Katsuyama Castle Museum facts for kids
| 勝山城博物館 | |
Museum on the outside
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| Established | July 19, 1992 |
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| Location | 85-26-1 Heisenjicho, Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan |
| Type | Japanese museum |
| Owner | Tada Kiyoshi Cultural Educational Commemoration Foundation (多田清文化教育記念財団, Tada Kiyoshi Bunka Kyōiku Kinen Zaidan) |
The Katsuyama Castle Museum (勝山城博物館, Katsuyama-jō Hakubutsukan) is a cool museum in the city of Katsuyama in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It opened its doors on July 19, 1992. This building looks a lot like a traditional Japanese castle. In fact, it's considered the tallest castle-like building in Japan, standing at 57.8 meters! Even though it looks like a castle, it's not a real one because it doesn't have a tenshu. A tenshu is a special main tower used to defend a castle.
The museum was designed to look like the famous Himeji Castle. One unique thing about it is the dragons carved into its stone base. This is quite unusual for Japanese castles.
Contents
Why the Museum Was Built
A Dream Comes True
Long ago, during Japan's Edo period (1603-1868), the area where Katsuyama City is now located was part of a region called the Echizen-Katsuyama Domain. People in this area always wanted to build a tenshu (main castle tower). But because of old laws and other reasons, they could never finish it.
Many years later, a man named Kiyoshi Tada was born in Katsuyama. He became the founder of a big taxi company. Kiyoshi Tada decided to make the old dream of a castle tower come true. Instead of building a real castle, he built this amazing museum that looks just like one!
What You Can See Inside
Inside the Katsuyama Castle Museum, you can see many interesting things from Kiyoshi Tada's own collection. These include real samurai armor, sharp swords, and beautiful traditional folding screens. It's like stepping back in time to see what life was like for warriors in old Japan.
The museum is also located near another special gift from Kiyoshi Tada to Katsuyama: the Echizen Daibutsu. This is a group of buildings built in a traditional Japanese style, with a giant Buddha statue inside. Building the museum cost about 10 billion yen, which is a lot of money!
The Museum Today
Managing the Museum
Since it opened, the Tada Kiyoshi Cultural Educational Commemoration Foundation has been in charge of the Katsuyama Castle Museum. In 2014, the museum started working closely with the Katsuyama City government. This helps them offer even more to visitors.
Special Collections and Events
Besides Kiyoshi Tada’s own collection, the museum also shows off more than 800 pieces of beautiful embroidery. These amazing textiles come from the Qing dynasty in China, which was a long time ago. You can also see art by a famous calligrapher named Goseki Nishiwaki.
The museum is a busy place! Many fun events happen there throughout the year. You can experience traditional tea ceremonies, join haiku poetry contests, or listen to various concerts. The museum also works with the government and other museums to create special programs.
In 2019, about 125,000 people visited either the museum or the Echizen Daibutsu. It's a popular spot for learning about history and culture!
