan's leading sword-specialist museums.

Access and Operations

The museum maintains an open policy of free admission. It closes on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, national holidays, and the New Year period, but opens specially on the third Saturday of each month and on August 16. It is conveniently located about 10 minutes on foot from Keisei-Sakura Station or 20 minutes from JR Sakura Station, and is often visited together with Sakura's historic castle-town streetscape.